One of the best things about Hawaii is that you do not have to pick just one island. A flight between Honolulu and Maui takes 35 minutes. Honolulu to Kauai is 25 minutes. You can eat breakfast in Waikiki, have lunch overlooking Hanalei Bay, and be back for dinner — though you would be missing the point of going to Kauai.
Inter-island flights are the connective tissue of a multi-island Hawaii trip, and getting them right can make the difference between a smooth vacation and an expensive headache. Here is everything you need to know about flying between the Hawaiian Islands in 2026.
The Three Airlines That Fly Between the Islands
Hawaiian Airlines (now part of Alaska Air Group)
Hawaiian remains the dominant inter-island carrier, operating roughly 170 daily flights between the islands on its fleet of 19 Boeing 717 jets. Despite the Alaska Airlines merger, inter-island flights continue under the Hawaiian brand with the same aircraft and crews.
Hawaiian serves the five busiest island airports: Honolulu (HNL) on Oahu, Kahului (OGG) on Maui, Lihue (LIH) on Kauai, Kona (KOA) on the Big Island’s west coast, and Hilo (ITO) on the Big Island’s east coast. Flights are frequent — often departing every 30 to 60 minutes on the busiest routes.
The onboard experience is brief but distinctly Hawaiian. Even on a 25-minute hop to Kauai, you will get a complimentary drink — POG juice (passion fruit, orange, guava) or coffee. Assigned seating. Two cabin classes: First Class and Main Cabin.
Best for: Route coverage, frequency, and reliability. Hawaiian has been the most punctual airline in America for years.
Southwest Airlines
Southwest entered the Hawaii market in March 2019 and immediately shook up inter-island pricing with fares as low as $29 each way. They fly between Honolulu, Kahului, Kona, and Lihue — though not all routes operate daily and schedules vary by season.
The Southwest advantages are real: two free checked bags (huge for island hoppers hauling snorkeling gear and souvenirs), no change fees, and typically lower base fares. The downside is fewer flights per day and no inter-island service to Hilo.
Best for: Budget travelers and anyone with heavy luggage.
Mokulele Airlines
Mokulele is the small-plane specialist, flying nine-passenger Cessna Grand Caravans to airports that the big carriers do not serve. They connect the smaller communities — Molokai, Lanai, Kapalua (West Maui), and Hana (East Maui) — as well as the main airports.
Flying Mokulele is a different experience. No security lines (seriously). You check in at a small counter, walk across the tarmac, and board a turboprop with panoramic windows. The low-altitude flights offer some of the best aerial views in Hawaii — Molokai’s sea cliffs, the Maui coastline, the Lanai channel.
Best for: Reaching Molokai, Lanai, or smaller Maui airports. Also for the experience itself — it is the closest thing to a scenic flight that doubles as transportation.
Route Map and Flight Times
Most inter-island flights are remarkably short. Here are the approximate flight times between major airports:
- Honolulu to Kahului (Maui) — 35-40 minutes
- Honolulu to Lihue (Kauai) — 25-30 minutes
- Honolulu to Kona (Big Island) — 40-45 minutes
- Honolulu to Hilo (Big Island) — 45-50 minutes
- Kahului to Kona — 30-35 minutes
- Kahului to Lihue — 40 minutes (limited service)
The shortest crossing — Honolulu to Lihue — barely gives you time to finish your POG juice before descent. The longest — Honolulu to Hilo — is still shorter than most people’s commute to work.
What Inter-Island Flights Actually Cost
Pricing depends heavily on when you book and when you fly. As a rough guide:
- Budget range: $39-$69 each way (Southwest sales, Hawaiian promotional fares, booked well in advance)
- Typical range: $70-$120 each way (standard booking, 2-4 weeks out)
- Peak/last-minute: $150-$250+ each way (holidays, same-week bookings)
The single best way to save money on inter-island flights is flexibility. If you can fly midweek rather than Friday or Sunday, you will typically save 30 to 40 percent. Tuesday and Wednesday are consistently the cheapest days.
Practical Tips for Island Hopping
Allow More Time Than You Think
A 35-minute flight does not mean a 35-minute experience. Add 90 minutes for airport arrival, security, and boarding on the departure end, plus 15-30 minutes for baggage claim and car rental pickup on the arrival end. A “quick hop” to Maui is realistically a 3-hour door-to-door commitment. Plan accordingly and do not schedule activities within two hours of your arrival time.
Book Inter-Island Flights Separately
If you are flying from the mainland to Honolulu and then hopping to Maui, you will almost always save money by booking the mainland-to-Honolulu flight and the Honolulu-to-Maui flight as separate tickets. Bundling inter-island legs into a mainland itinerary often inflates the price.
The exception: if you are connecting same-day and want baggage to transfer automatically, booking through one airline is safer. Missed connections on separate tickets are your problem, not the airline’s.
Consider Flying Direct to Neighbor Islands
Many travelers assume they must fly to Honolulu first and then connect. That is often not the case. Direct mainland flights serve Kahului (Maui), Lihue (Kauai), and Kona (Big Island) from multiple West Coast cities. Flying direct to your destination island saves the inter-island connection entirely — plus the cost, time, and hassle of a second flight.
One Island Per Week
The conventional wisdom is sound: plan no more than one additional island per week of vacation. If you have seven days, pick two islands and spend three to four days on each. If you have ten days, three islands work. Trying to hit all four major islands in a week means you will spend most of your vacation in airports and rental car lots.
Where to Stay on Each Island
Multi-island trips mean multiple hotel bookings. Here are our guides for each:
- Oahu Hotels — from budget-friendly Waikiki to luxury North Shore
- Maui Hotels — Wailea luxury, Lahaina recovery, Kapalua seclusion
- Kauai Hotels — romantic Poipu, adventurous North Shore
- Big Island Hotels — Kona coast resorts, Hilo for volcano access
This article is part of our Flying to Hawaii series. Read more: The Complete History of Flights to Hawaii | What Happened to Hawaiian Airlines