Getting There

Getting to Maui

If you think of the island of Maui as the shape of a head and shoulders of a person, you'll probably arrive at its neck, at Kahului Airport (OGG). If you're headed for Molokai or Lanai, you'll have to connect through Honolulu.

At press time, the following airlines fly directly from the U.S. mainland to Kahului: United Airlines offers daily nonstop flights from San Francisco and Los Angeles; Hawaiian Airlines has direct flights from San Diego, Portland, and Seattle; Alaska Airlines offers flights from Anchorage to Seattle to Kahului; American Airlines flies direct from Los Angeles and San Jose; Delta Air Lines offers direct flights from San Francisco via Los Angeles; and US Airways has nonstop service from Las Vegas.

The other carriers -- including Continental Airlines and Northwest Airlines -- fly to Honolulu, where you'll have to pick up an interisland flight to Maui. (The airlines listed in the paragraph above also offer many more flights to Honolulu from additional cities on the mainland.) Hawaiian Airlines offers jet service from Honolulu.

Interisland Flights -- Since September 11, 2001, the major interisland carriers have cut way, way, way back on the number of interisland flights. The airlines warn you to show up at least 90 minutes before your flight, and believe me, with all the security inspections, you will need all 90 minutes to catch your flight. Also, be sure to book your interisland connection from Honolulu to Maui in advance.

In 2008, Hawaii lost one of its three major interisland carriers, Aloha Airlines, but two still remain: Hawaiian Airlines (tel. 800/367-5320; www.hawaiianair.com) and go! (tel. 888/I-FLY-GO-2 [435-9462]; www.iflygo.com).

Visitors to Molokai and Lanai have two commuter airlines to choose from. The carrier go! started commuter service from Honolulu under the name go!Express (tel. 888/I-FLY-GO-2 [435-9462]; www.iflygo.com), with a fleet of Cessna Grand Caravan 208B planes. Pacific Wings began operating a discount airline called PW Express (tel. 888/866-5022 or 808/873-0877; www.flypwx.com), with daily nonstop flights between Honolulu and Molokai and Lanai, plus flights from Kahului, Maui. And Island Air (tel. 800/323-3345 or 808/484-2222; www.islandair.com) serves Hawaii's small interisland airports on Maui, Molokai, and Lanai. However, I have to warn you that I have not had stellar service on Island Air and recommend that you book instead on go!Express or PW Express if you're headed to Molokai or Lanai.

Immigration & Customs

International visitors arriving by air should cultivate patience and resignation before setting foot on U.S. soil. U.S. airports have considerably beefed up security clearances in the years since the terrorist attacks of September 11, and clearing Customs and Immigration can take as long as 2 hours.

Landing at Kahului Airport

If there's a long wait at baggage claim, step over to the state-operated Visitor Information Center, where you can ask about island activities and pick up brochures and the latest issue of This Week Maui, which features great regional maps of the islands. After collecting your bags from the poky, automated carousels, step out, take a deep breath, proceed to the curbside rental-car pickup area, and wait for the appropriate rental-agency shuttle van to take you 1/2 mile away to the rental-car checkout desk. (All major rental companies have branches at Kahului.)

If you're not renting a car, the cheapest way to get to your hotel is via SpeediShuttle (tel. 877/242-5777; www.speedishuttle.com), which can take you between Kahului Airport and all the major resorts between 6am and 11pm daily. Rates vary, but figure on $39 for one person to Wailea (one-way), $54 to Kaanapali, and $74 to Kapalua. Be sure to call ahead of time to arrange for pickup.

You'll see taxis outside the airport terminal, but note that they are quite expensive -- expect to spend around $60 to $75 for a ride from Kahului to Kaanapali and $50 to Wailea.

If possible, avoid landing on Maui between 3 and 6pm, when the working stiffs on Maui are "pau work" (finished with work) and a major traffic jam occurs at the first intersection.

Avoiding Kahului

If you're planning to stay in Kapalua or Kaanapali, you might consider flying Island Air (tel. 800/323-3345; www.islandair.com) from Honolulu to the Kapalua-West Maui Airport. From this airport, it's only a 10- to 15-minute drive to most hotels in west Maui, as opposed to an hour from Kahului.

Pacific Wings (tel. 888/575-4546 or 808/873-0877; www.pacificwings.com) flies eight-passenger, twin-engine Cessna 402C aircraft into tiny Hana Airport, in east Maui, and also flies into Kahului.

Agricultural Screening

Note that at all airports in Hawaii, 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.

Special Moment: The Welcoming Lei

Nothing makes you feel more welcome than a lei. The tropical beauty of the delicate garland, the deliciously sweet fragrance of the blossoms, the sensual way the flowers curl softly around your neck -- there's no doubt about it: Getting lei'd in Hawaii is a sensuous experience.

Leis are much more than just a decorative necklace of flowers -- they're also one of the nicest ways to say "hello," "goodbye," "congratulations," "I salute you," "my sympathies are with you," or "I love you."

During ancient times, leis given to alii (royalty) were accompanied by a bow, since it was kapu (forbidden) for a commoner to raise his arms higher than the king's head. The presentation of a kiss with a lei didn't come about until World War II; it's generally attributed to an entertainer who kissed an officer on a dare and then quickly presented him with her lei, saying it was an old Hawaiian custom. It wasn't then, but it sure caught on fast.

Lei-making is a tropical art form. All leis are fashioned by hand in a variety of traditional patterns; some are sewn with hundreds of tiny blooms or shells, or bits of ferns and leaves. Some are twisted, some braided, some strung. Every island has its own special flower lei -- the lei of the land, so to speak. On Maui, it's the lokelani, a small rose; on Molokai, it's the kukui, the white blossom of a candlenut tree; and on Lanai, it's the kaunaoa, a bright yellow moss. Leis are available at the Kahului Airport, from florists, and even at supermarkets.

Leis are the perfect symbol for the islands: They're given in the moment, and their fragrance and beauty are enjoyed in the moment, but even after they fade, their spirit of aloha lives on. Welcome to Hawaii!

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Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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				Frommer's Maui 2010 Author: Jeanette Foster Pub Date: September 22, 2009 Price: $19.99				Related Titles: Frommer's Hawaii 2009 Frommer's Hawaii 2010 Frommer's Hawaii Day by Day

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