If you are planning to visit more than one island during your visit to Hawaii, inter island flights are the best option. The flight times between the Hawaiian islands are short (~ 1 hour, but be careful that you don't book a flight with multiple stopovers - have a look at our booking tips below), and investing 10 minutes of your time now might save you hours of travel time on Hawaii.

There are currently two companies that offer inter-island flights, Hawaiian Airlines and Go! Mokulele Airlines. The third airline, Aloha Airlines, filed for bankruptcy in 2008

Of these, Go! Mokulele is the lowest fair airline, but since the distances between the islands are small, price differences never get that noticeable. Hawaiian airlines offers a higher level of service (although it has been slipping the last decade), and has a great in-flight magazine to keep you entertained in the air and prepare yourself for your new destination.

You can buy your tickets directly on the websites of said companies or through comparison websites such as travelocity or expedia. There will be little to no price difference between the two methods.

Inter Island flight booking tips

The following 3 tips will help you to optimize your inter island flight schedule so you can spend as much time as possible enjoying your vacation:

• Oahu’s Honolulu Airport (HNL) is the central airport of Hawaii, while all other islands are often referred to as “neighboring islands”. This is important for you if you decide to book a flight between to neighbouring islands, say between the Big Island and Kaua'i. There is a limited amount of direct flights available, while many other flights are routed over Oahu. There is little price difference, but if you have to fly over Oahu you will easily lose another 3 hours of your valuable vacation time. We advise that you search for direct flights when they are available, and perhaps even change the order in which you visit the islands if that means shaving many hours of airport visits.
• Another point to consider when booking an inter island flight is the time of your flight. You will see that the cheapest flights are often very early in the morning or late in the evening.  Don't get to tempted to save $20 by booking such a flight, without thinking about your check out and check in times. If you already have booked your accommodation, look up the check in and out times, factor in transport to and from the airport, and look for a flight that will connect the two as good as possible.
• Keep in mind that there are two airports on the Big Island: Kona international airport and Hilo internation airport. If you are planning to spend time on both sides of the island (and why wouldn't you? A visit to the Big Island without a visit to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and one or two nights in Volcano Village is only half a visit), why not fly to one side of the Big Island and leave from the other side?

Have a look at Hawaiian Airlines.

If you are planning your trip it never hurts to check as many airlines as possible. By clicking the link below you will see the best deals Hawaiian airlines currently has on offer AND support this website. If you in the end decide to book your flight through Hawaiian airlines and follow the link we get a small percentage of the transaction that we vouch to put back in stimulating sustainable tourism to the Big Island of Hawaii.