I need to book a flight from Honolulu to Maui for the xterra. I will stay near the race. I am confused as to which airport to fly into and what airline to use with all the rule changes re bikes I have heard of. I have a soft case. Any advice from the locals ?
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Re: Flights from Honolulu to Maui [Blacky]
[ In reply to ]
Blacky wrote:
I need to book a flight from Honolulu to Maui for the xterra. I will stay near the race. I am confused as to which airport to fly into and what airline to use with all the rule changes re bikes I have heard of. I have a soft case. Any advice from the locals ?You're essentially limited to Hawaiian airlines and Kahalui airport.
Re: Flights from Honolulu to Maui [Blacky]
[ In reply to ]
Mokulele still flies inter island but has a much more limited flight schedule. I know people that have used them to fly bikes over to Molokai and they used soft cases. They are smaller prop planes, so the flight will take longer and not be as smooth.
The main option is Hawaiian, and one of my buddies did fly to and from Kauai/Oahu and didn't have a problem with his soft case a week ago. He said that the airline people didn't even know the rules changed...but YMMV in October/November if you take a chance with your soft case.
The main option is Hawaiian, and one of my buddies did fly to and from Kauai/Oahu and didn't have a problem with his soft case a week ago. He said that the airline people didn't even know the rules changed...but YMMV in October/November if you take a chance with your soft case.
Re: Flights from Honolulu to Maui [Jason N]
[ In reply to ]
My guess is that Hawaiian airlines will still accept soft cases but you are SOL if there is any damage to your bike. They are basically covering their ass with the new policy. And it’s probably a scare tactic as well.
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Re: Flights from Honolulu to Maui [stevej]
[ In reply to ]
stevej wrote:
My guess is that Hawaiian airlines will still accept soft cases but you are SOL if there is any damage to your bike. They are basically covering their ass with the new policy. And it’s probably a scare tactic as well.It's very possible you're right.
To the OP...if you are spending time on Oahu prior to and after going to Maui, you could use Aloha Air Cargo to get your bike between islands. They have an office adjacent to each island's main terminal. You can drop off a bike box there anytime they are open (check their hours) and it will be ready for pick up the next morning. They usually will put it on the last plane that flies out that evening and be ready for pickup more or less when they open the next morning. I think the usual fee is around $40 plus tax which is only about $7 more than the $35 bike fee for Hawaiian. Just that you have to go to pick your bike up and drop it off.
This has been a good option for us when we have 5+ people flying over with bikes and we only want to rent one van. So we ship all our bikes via Aloha Air Cargo...but when we arrive at the airport we have plenty of room for 5-6 people and whatever bags we have...but no room for bikes. So we drop everyone off at the hotel, then go back to Aloha Air Cargo to pick up bikes only. If we shipped our bikes over with us on the Hawaiian flight we were on, we would need 2 vans or we would have to leave our bikes at the baggage claim for at least an hour...which has basically no security.
Re: Flights from Honolulu to Maui [Blacky]
[ In reply to ]
Are you flying from the mainland straight through to Maui? If so, whatever airline you take from your start will probably check the bike straight through and you'll never have to deal with a Hawaiian agent who may/may not know the rules. If you're stopping on Oahu, you might want to go with Aloha Air Cargo, they're great and easy, but you don't get your bike till the next day. The main airport is Kahului (OGG). Hope that helps some.
Re: Flights from Honolulu to Maui [runlikeamother]
[ In reply to ]
Thanks guys, sounds like it will work out in some way. I am flying in from Australia so I don't think it will be checked through. You guys have such weird rules about bikes which makes me worry ! My wife wants to visit 3 of the islands so I am going to have this problem with each flight ! Tempted to hire a bike instead !
Re: Flights from Honolulu to Maui [Blacky]
[ In reply to ]
It's possible to fly into the Kapalua airport (which is closer to where the xterra is held), but the planes are much smaller, the flights are much more limited, and they get cancelled more often. I don't know if they would even take bikes on a flight to Kapalua. So, you're probably better off flying into Kahului.
Re: Flights from Honolulu to Maui [craigj532]
[ In reply to ]
Thanks, that is what a friend who did the race last year told me.
Re: Flights from Honolulu to Maui [runlikeamother]
[ In reply to ]
and here i thought most of us "old timers" were long gone from this forum.
36 kona qualifiers 2006-'23 - 3 Kona Podiums - 4 OA IM AG wins - 5 IM AG wins - 18 70.3 AG wins
I ka nana no a 'ike -- by observing, one learns | Kulia i ka nu'u -- strive for excellence
Garmin Glycogen Use App | Garmin Fat Use App
36 kona qualifiers 2006-'23 - 3 Kona Podiums - 4 OA IM AG wins - 5 IM AG wins - 18 70.3 AG wins
I ka nana no a 'ike -- by observing, one learns | Kulia i ka nu'u -- strive for excellence
Garmin Glycogen Use App | Garmin Fat Use App
Re: Flights from Honolulu to Maui [MarkyV]
[ In reply to ]
HIIIII! I'm around every once in a while when looking for specific info -- like how do I fuel the bike ride in Kona again? I mean, without stopping at Kawaihae to top off bottles and eat snickers. You forget a lot in 7 years away. :)
Re: Flights from Honolulu to Maui [MarkyV]
[ In reply to ]
MarkyV wrote:
and here i thought most of us "old timers" were long gone from this forum.Ha. Just noticed that. Haven’t seen her around in a long time.
I hear Melona bars (green) are best at fueling awesome performances.
Querying this body for knowledge can be a dangerous (and time consuming) undertaking!
36 kona qualifiers 2006-'23 - 3 Kona Podiums - 4 OA IM AG wins - 5 IM AG wins - 18 70.3 AG wins
I ka nana no a 'ike -- by observing, one learns | Kulia i ka nu'u -- strive for excellence
Garmin Glycogen Use App | Garmin Fat Use App
Querying this body for knowledge can be a dangerous (and time consuming) undertaking!
36 kona qualifiers 2006-'23 - 3 Kona Podiums - 4 OA IM AG wins - 5 IM AG wins - 18 70.3 AG wins
I ka nana no a 'ike -- by observing, one learns | Kulia i ka nu'u -- strive for excellence
Garmin Glycogen Use App | Garmin Fat Use App