# How long should I leave to get to Lihue Airport



## RBERR1 (Aug 7, 2012)

For a Sat night 9PM flight back to the mainland.  What time should I leave the Poipu area?   I am staying at Waiohai Beach Club.

Rich


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## Luanne (Aug 7, 2012)

I usually end up asking at the front desk of the resort (or hotel) as they generally know the drive time from where they are to the airport.


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## Ridewithme38 (Aug 7, 2012)

Google Maps says in current traffic it takes:

47 Minutes to Drive
3hrs 48 minutes by Bike
9hrs 42 minutes by foot


If you're walking....I'd leave soon!


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## artringwald (Aug 7, 2012)

Lihue airport security can really get backed up, and you never know about traffic between Poipu and Lihue. If you have to return a rental car, I'd suggest leaving around 6:30. You can eliminate the traffic factor by planning to eat dinner at a restaurant near the airport. On our last day we like to got to Duke's and linger until 2 hours before our flight.


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## slip (Aug 7, 2012)

I'm with Art. You just never know about the traffic there and I'd always
rather have too much time.


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## RBERR1 (Aug 7, 2012)

artringwald said:


> Lihue airport security can really get backed up, and you never know about traffic between Poipu and Lihue. If you have to return a rental car, I'd suggest leaving around 6:30. You can eliminate the traffic factor by planning to eat dinner at a restaurant near the airport. On our last day we like to got to Duke's and linger until 2 hours before our flight.



Thanks for the advice.  Prefer being safe than sorry.


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## Mauiwmn (Aug 8, 2012)

We were at the Hyatt Poipu in December & it took 40 minutes or so to get to the airport.  You really do need to be there 2 hours prior to your flight to return a car & get through security.  Baggage & security  are extremely slow at Lihue & your bags have to go through the agriculture screening as well.  As previously mentioned, Dukes is a great spot for 1 last taste of Hawaii before heading home.
Safe travels.


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## daventrina (Aug 8, 2012)

artringwald said:


> ... If you have to return a rental car, I'd suggest leaving around 6:30....



I was thinking more like 6:00. 
Don't forget the Ag inspections.. 

We like to be there at least 2 hers before our flight.


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## rschallig (Aug 8, 2012)

RBERR1 said:


> For a Sat night 9PM flight back to the mainland.  What time should I leave the Poipu area?   I am staying at Waiohai Beach Club.
> 
> Rich



I recommend that you check out normal time from the Waiohai Beach Club, have lunch with the family at the Marriott Kauai Beach Club, leave the family at the pool/beach, go to the airport and check in the car, return to the Kauai Beach Club via courtesy van, have a nice dinner at Duke's and then take the courtesy van back to the airport with the family. More fun for the family and less stress for you.
Bob


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## Eagle7304 (Aug 9, 2012)

rschallig said:


> I recommend that you check out normal time from the Waiohai Beach Club, have lunch with the family at the Marriott Kauai Beach Club, leave the family at the pool/beach, go to the airport and check in the car, return to the Kauai Beach Club via courtesy van, have a nice dinner at Duke's and then take the courtesy van back to the airport with the family. More fun for the family and less stress for you.
> Bob



Great plan!!!


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## nspils (Aug 10, 2012)

That plan would be even better if you could drop your luggage early!


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## DougH (Aug 16, 2012)

Our family of 6 just flew back from the Waiohai last Friday (August 10th).  Our flight out of LIH was scheduled for 8:40pm, and we left the hotel at 6:30pm.  We stopped to top off the gas tank, dropped off the rental car, transferred to the airport, got thru luggage drops and security, and were at the gate by 7:50pm.

There is a lot of active construction on the highway in the Lihue area, but at that time of the evening, the work is done, and all the rush-hour traffic has subsided.  I think you'd be very safe to leave at 6:30pm.


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## daventrina (Aug 16, 2012)

*50 minutes ?*



DougH said:


> ...flight out of LIH was scheduled for 8:40pm, ... and were at the gate by 7:50pm.
> 
> I think you'd be very safe to leave at 6:30pm.


50 minutes   is cutting it WAY too close for me :ignore:


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## DougH (Aug 17, 2012)

daventrina said:


> 50 minutes   is cutting it WAY too close for me :ignore:



Being at the gate 50 minutes early is too close ???  Sitting at the gate...not in line at security or check-in ?

Dang...50 minutes is an eternity for me to be sitting at a gate.  Especially in this little bitty gate enclosures they have at LIH, where there's only room for about 1/2 of the passengers to have a seat.


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## artringwald (Aug 17, 2012)

*What's the worst that could happen.*

What if you get there too late? You miss your plane? It's the last flight? You have to spend another night in Hawaii? Will anyone believe you didn't do it on purpose?

Years ago we were waiting to depart home on a flight from Honolulu. Shortly after we got to our seats, a man seated several rows behind us kept hollering "get me off of this plane"! This went on for at least 5 minutes. Finally we watched as the federal marshal that was with him escorted him off the plane. Two days later I saw an article that explained what happened. He had stolen jewels in South Dakota and was being extradited. He did get an extra night in Hawaii, but had to fly back on a military plane. I think of him every year when we're sitting on the plane waiting to go home.


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## daventrina (Aug 17, 2012)

artringwald said:


> What if you get there too late? You miss your plane? ....


Exactly! I don't want to spend the last couple hours in Hawaii worrying that we'll miss the flight.



DougH said:


> Being at the gate 50 minutes early is too close ???


Yep... for a number of reasons...
Might get stuck in traffic and miss the flight... 
Might get a flat and miss the flight... 
Might get in an accident and miss the flight... 
Might be an overbooked flight, loose our seats and miss the flight... 
Might get stuck in security and miss the flight... 
Might get stuck in ag inspection and miss the flight... 

Additionally,
The flight may be overbooked and we may be able to upgrade to first class if we get there early... 
We like to watch the pilots pre-flight inspection...
We like to have plenty of time to return the car, get through the ag inspection and security.
We don't want to have to pay extra to get a flight home if we miss our flight.

Onetime ... going to Maui ... we got there early ... and the flight was overbooked. We were the first ones on the bump list ... So we had to ride all the way to Maui in first class

Another time ... on Maui ... we were headed home and were there early and the flight was overbooked and there were no other flights home for two days. So we had to let the airlines get us a room for two nights to enjoy the island for an extra two days. Then we had to ride all the way home in first class


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## RBERR1 (Aug 27, 2012)

We ended up leaving Waiohai about 4p. We had dinner at Pizzetta in Old Koloa which is a good pizza/pasta place. Kids loved it.  (I had so much fish over the last two weeks, a good old fashioned pizza just hit the spot).  Took about 30 minutes to get to airport.

I must say I found the ag inspection process with combination with security completely bizarre.  Can someone please say streamline..

First you do checked bags through ag inspection x-ray and then they go through TSA X-ray after you check-in.  Then you do carry on bag X-ray inspection through security and then before you get to gate you do carry on ag inspection.

You would think they could look for fruits/plan and the same time they were looking for everything else.  These are both federal jurisdiction although two depts and therefore could be a consolidated process.

All were reasonably quick but still.

Rich


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Aug 27, 2012)

*3 hours is about the minimum to allow for travel to LIH from Princeville*

Real time from last Wednesday, going from Princeville to Lihu'e to catch a 10:45 am departure.  Note that this is a less busy time of day for flights to the mainland; most mainland flights leave afternoon and evening.  There was one other mainland flight (Westjet) departing within the same window.

0730 - loaded luggage into car at Hanalei Bay Resort
0750 - checked out of unit and leaving parking lot
0855 - arrived at National Car rental to drop off car.  No traffic jams at all on the way to Lihu'e.  Did stop to fill the rental car with gasoline.
0910 - National Car rental shuttle dropped us off at Lihue airport.
0915 - clear Mainland Ag inspection of luggage to be checked
0930 - finish getting bags checked and drop checked luggage off at TSA
0945 - clear TSA
0955 - arrive at gate after preflight biobreaks
1010 - start of early boarding for flight.
1035 - flight pushes away from gate, 10 minutes early

So, overall departing Princeville 3 hours before takeoff proved to be almost exactly right for our flight.  And that was with clear sailing clear sailing on the road all the way from the North Shore to Lihue and clearing TSA during a less busy time of day.  If we had hit a morning traffic jam or had a bigger delay at TSSA we definitely would have been pinched for time.

For an afternoon/evening flight, with added TSA delay and with only one traffic lane open between Kapa'a and Lihu'e, four hours is probably reasonable.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Aug 27, 2012)

DougH said:


> Being at the gate 50 minutes early is too close ???  Sitting at the gate...not in line at security or check-in ?
> 
> Dang...50 minutes is an eternity for me to be sitting at a gate.  Especially in this little bitty gate enclosures they have at LIH, where there's only room for about 1/2 of the passengers to have a seat.



You don't sit at the gate for 50 minutes.  The plane starts loading no later than 30 minutes before departure, and often more like 35 minutes.  So being at the gate 50 minutes before departure is no more than 20 minutes waiting time. And if 20 minutes is your "no unexpected delays" plan, that's a pretty slim contingency for delays due to traffic, security, problems at the car rental counter, etc.


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## daventrina (Aug 27, 2012)

T_R_Oglodyte said:


> Real time from last Wednesday,
> 0955 - arrive at gate after preflight biobreaks
> 1010 - start of early boarding for flight.


We'd have been freeked getting to the gate 15 min before boarding...


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Aug 27, 2012)

daventrina said:


> We'd have been freeked getting to the gate 15 min before boarding...



We weren't stressing because we knew we were in pretty good shape all the way, especially when there weren't any big traffic jams in the Waimea area.  And we did dawdle a bit on the other side of security.  Nevertheless,  I was surprised that in the end there was that little time.  By the time it was our turn to board, we probably had spent 25 minutes in the boarding area.

I had wanted to leave the unit at 8 am, and acquiesced to DW's desire to be out at &;30.  If we had left on my schedule she would have had a bit of stress.  We have two different concepts of "late".  To her, "late" means "not being at the gate ten minutes before pre-boarding".  To me, "late" means "not being able to get on the plane".


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## artringwald (Aug 28, 2012)

How times have changed. Back in 1969 when my soon to be wife came to visit me in college, I was late getting her to the airport and got her to the gate just as the plane was pulling away. The gate agent radioed the pilot, they pulled back to the gate, and let her on the plane.

Years later I was late again getting my brother to the airport. The small commuter plane had already left the gate. They put him into a van, drove him out to the plane and let him on board.

Now I'm much better at getting people (including myself) to the airport with plenty of time to spare.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Aug 28, 2012)

artringwald said:


> How times have changed. Back in 1969 when my soon to be wife came to visit me in college, I was late getting her to the airport and got her to the gate just as the plane was pulling away. The gate agent radioed the pilot, they pulled back to the gate, and let her on the plane.
> 
> Years later I was late again getting my brother to the airport. The small commuter plane had already left the gate. They put him into a van, drove him out to the plane and let him on board.
> 
> Now I'm much better at getting people (including myself) to the airport with plenty of time to spare.



Yeah - it's changed.  I can remember arriving at the airport 30 minutes before departure, leaving my bags with the sky cap to get tagged and loaded on the plane, parking my car in the airport garage, and dashing to the departure gate with my briefcase.  The departure time was generally the time they closed the door on the plane.  Now they cut off bag drops about 40 minutes prior to departure, stop processing check-ins no later than 30 minutes before departure, and close the gate no later than 10 minutes before departure.  

It's all driven by on-time performance.  If they start doing late boarding, it shows up in worse on-time performance, which in turns drags down their approval ratings.


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## nalismom (Aug 28, 2012)

Not meaning to hijack thread but could use advice.. Staying in princeville and have a 9:43 am non-stop flight to Maui.....will we be prudent enough to leave Princeville at 6 am?  Or should we leave earlier.


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Aug 29, 2012)

nalismom said:


> Not meaning to hijack thread but could use advice.. Staying in princeville and have a 9:43 am non-stop flight to Maui.....will we be prudent enough to leave Princeville at 6 am?  Or should we leave earlier.


see my comment just a bit upthread about leaving Princeville to make a 10:45 am flight.  Don't know how things could be any clearer than that.


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## nalismom (Aug 29, 2012)

Steve...I did read your post but I see you left resort around 750 am which may or may not be before morning rush hour and traffic for commuters going to work.  I didn't know if leaving at 6 am was an okay time to avoid traffic.  Where I live an hour can make a big difference on traffic patterns.

 Also I thought your flight was a mainland flight which requires Ag inspection and I wasn't certain if inter-island non- stop flights were subject to that.


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## Bxian (Sep 4, 2012)

Last Friday, we left the Grand Hyatt in Poipu at 8:05 AM (hotel had suggested 7:45) and made it to LIH for our 10:35 AM flight after returning our rental car to Enterprise with plenty of time to spare. We made it from the hotel to Enterprise in a half hour. There are 2 Ag inspections (checked and carry-on) which occur in different locations.


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## daventrina (Sep 5, 2012)

Bxian said:


> ... with plenty of time to spare. ...


Not everyone defines "plenty of time" the same.
May have been more rushed for us...


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