#interisland travel

“We want to make sure that Moloka‘i High School is able to compete at a high level and that transportation is not a reason why they would not be able to,” Mokulele Airlines chief of staff Keith Sisson said.

Mokulele Airlines will suspend its daily flights between Hilo and Kahului beginning Aug. 1, 2023. Mokulele will redeploy those aircraft to provide additional service to Molokaʻi and to add a new evening flight between Kahului and Kona.

The confirmed cases included: 13 on O‘ahu (+7 probable); eight on Hawai‘i Island; five on Maui (-3 probable); two on Kaua‘i (+1 probable); and three in Hawai‘i residents diagnosed while out of state (+1 probable).

County officials say the new 30 percent occupancy limit for all retail business can be determined by taking the total interior footage, dividing it by 36 square feet (that’s a six foot buffer per person), and multiplying that by 30 percent.

With nearly 3,000 travelers screened in Maui County on Thursday, issues surfaced over long lines and problems with some visitors providing tests from non-approved facilities.

Maui Airports District Manager Marvin Moniz said that considering it was the first day, the day went by “fairly well.” He reported the biggest issue was large volumes of passengers arriving at the same time. This included two American Airlines flights and one United flight, which arrived at the same time, “deplaning approximately 500 passengers that caused a back up in the holding room.”

The state’s pre-departure COVID-19 testing program and Maui County’s voluntary post-arrival COVID-19 testing program for travelers seeking exemption from Hawaii’s 14-day quarantine begin today.

Once the list is established and the pre-travel program is launched for Japan —  travelers from that country will have the option to take the NAAT test from a trusted partner 72 hours prior to their departure for Hawai‘i.

The new document extends the mandatory 14-day quarantine for all incoming travelers; however, beginning Oct. 15, a pre-travel testing option will allow travelers an alternative to the mandatory 14-day quarantine.

Governor David Ige has verbally approved Maui Mayor Michael Victorino’s request to allow Maui County residents to travel solely between Maui, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi without having to quarantine for 14 days or take a pre-travel test.

Governor Ige hosts a media briefing today to discuss the upcoming pre-travel testing program for the state and other comprehensive safety measures ahead of the Oct. 15 launch. 

The governor has already denied requests from Maui and Kauaʻi for post-testing proposals; however Maui Mayor Michael Victorino said, “even though he has denied the second test for incoming trans-Pacific travelers, he is still in favor of looking at some other alternatives.”

The carrier, which has been operating a reduced schedule since March due to the pandemic and resulting travel restrictions, will continue to cap cabin capacity at 70 percent through October to allow for onboard distancing.

Hawaiian Airlines is further enhancing its health measures throughout its system by requiring travelers two years of age and older to wear face coverings at check-in, boarding and during the flight.  Face coverings with mesh, sheer material or equipped with valves will be rejected.

The state’s mandatory interisland travel and health form can now be submitted online within 24 hours of flight departure. State officials say this upgrade adds efficiency to the passenger verification process, helps save travelers time and allows information to enter the database in real-time. The form includes health and contact information needed to trace close contacts should a passenger become ill.

“You’re going to be lining up from the baggage claim side to get to TSA versus from the ticketing side.  Passenger lines will be rerouted so that departing passengers go through to the baggage claim area and then back into TSA towards that check in area,” said Baz.

Governor David Ige is providing an update on the travel requirements for air transportation in Hawaiʻi.  Starting tomorrow, June 16, the state is lifting its inter-island travel quarantine. Joining Gov. Ige is Dr. Bruce Anderson to talk about the new inter-island travel forms and procedures.

In advance of the reopening of interisland travel in Hawai‘i, on Tuesday, June 16, the state Department of Health has created a new web page, where travelers can download the mandatory interisland travel and health form prior to departure. 

On Saturday, April 18, a total of 454 people arrived in Hawaiʻi from out-of-state including 109 visitors and 157 residents, according to new data compiled by the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority. On Maui, there were 25 individuals who arrived from out-of-state including six crew members, 11 residents and eight visitors.

On Maui, there were 28 individuals who arrived from out-of-state including seven crew members, 10 residents and 11 visitors.