We recommend at least 45 minutes for a comfortable connection at Honolulu International. The minimum connection time is 45 minutes for domestic flights and 75 minutes for international flights. Transit between terminals takes up to 25 minutes.

Domestic-to-Domestic: 45 min. Domestic-to-International: 60 min. International-to-Domestic: 90 min. International-to-International: 75 min. These are the shortest layovers airlines will sell at Honolulu International.

HNL is a sprawling, low-rise, open-air airport built around a Y-shaped set of concourses, so connections often mean a longer walk or shuttle ride than the airport's size suggests. The biggest wrinkle is that any arriving international flight must clear US Customs and Immigration before any onward connection, domestic or international, which adds real time to those itineraries. The free Wiki Wiki shuttle buses run continuously between the Diamond Head, Central, Ewa, and Mauka concourses, supplementing long open-air walkways; most transfers within the domestic side can be done on foot in under 15 minutes. Passengers arriving internationally must first go through Federal Inspection Station (customs and immigration) in the Central Concourse area, recheck bags, and then walk or shuttle to their departure gate, adding significant time regardless of onward destination.

Still short of the minimum domestic connection time and risky given the spread-out concourses. See full 30 min guide →

This matches HNL's domestic-to-domestic minimum connecting time for a same-terminal-complex transfer. See full 45 min guide →

Meets the domestic-international MCT, giving enough time to shuttle over and clear a second security screening if needed. See full 1 hr guide →

Comfortable for domestic-international and approaching the threshold for an international-international connection through customs. See full 1¼ hr guide →

Matches the international-to-domestic MCT, accounting for the mandatory customs and immigration process. See full 1½ hr guide →

Very comfortable for any connection type, including international arrivals needing to clear customs and recheck bags. See full 2 hr guide →

More than enough buffer for even the slowest international customs queues or peak-hour shuttle waits. See full 2½ hr guide →

Generous layover allowing time to relax or grab food between concourses without any connection stress. See full 3 hr guide →

Excessive for HNL's compact operations; consider a quick trip outside or a lounge visit rather than waiting at the gate. See full 4 hr guide →