Access HonoluluA royal palace downtown, and a crater at the end of the beach.
Getting to Honolulu, and From the Airport Into the City
ALMOST EVERYONE FLIES

Getting to Honolulu, and From the Airport Into the City

Honolulu is the most remote major city in the United States, and nearly every visitor lands at one airport three miles from downtown and ten from Waikīkī. Here is how the airport works and every way from it into the city.

Photo: Michael Voss, Wikimedia Commons, CC0

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Every way in

Where each arrival puts you

  1. By air

    Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, still widely called Honolulu International, is the main airport of Hawaiʻi, three miles northwest of downtown. Terminal 2 handles flights from the mainland and abroad; Terminal 1 handles flights between the islands.

    Airport to downtown
    three miles
    Airport to Waikīkī
    ten miles
    Terminal 1 to Terminal 2
    free Wiki Wiki shuttle, or on foot

  2. By Skyline

    Since October 2025 the elevated Skyline line has stopped at the airport, at a station between Terminals 1 and 2. It runs west to East Kapolei and east only as far as Middle Street in Kalihi; downtown and Waikīkī are not on it before 2031.

    Airport station to Middle Street
    the current eastern end of the line
    Downtown extension
    planned for 2031

  3. By TheBus

    A rapid bus line from the airport runs through downtown, Kakaʻako and Ala Moana to Waikīkī. Under a temporary rule, each rider may bring one standard suitcase and one carry-on bag, kept at the seat.

    Airport to Waikīkī
    one bus line, through downtown and Ala Moana

  4. By taxi, shuttle or car

    Taxis, shuttles and ride services pick up outside baggage claim. The rental companies share one five-story facility a short walk from Terminal 2 baggage claim.

    Rental car facility
    a short walk from Terminal 2
    Airport to Waikīkī by road
    ten miles

  5. By sea

    Cruise ships dock in Honolulu Harbor at the piers near Aloha Tower, a short walk from downtown and Chinatown.

    Harbor piers to downtown
    on foot
Arrival chart of Honolulu: the road and bus line from the airport, off the drawing to the west, through downtown and Ala Moana to the Waikīkī hotels, and the cruise piers by Aloha Towerthe PacificHonolulu Harborthe reefKoʻolau RangeNuʻuanu ValleyMānoa ValleydowntownDowntownCruise piersWaikīkī hotelsFrom the airport, off the drawing to the west
Schematic, not to scale: where each way in puts you down.
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In full

Getting to Honolulu, and From the Airport Into the City

An island city

Honolulu is the westernmost and southernmost major city of the United States and one of the most isolated in the world: the nearest point on the American mainland is more than two thousand nautical miles away, and the nearest big city, San Francisco, a little farther. That distance decides how you arrive. Almost everyone flies, and almost every flight lands at the same airport, on the south shore of Oʻahu between the city and Pearl Harbor.

The Wiki Wiki Shuttle at a terminal stop, airport information sign beside it
The Wiki Wiki Shuttle at a terminal stop, airport information sign beside itBri, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

From the airport, downtown is three miles to the east and Waikīkī, where most visitors stay, is ten. There is no single fast link into the city yet: the new rail line reaches the airport but not the center, so the last miles are by bus, taxi, shuttle or car. This page takes each way in turn. For moving around once you are here, see getting around.

The airport

Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, named for the Honolulu-born senator and Medal of Honor recipient, is the main airport of the Hawaiian Islands. It was John Rodgers Airport, then Honolulu Airport, and many people still call it Honolulu International. It shares its runways with the neighboring air force base, and its Reef Runway, completed in 1977, was the first major runway in the world built entirely offshore.

The field opened in 1927 as John Rodgers Airport, named for a naval officer, and was taken over by the military after the attack on Pearl Harbor and returned to the territory after the war; it became Honolulu Airport in 1947 and Honolulu International in 1951. Sitting near the middle of the Pacific, it was a stop on many transpacific routes, and by 1950 it was the third-busiest airport in the United States by aircraft movements.

It has three terminals. Terminal 2, the old Overseas Terminal of 1962 remodeled by the architect Vladimir Ossipoff, is the largest and the only one that can take international arrivals, so flights from the mainland and from abroad come in here. Terminal 1, the former Interisland Terminal, handles flights to and from the other islands and some mainland services. Terminal 3 is a small building on the Diamond Head side of the airport.

The escalators down to the Wiki Wiki Shuttle, with signs to the gates
The escalators down to the Wiki Wiki Shuttle, with signs to the gatesBri, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Terminals 1 and 2 are linked behind security, but anyone walking from Terminal 1 into Terminal 2 must pass a Department of Agriculture inspection of their carry-on bags, because plants and produce from the islands are controlled. The free Wiki Wiki Shuttle runs between the ticket lobbies of all three terminals and between the concourses.

Into the city by Skyline

Skyline, Honolulu's elevated, driverless rail line, opened its first section in 2023 and extended to the airport on 16 October 2025. Its airport station, Lelepaua, stands between Terminals 1 and 2 near the international parking garage, and the trains have luggage racks.

Skyline is the largest public works project in the history of Hawaiʻi, and it is unusual among American metros: the trains run without drivers, and the platforms have screen doors between the waiting area and the tracks. Its first section, opened on 30 June 2023, runs between East Kapolei and Hālawa, near the old Aloha Stadium, entirely outside the urban core.

A Wiki Wiki Shuttle bus painted with flowers, a rainbow over the airport
A Wiki Wiki Shuttle bus painted with flowers, a rainbow over the airportFuzheado, Wikimedia Commons, CC0

Before you plan around it, look at where it goes. From the airport the line runs west, through Pearl Harbor and ʻAiea to the new towns of the ʻEwa plain, and east only as far as Middle Street in Kalihi, where there is a major bus transfer point. The section through downtown to Kakaʻako is under construction and due in 2031. For most visitors that makes Skyline useful mainly as a connection: to Pearl Harbor from the airport, or to a bus at Middle Street. Check the line's own map before relying on it.

Into the city by bus

TheBus, the island's public bus system, runs a line from the airport through downtown, Kakaʻako and the Ala Moana shopping center to Waikīkī; when this page was written it was a rapid line called the W Line, and a late-night route also served the airport. Route names change, so check TheBus before you travel.

Luggage is the catch. TheBus limits baggage, and since 16 October 2025 a temporary rule has allowed each rider one standard suitcase and one smaller carry-on bag or backpack, which must fit in front of or beside your seat without blocking the aisle or taking another seat. A family with large suitcases should plan on a taxi or shuttle instead. The getting-around page explains how fares and passes work.

Taxis, shuttles and cars

A Skyline train at an elevated station
A Skyline train at an elevated stationMusashi1600, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Taxis, shared shuttles and app-based ride services all serve the airport; follow the signs from baggage claim. Traffic on the freeway and on Nimitz Highway can be slow at busy times, so give yourself margin when you head back for a flight.

If you are renting a car, all the rental companies work from one consolidated facility, opened in December 2021, a short walk from Terminal 2 baggage claim and served by a shared shuttle bus. Many visitors staying in Waikīkī do not need a car for the city itself; consider renting only for the days you leave it, as described on day trips.

By sea, and from the other islands

Cruise ships dock at the piers of Honolulu Harbor near Aloha Tower, and their passengers come ashore within walking distance of downtown and Chinatown. If you are coming from Maui, Kauaʻi or the island of Hawaiʻi, you will most likely fly in, landing at Terminal 1.

Leaving Hawaiʻi

When you fly back to the mainland, your bags go through an agricultural inspection, because many plants, fruits and soils from Hawaiʻi are not allowed onto the mainland. Leave time for it, and do not pack fresh fruit or plants unless they are sold as pre-inspected. Give yourself extra time in the busy seasons described on when to come.

Once you are here

A driverless Skyline train on the elevated guideway
A driverless Skyline train on the elevated guidewayeli fessler, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Waikīkī and downtown are each easy to get around on foot, and TheBus covers the rest of the city; the where to stay page explains which part of the city suits which trip. The first thing many visitors do is walk down to the beach; the second should be reading the ocean page before swimming.

Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you book through one we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It does not affect what is recommended here, and no sight page on this site carries one.

Arranged before you land:

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Seen on the way

More photographs

  • The Skyline guideway curving across the ʻEwa plain
    The Skyline guideway curving across the ʻEwa plainRickyCourtney, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0