Hawaiian Airlines overhauls lobbies
Courtesy Hawaiian Airlines Hawaiian Airlines is removing its traditional ticket counter lobby configuration at Honolulu Airport and replacing it with six circular check-in islands to speed up the check-in process for customers.
Hawaiian Airlines is redesigning its two ticket lobbies at Honolulu Airport in a $6 million project that will expedite the check-in process and eliminate the need to wait in line for a separate baggage agricultural inspection.
The renovation, which already is under way, is being funded by Hawaiian and is not part of the state’s 12-year, $2.3 billion airports renovation program.
The interisland lobby renovation is expected to be completed in June.
Hawaiian, the only occupant of the interisland terminal, is removing its traditional check-in counter in favor of six circular check-in islands in the middle of the lobbies. Each of the six islands has eight agent-assisted, self-service check-in stations for a total of 48. The stations can be used to check in for all interisland, mainland and international flights.
The check-in stations also provide for the weighing of luggage, payment of any fees for upgrades and other services, and printing of destination luggage tags with assistance from Hawaiian’s customer service agents.
When the check-in process is complete, customers will place their checked luggage at one end of a single conveyor belt. That belt will incorporate U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection, baggage security screening and the loading of bags onto the customers’ flight. The single belt eliminates the current requirement to have luggage being checked to destinations outside Hawaii pre-screened by USDA before starting the check-in process.
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Hawaiian said the new design resulted from two years of industry research and motion studies that it conducted to find a solution to long lines and bottlenecks during busy periods and speed up the check-in process.
“With the open floor plan, customers have basically 48 options,” Hawaiian spokesman Keoni Wagner said. “They walk up to the first available station and then they’re off and running.”
In the current configuration, customers have to line up for a particular flight and wait their turn to use anywhere from four to six kiosks for that flight.
“In the new design, any of the 48 is available to you,” Wagner said. “It’s just a matter of walking up to the first available station.”
