Hawaiian Airlines Expands Pre-Clearance Program to Japan and South Korea

Hawaiian Airlines is expanding its pre-clearance program to Japan and South Korea. The program allows travelers who meet Hawai‘i’s pre-travel testing requirements to bypass the state’s 10-day quarantine and additional airport screening in Honolulu by having their documents verified before boarding.

Over the weekend, Hawaiian became the first airline flying between Japan and Hawaiʻi to offer its Pre-Clear Program with its launch of the service at Narita International Airport (NRT), near Tokyo. The program will expand on Thursday to Kansai International Airport (KIX) in the greater Osaka area of Japan.

Pre-Clear starts Friday at Incheon International Airport (ICN) in South Korea. Hawaiian recently added a second weekly flight between Honolulu and ICN to meet increased demand.

“Expanding our Pre-Clear Program to Japan and South Korea simplifies the travel experience for our international guests so they can spend less time at the airport and more time vacationing or doing business in Hawai‘i,” said Theo Panagiotoulias, senior vice president for global sales and alliances at Hawaiian Airlines. “We look forward to working with the State of Hawaiʻi to expand the program to more markets, and to continue building back travel to Hawai‘i in a way that is safe for visitors and our community.”

Hawaiian’s travelers from Japan and South Korea who participate in the Pre-Clear Program will receive a Pre-Clear wristband from a Hawaiian Airlines guest service agent who will verify their documents prior to boarding. To qualify for pre-clearance, guests must complete the following steps:

• Create a Safe Travels account for every adult on the itinerary.
• Add all flight and lodging information to the account.
• Complete the mandatory health questionnaire within the account.
• Upload a negative test result (PDF format) from a state-approved testing partner to the Safe Travels account. Carrying a printed copy of the negative test results is also recommended.

Travelers whose negative COVID-19 test results are not uploaded to the Safe Travels app prior to departure will be required to sign the state of Hawai‘i’s 10-day self-quarantine agreement upon arriving in the state.