Southwest Airlines Now Offering Pre-Cleared Arrival into Hawai‘i

Southwest Airlines is now offering pre-clearance for customers arriving in Hawaiʻi. The service is available for customers who present evidence of their compliance with the Hawaiʻi Safe Travels program. 

Customers who have uploaded an approved negative COVID-19 test result, required travel information, and completed a health questionnaire before departing the mainland may be eligible to bypass airport screening when arriving in Honolulu, Oʻahu and Kahului, Maui. The service pairs access of pre-trip testing options in select California cities with a streamlined arrival into the Islands.

Southwest Airlines is among the list of Trusted Travel Partners of the State of Hawaiʻi. The program allows visitors and returning residents to bypass a mandatory 10-day quarantine on arrival provided they have met key requirements of the program and have correctly uploaded these items into a traveler profile on the State of Hawaiʻi website:

• Updated and complete travel information including flight details for the initial flight segment into Hawaiʻi, all lodging details for each traveler aged 18 or older (with younger travelers included in the profile of one parent); 
• A valid, negative COVID-19 test result for each passenger, taken within 72 hours of departure for Hawaiʻi, obtained from a State-of-Hawaii-approved Trusted Travel Partner; and, 
• A mandatory health questionnaire within the Safe Travels account.

Southwest Customer Service Agents now are available starting 90 minutes prior to departure to confirm Customers’ State-of-Hawaiʻi-approved profile. Completing this verification at a gate before departure allows a faster arrival.

Southwest is offering the new service to Customers either starting their journey or connecting in the five California airports from which it offers nonstop service to the Hawaiian Islands—Oakland; San Jose, Calif.; Sacramento; San Diego; and Long Beach, Calif.

The State of Hawaiʻi reserves the right to re-screen or validate the screening of any passenger. Visit Southwest.com/coronavirus/Hawaii to learn more about the requirements, procedures, and pre-departure testing options that uniquely complement the value of Southwest.

“Our value goes beyond our low fares with no surprise fees, and our industry-leading* Customer Satisfaction. This Pre-Clear convenience recognizes that Customers are excited to begin enjoying Hawaii once they land, and this process will expedite their time in the airport, allowing them to begin their Hawaii experience more quickly,” said Tony Roach, Southwest Airlines Managing Director of Customer Experience.

Additionally, Southwest proudly collaborates with CityHealth Urgent Care to offer appointments in five California locations for $20 COVID tests (results within 48 hours from the time of collection) that meet State of Hawaiʻi requirements.

With the addition this month of Long Beach as a gateway with daily service to Hawaiʻi (nonstop to both Honolulu (Oʻahu), and Kahului (Maui)), Southwest aircraft currently are scheduled to takeoff for Hawaiʻi 14 times a day from a total of five gateway airports in California. In addition, nonstop service between Līhuʻe (Kauaʻi), and the Bay Area (Oakland and San Jose) is scheduled to resume June 6, 2021.

Southwest Airlines also operates 24 departures a day to offer interisland service within the State of Hawaiʻi. Southwest’s Hawaiʻi service on Boeing 737-800 aircraft features spacious seating for 175 Customers and inflight entertainment that makes time fly while onboard.