If you are considering traveling between the Hawaiian Islands then you are probably curious about your options regarding inter-island travel. This article gives a brief overview of your choices for travel between the different Hawaiian Islands.
The most popular method of transportation between Hawaiian Islands is by air, and in many cases air travel is your only option for inter-island travel. The only other possibility is taking a ferry, and that choice is available only from Maui to Lanai, or from Maui to Molokai.
Most inter-island airplane flights go through Honolulu Airport. For example, if you are flying from Kauai to the Big Island you will almost certainly make a quick stop in Honolulu along the way.
If you want to stay overnight in Honolulu or spend a few days there, check out the reasonable prices you can find for wonderful places at Hawaiian Beach Rentals.
To get the best prices for inter-island flights go directly to the website for each airline. Calling on the phone or buying the ticket at the airline counter will cost you a significant extra fee (between $10 and $25).
If you are using an airline searching website like Expedia or Kayak, then make sure you check if your flight has any stopovers or connections.
There are two inter-island ferries. One runs from Maui to Lanai, and the other runs from Maui to Molokai.
The ocean can sometimes be a bit bouncy in the Pailolo Channel between Molokai and Maui and in the Auau Channel between Maui and Lanai. You may want to bring along some sea sickness remedies if you are sensitive to motion sickness or there is a swell running.
Here are links to local airlines and ferries, with a brief description of each:
Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian Airlines has been around the longest and has a formidable fleet of jets.
Island Air
Island Air uses turboprop jet engine planes that are smaller than the jets used by some of the other airlines. Check out their route map.
Mokulele Airlines
Mokulele began service in the Hawaiian Islands in 2008, hiring many former Aloha Airlines employees. Mokulele uses turboprop engine planes as well as jets, and they fly to all the Islands. Check out their route map.
Pacific Wings
Pacific Wings doesn’t fly to Kauai but services the other islands, and flies to small airports including Kalaupapa on Molokai, and Kapalua on Maui. They also offer charter service. Check out their system map.
go! Airlines
Go! flies jets to all of the main Islands but some of their flights are offered as code share with Island Air. Check out their route map.
Ferry Links
Maui-Lanai Expeditions
This ferry runs between Lahaina on Maui and Manele Bay on Lanai. The ferry follows a regular schedule, and tour packages are available for Lanai.
Maui-Molokai Ferry
This ferry travels from Lahaina on Maui to Kaunakakai Harbor at Molokai where you can pick up a rental car (pre-arranged), or schedule a guided tour.
Remember that you can always contact Hawaiian Beach Rentals to find good places to stay for reasonable prices on any of the Hawaiian Islands.