Getting to Honolulu airport (HNL) without driving

Lelepaua station is on the mountain (mauka) side of Terminal 2. According to HDOT, walkways connect it to the 4th floor of the Terminal 2 Parking Garage and the International Parking Garage. Terminal 2 is the short walk; Terminal 1 is farther, so allow extra time if you are flying from there.

Trains run every day from about 4:00 AM, every 10 minutes until about 8:30 PM and every 15 minutes after that. The last train that runs all the way to Kualakaʻi (East Kapolei) leaves the airport at about 10:05 PM, so check your exact train if you land late.

1. Get a HOLO card, sold at Skyline stations, or use one you already have.
2. Ride Skyline to Lelepaua (Daniel K. Inouye International Airport) station.
3. Follow the walkway from the station to the Terminal 2 Parking Garage or the International Parking Garage, then to your terminal. Terminal 1 is a longer walk.
4. Check in for your flight as usual.

• W Line (Airport to Waikīkī): limited stops between the airport's Skyline station and Waikīkī by way of Āhua (Lagoon Drive), downtown on Nimitz Highway, Ala Moana Center and Kūhiō Avenue. About 30 to 35 minutes in the timetable. Roughly every 10 to 15 minutes on weekdays and every 15 minutes on weekends during the day, from about 4:15 AM. The last trips leave Waikīkī at about 12:30 AM and the airport at about 1:30 AM.
• Routes 40, 42 and 51: some late-night trips stop at the airport after Skyline closes. Route 40 has the latest, until about 3:45 AM.

In October 2025, the old bus stops on the airport's upper-level roadway were replaced with a ground-level stop, and TheBus's timetable now lists airport buses at its Lelepaua Airport Station stop. Follow the airport's signs for TheBus.

• TheBus: a temporary rule in effect since October 16, 2025 allows one standard suitcase and one smaller carry-on size bag on all routes. Bags must be kept in front of or next to you and cannot block the aisle, take up seats, or get in other riders' way.
• TheBus standing rule: bags that fit on your lap or under your seat ride free, such as a briefcase up to 22 x 14 x 9 inches or a folded stroller.
• Skyline: the city's rules allow one standard suitcase and one smaller carry-on bag, kept out of the aisle.

Because the TheBus rule is labeled temporary, check TheBus rules before a trip with large bags.

Since October 2025, rideshare pickups at HNL are on the ground level. HDOT lists the Terminal 1 pickup at the curb on the mountain side of Baggage Claim 6, and the Terminal 2 pickups on the ground-level median across from Baggage Claims 19/20 and 31.

Nalu compares driving, Skyline and TheBus for your trip to or from the airport and can hand you off to a rideshare app when that makes more sense, for example late at night.