Kahului Maui Airport

This is a very unimpressive airport. It is very old, outdated and a poor impression for those arriving at Maui. It is equally bad for those leaving after a wonderful vacation. There is no wifi and not enough seating for travelers. The carpets are old and smell. It is being remodeled but it is unknown what can be done with such an outdated building excellent.

Kahului Airport is functional, but not the most pleasant. I flew in and out of OGG during a week-long vacation with my wife, our 2 young boys and my parents. The terminal concourse is spacious, but the décor is dated, it's not the cleanest, there aren't enough ladies' restrooms (so says my mum) and the food options are sorely lacking (limited to one snack bar and one restaurant serving terrible food). The bag claim and TSA checkpoint are both outdoors, which makes for spending a long time standing in tropical heat and humidity. The airport is also right smack in the middle of the most congested part of Maui, so there is often a backup on the surface streets leading to the terminal. OGG does the job, for now, but it is in need of a terminal refurb, an expansion to bring the TSA and bag claim indoors, and a widening and improvement of the roads leading to and from the terminal.

It was hard to believe that I was still in the United States of America and not a third world country when I arrived and departed from this airport. No air conditioning in public areas, no Wi-Fi, all sorts of wildlife flying around, horrendous queues in stifling heat for security checking, filthy carpets and seats in departure lounges, I could go on. Hawaii may indeed be a paradise in the Pacific, sadly, Maui Airport can only be described as Hell! As this is the major terminal for the Island and must generate millions for the operators, there really is no incentive for the operators to invest in improvements for this awful place.

No free internet. Chairs ripping very dated carpet and area unclean. Had to wait here 3+ hours good thing there is a Starbucks California pizza and had a good book.

Small but decent airport. Baggage area completely open so anyone could walk off with bags. The airport hotel we stayed at the first night did not send its shuttle bus on a regular schedule and there were no phones to call hotels so we asked staff at the information desk if we could use theirs. When checking in to depart the check-in area was rather chaotic especially due to those flying out of Hawaii needing to go through agricultural inspection. TSA inspection was normal. Got a decent meal at a sit-down restaurant in the departure area.

It is easy to navigate airy and open staff friendly and helpful. Security was quick and as easy as it gets. There are inter-island connections to the other islands which was the only advantage HNL once had. If you want to shop go to one of the stores on Maui not the airport. As for the shuttle to car rentals that is so common these days I don't give it a second thought. The wait for rental shuttle is none to minutes.

An average airport. Queues for immigration are the usual TSA story - too many passengers being screened by understaffed security check points. One large food court provides a choice of 4 restaurants and the Starbucks does a roaring trade (it's the only decent coffee outlet). The rest of the terminal is spacious and clean.

Decent for a smaller airport. After trying to navigate through larger airports for years I have learned to appreciate smallness in an airport. True not much selection for shopping but I don't go to an airport to shop. I really love the fact that its easy to get from one part of the terminal to the other. Once you clear customs you are right on the street where you can easily hail a taxi to take you into town. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for this place.

I feel that this airport's biggest drawback is having to take a shuttle to and from a rental car facility down the road. Hilo (which sees less tourist traffic) has on-site car rental and return why not Kahului? Even at busy Honolulu you can walk from the terminal to most of the rental car offices though you have to return the car at a facility further away and take a shuttle bus back (or take a long walk across the rental car lots).

The baggage handling here is a joke. Arriving from Denver Dec 23 we waited for any indication of where the cases would arrive. No details were given. After over an hour I finally saw our bright green case arrive. The rest of the place is a little tired & not so well laid out but then it is only really a tourist airport so I suppose it does it's job. Not a shade on HNL mind.