Getting There

By Plane

Most major U.S. and many international carriers fly to Honolulu International Airport. Some also offer direct flights to Kailua-Kona, on the Big Island; Kahului, Maui; and Lihue, Kauai.

United Airlines (tel. 800/225-5825; www.ual.com) offers the most frequent service from the U.S. mainland, flying not only to Honolulu, but also offering nonstop flights from Los Angeles and San Francisco to the Big Island, Maui, and Kauai. American Airlines (tel. 800/433-7300; www.americanair.com) offers flights from Dallas, Chicago, San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, and St. Louis to Honolulu, plus several direct flights to Maui and Kona. ATA/code sharing with Southwest Airlines (tel. 800/I-FLY-ATA or 800/435-9282; www.ata.com) has direct flights to Honolulu from Oakland, Los Angeles, Orange County, Las Vegas, and Phoenix; direct flights to Maui from Oakland, Orange County, and Phoenix; and direct flights from Oakland to Kona, Hilo, and Lihue. Continental Airlines (tel. 800/231-0856; www.continental.com) offers the only daily nonstop from the New York area (Newark) to Honolulu. Delta Air Lines (tel. 800/221-1212; www.delta.com) flies nonstop from the West Coast and from Houston and Cincinnati. Hawaiian Airlines (tel. 800/367-5320; www.hawaiianair.com) offers nonstop flights to Honolulu from several West Coast cities (including new service from San Diego), plus nonstop flights from Los Angeles to Maui. Northwest Airlines (tel. 800/225-2525; www.nwa.com) has a daily nonstop from Detroit to Honolulu.

Airlines serving Hawaii from places other than the U.S. mainland include Air Canada (tel. 800/776-3000; www.aircanada.ca); Air New Zealand (tel. 0800/737-000 in Auckland, 643/379-5200 in Christchurch, 800/926-7255 in the U.S.; www.airnewzealand.com); Qantas (tel. 008/177-767 in Australia, 800/227-4500 in the U.S.; www.qantas.com.au); Japan Air Lines (tel. 03/5489-1111 in Tokyo, 800/525-3663 in the U.S.; www.japanair.com); All Nippon Airways (ANA; tel. 03/5489-1212 in Tokyo, 800/235-9262 in the U.S.; www.fly-ana.com); China Airlines (tel. 02/715-1212 in Taipei, 800/227-5118 in the U.S.; www.china-airlines.com); Air Pacific, serving Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific (tel. 800/227-4446; www.airpacific.com); Korean Air (tel. 02/656-2000 in Seoul, 800/223-1155 on the East Coast, 800/421-8200 on the West Coast, 800/438-5000 from Hawaii; www.koreanair.com); and Philippine Airlines (tel. 631/816-6691 in Manila, 800/435-9725 in the U.S.; www.philippineairlines.com).

Operated by the European Travel Network, www.discount-tickets.com is a great online source for regular and discounted airfares to destinations around the world. You can also use this site to compare rates and book accommodations, car rentals, and tours.

If you're traveling in the United States beyond Hawaii, some large American airlines -- such as American, Delta, Northwest, and United -- offer travelers on transatlantic or transpacific flights special discount tickets under the name Visit USA, allowing travel between any U.S. destinations at reduced rates. These tickets must be purchased before you leave your foreign point of departure. This system is the best, easiest, and fastest way to see the United States at low cost. You should obtain information well in advance from your travel agent or the office of the airline concerned, since the conditions attached to these discount tickets can change without advance notice.

Locally, Hawaiian Airlines (tel. 800/367-5320; www.hawaiianair.com) flies nonstop to Sydney, Tahiti, and American Samoa.

Visitors arriving by air should cultivate patience and resignation before setting foot on U.S. soil. Getting through immigration control may take as long as 2 hours on some days, especially summer weekends. Add the time it takes to clear Customs, and you'll see that you should make a very generous allowance for delay in planning connections between international and domestic flights -- an average of 2 to 3 hours at least.

Agricultural Screening at the Airports -- At Honolulu International and the neighbor-island airports, baggage and passengers bound for the mainland must be screened by agricultural officials. Officials will confiscate local produce like fresh avocados, bananas, and mangoes, in the name of fruit-fly control. Pineapples, coconuts, and papayas inspected and certified for export; boxed flowers; leis without seeds; and processed foods (macadamia nuts, coffee, jams, dried fruit, and the like) will pass.