Oahu is a major transportation gateway to the Hawaiian Islands thanks to the busy Honolulu HNL International Airport, which receives hundreds of flights a week from the mainland U.S. and Asia, as well as to the surrounding Hawaiian Islands.

Oahu is only accessible by air, with the nearest mainland nearly 4,200 km away.

There are no direct flights to the Hawaiian Islands from Europe and you always have to change planes at least once, typically at Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle or Vancouver airports.

Warning. When travelling through Canada, you must obtain a Canadian ETA even if you are only changing planes and will not be leaving the airport.

Compare flight prices to Honolulu

International flights, fares and open-jaw flights

Direct international flights head to Oahu from many places in Asia, especially Japan and South Korea, and these are among the cheapest.

The average round-trip airfare from Japan to Oahu is between 550 usd and 750 usd.

These airlines operate direct flights from Oahu to Asia:

• Air Premia - Seoul
• All Nippon Airways - Tokyo
• Asiana Airlines - Seoul
• Delta - Tokyo
• Hawaiian Airlines - Fukuoka, Seoul, Tokyo
• Japan Airlines - Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo
• Korean Air - Seoul
• Philippine Airlines - Manila
• Zipair Tokyo - Tokyo

Another area with direct flights is Australia and New Zealand, from where you can normally purchase return flights between 650 usd and 900 usd.

These airlines operate direct flights from Oahu to Oceania:

• Air New Zealand - Auckland
• Fiji Airways - Nadi
• Hawaiian Airlines - Auckland, Pago Pago, Papeete, Rarotonga, Sydney
• Jetstar - Sydney
• Qantas - Melbourne, Sydney

Many tourists also head to Hawaii from Europe, but there are no direct flights from there and you will always fly via Canada or the USA. Typical prices for return flights are around 1 200 usd.

Very frequent deals from Europe to Hawaii are offered by Condor in partnership with Alaska Airlines, where prices can drop below 750 usd.

Discover secret discounts at condor.com

Open-jaw flights

Many travelers heading to Hawaii want to visit multiple islands, and Oahu will almost always be one of them thanks to the largest number of international flights.

However, a large number of airlines also offer open-jaw tickets for the same price as round-trip flights, where you fly into Oahu and fly out of another island (or vice versa).

This saves one inter-island flight.

By air to mainland USA

The largest number of flights fly to the mainland USA.

Flights from Honolulu to Los Angeles or San Francisco are among the busiest in the USA. However, direct flights go to almost all major airports across the US.

For example, the Honolulu-Boston route is one of the longest domestic routes in the world.

Prices for return flights from the western US to Oahu range from 250 usd 500 usd and are operated by the following airlines:

• American Airlines
• Delta
• United
• Southwest Airlines
• Alaska Airlines
• Hawaiian Airlines

By air between islands

Honolulu Airport also has hundreds of daily flights to all of the other Hawaiian Islands, with 3 airlines currently operating service - Southwest Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Mokulele Airlines.

On average, 1 flight (one way) to another island will cost about 45 usd one way to the main airports of Kahului, Kona or Lihue. Southwest Airlines almost always offers the best fares.

Flights to smaller airports that only small airlines fly to cost about 160 usd one way.

Ferries

There is no regular boat service for travelers on Oahu or any of the other Hawaiian Islands.