Honolulu Airport ranks as fifth best in U.S.
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
This Oct. 27, 2011 photo shows the ticketing lobby at the main terminal of Honolulu International Airport, which features a back wall made of cast glass, depicting the Pacific Ocean, and a “wave” wall made of shaped wood.
Honolulu International Airport is ranked the fifth best U.S. airport, according to a new study by ThePointsGuy.com.
The study, which was released today, examined the 30 busiest U.S. airports and used data from the Federal Aviation Administration, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, J.D. Power, Google Maps, iFly.com and the airports’ official websites. Categories included flight delays, cancellations, average security wait times, distance from the city center, public transit options, bars/restaurants, lounges, Wi-Fi costs and parking rates.
Honolulu Airport also tied for the best on-time rate but had the sixth-fewest bars/restaurants per capita.
ThePointsGuy.com, founded in 2010 by founder Brian Kelly, consists of an expert team of travel editors that search for the latest deals and breaking industry news. The site has 3.4 million monthly unique visitors and more than 1.7 million followers across its social platforms.
Here are the best and worst airports:
Best airports
1. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
2. Portland (Ore.) International Airport
3. San Diego International Airport
4. Salt Lake City International Airport
5. Honolulu International Airport
Worst airports
26. Detroit Metropolitan Airport
27. Chicago O’Hare International Airport
28. Newark Liberty International Airport
29. John F. Kennedy International Airport
30. LaGuardia Airport
50 responses to “Honolulu Airport ranks as fifth best in U.S.”
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Honolulu airport is about fifty years old and is not bad for its age. I prefer an airport like HNL compared to paying twenty to thirty dollars to walk through a modern airport like Marita, Luncheon, or Hong Kong, the price you pay in transit taxes.
Never been to Luncheon or Marita airport. Must be on Mars.
And you never will, they do not exist. However Narita, Japan and Inchon/Seoul, Korea do exist. Guessing matsuyama failed world geography. Total rookie poster.
Both airports are truly world class compared to our little 10th world shack airport. I’ve been to both, incredible places.
This story is a complete plant. Total BS.
Don’t you just hate it when someone comes along and blows up you world view that everything in Hawaii is second rate? You must be sad
Not at all. ThePointsGuy is a totally rookie rating agency trying to make a name for themselves. Do not actually send people to survey the airport, just look at it online. Haven’t got a clue to all the problems users like us see all the time.
Skytrax, CondeNest, others are far more credible when rating airports.
The title says US. With that being said, I haven’t been to a lot of airports on the mainland, but Honolulu is always the worst by our family’s comparisons.
HNL is the worst compared to Birmingham, Alabama, Tampa, Florida, and Seattle, Washington. For on-time arrivals perhaps HNL is better because it is smaller than the aforementioned but in terms of upgrades and amenities it is the worst that I have seen in the states!
HNL has the best on-time rate because it’s in Hawaii! Same reason Hawaiian Air is always first among airlines in being on time, because weather delays are rare.
I’m sure HNL scored a lot of points on being close to the city center. I love San Diego airport. It’s so artsy. I also love SEA-TAC. It’s so interesting and I don’t mind spending a long layover there.
HNL was poorly constructed and designed as we know. Waihee ran into a lot of trouble I am told with scams and bad contracts. Some went to prison? Anyway, it all seems a mess
It has also been poorly managed with corruption as well.
The team of ThePointsGuy.com, obviously hasn’t been here for very long. Honolulu Airport stinks.
If you mean the Inter-island terminal restrooms stink – DEFINITELY. It is embarrassing to think the visitors have use those filthy restrooms.
Thinking same thoughts, sitting at LAX, terminal 5 and their restrooms are spotless… feel like one country jack….
Unbelievable! I’ve been to 4 of the top 5 with the exception of San Diego. Phoenix, Salt Lake and Portland are light years better than Honolulu. Must be a huge drop off from #6 and on. I cannot believe Seattle isn’t on there, and while the TSA line is long at Denver, that is also an awesome airport. All the airports I mention (except San Diego since I’ve never been to that one) have excellent train/shuttle services to and from gates. Honolulu is the only one where you either walk to your gate or catch the rickety outdoor Wiki-Wiki bus which is fine if the weather is nice. The only time I ever caught the Wiki-Wiki, it was storming. Walking to the gate is OK, as long as you are not gate 60-something. On a map it looks close, but try walking it. Hope you aren’t late.
SOME YEARS AGO HNL WAS RANKED LAST. THEYU MUST BE USING A DART BOARD OR DICE OR SOMETHING.
Honolulu airport is STILL ranked last or close to last. As for the raters, they must think the Burger King hamburger and fries are ‘world class’ and small bathrooms with not enough stalls are no problem.
San Diego airport, terminal 1 & 2, do not use shuttle buses as distance is not far, easy walking. Terminal 2 was recently upgraded, a real improvement. Terminal 1 is next.
Rental cars are located away from the airport. One shuttle bus system, free, takes you there and back. Uses a special road most of the way, avoiding road traffic. Cell phone waiting lot is very close to the airport. Has monitors and toilets.
never heard of “ThePointsGuy.com.”
what are they?
Must be some Hawaii peeps.
They do not know either. Total rookie organization with zero credibility.
A branch of DOT.
Very dated airport.
*No free WiFi at the airport
*Display screens at gates don’t show upgrade lists of passengers
*No stations to sit and charge your laptop/cell phone
*Dated airline lounges
While I don’t consider it a bad airport by any means I’m very surprised to see it get ranked in the top 5 given how many other much better airports exist. Maybe the person ranking it must have actually reviewed it 40 years ago and just published the ratings recently. hahahaha
Exactly. Now add to the issues you raised:
– Noisy, jet fumes, hot and humid as in few areas with aircon. Dark and dingy.
– Having to wait outside in the hot sun and rain.
– Mindless drivel played over the PA system about unsecured baggage, other airport issues. Note how real “World Class” airports do not have this problem
– Lack of amenities outside the secure area
– 10th world international arrivals
– Poor lighting in baggage areas
– Lets not forget the airport signage debacle when utterly clueless airport bureaucrats dreamed up new signage fonts and colors no one could clearly understand. Failed to check what world class airports used. Later they all admitted their professional failure, they were incompetent.
– Constant made up maintenance wasting money.
– Diamond Head Cell parking lot is hard to find and access. Too far from the airport.
List of airport failures is endless.
SKYTRAX, a far more credible organization than ThePointsGuycom, has been rating airports for decades. At the link notice Honolulu is not even listed. http://www.airlinequality.com/ratings/a-z-airport-rating/
CondeNest also rated the 10 best USA airports. Again Honolulu was not listed.
The fancy blue wall in the lobby makes it the fifth best airport.
haha
I’m shocked at this ranking! Our bathrooms are often dirty, You have to pay for WiFi, it’s dirty, etc. I find our airport to be an embarrassment – but maybe people are just so happy to have arrived in Hawaii that they are extra-forgiving.
Not possible, total shibi.
Huh?
should be ranked 5th for the smallest airport in our country.
Should be ranked the same as the Nei, both are 10th world at best.
The fifth best in the United States? That shows how far the U.S. is behind. I’ve been Don Muang in Bangkok, which is old and only serves Thai domestic flights, and that one is better than HNL. And Suvarnabhumi in Bangkok, the international airport, is much better than Don Muang, and so much better than HNL. And Incheon in Seoul is even better than Suvarnabhumi. It’s a sad but true commentary, imo.
Incheon in Seoul is a superb airport.
It is. Two local cultural centers, walking parades through the airport, world class free WiFi and computers, restaurants everywhere, nice shops, superb Christmas decorations, everything you could ask for.
Koreans must feel like the Nei is a little 10th world when they land here. Wondering if there will be horse drawn carriages outside the terminal.
In Japan, Narita and Haneda are absolutely awesome airports! If you had the leisure time, you could frankly stay at those airports the entire day with the outstanding restaurants. countless shops, movie theaters, massage rooms, and other entertainment venues.
Whoever wrote this article must have been paid well by someone here. We have a third world complex that is dark and dingy with out of order restrooms.
Seems to be getting better, I dropped my wife off on Tuesday and it’s the first time in a long time that I didn’t have to do a lap to figure out where we were supposed to go.
There is absolutely no way this is possible.
Dunkerley can’t pay off the raters who is rating the airport list like he can Ford Fuchigami and his hui
I TRAVEL A LOT AND THIS IS A COMPLETE JOKE … I was really impressed w/ the cleanliness of the restrooms in SEA-TAC when I was there at the end of May … DFW has a lot of different options when it comes to getting a bite to eat or a drink … SFO both Terminal 2 and 3 will put HNL to shame … HNL SUCKS !!!!! What’s scary is our State of Hawaii DOT officials will believe this “B.S.” …
DFW is an excellent airport and has improved over the years. Looking at the list of worst airports, it appears the folks up north don’t appear to be very good at operating airports. The Minneapolis-St. Paul airport is the exception.
I love the Vancouver International Arrivals area. You walk through a forest with totem poles, water, everything you need to feel the Pacific North West. Truly a nice airport.
Sad to say there is no Aloha at HNL INT. International arrivals is a dark, dingy, low ceiling area you can’t wait to leave. Too cramped, musty air, a total dump.
LOL and the lua smell like da kine!
Their criteria is insufficient. They forgot some very important items – comfort in the airport, visually pleasant in and out, ease of getting to/from gates, and baggage claim area efficiency. In those areas, Honolulu would be among the worst airports.
Hate to get stuck at #6
Our airport is a disgraceful mess with yellow tape & a mishmash of construction everywhere. Crappy, dirty expensive restaurants, most recently jaggedly, sawed off stumps of palm trees outside baggage area. Confusing signage. No carts available for locals, having to park & schlep bags far away from check in due to “expert planners” moving ugly rental car agencies where parking could be. Gov I’ve, Get somebody with a clue about design & aesthetics before it’s too late not your reappointed cronies who are only into dull gray cement everywhere. Aren’t these the same ones who were accused of taking kickbacks in the past & designing bids to ensure their “buddies” won contracts? Low bids do not make for success. Where are our promised moving sidewalks & Smiling welcoming greetings for those arrivals?
Auto correct Ige
The kickbacks were not just speculation. Christmas envelopes of cash from one architect that I knew, were personally delivered to politicians and officials. Not a stretch that other consultants and contractors were doing the same, and are still doing it with large projects.
One airport I’m sure many Hawaii residents are familiar with is McCarran and they’re not in the top five. Who honestly thinks HNL is better than McCarran?