Travel ramps up at Hawaii airports as Fourth of July holiday nears

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Travel is ramping up with the Fourth of July holiday approaching. Transportation officials are seeing increases up to 20% at airports across the state.

The Transportation Security Administration is expecting 28 million people to travel by air between now and July 8, nationwide.

Here in Hawaii, historical trends suggest lines could be longer for those leaving the state.

“It’s summertime, so there’s people taking their summer trips. There’s people going back to colleges in certain areas. So it’s going to be busy,” said Hawaii Department of Transportation Director Ed Sniffen.

The DOT is urging residents to avoid traveling on “island time” and get to the airport early

Marieson Abueng, who was heading to Las Vegas, said she was not taking any chances and flew days ahead of the Independence Day holiday.

“Because I’m afraid of traffic and being left behind and sometimes when you travel during holidays they cancel your flight,” said Abueng.

DOT is also keeping an eye on the situation on Kauai where TSA is warning travelers to expect longer than usual screening times

“We really appreciate TSA sending out the notice to people letting them know that things are pretty slow their so everyone gives themselves enough time to get to the airport,” added Sniffen.

Travelers looking to park at the Daniel K. Inouye airport in Honolulu will have to pay more.

Starting July 1, one full day of terminal parking will increase by a dollar to $25 a day.

Officials point out that’s still less than half the cost of parking at LAX in Los Angeles.

To play it safe, DOT recommends residents either get a taxi or Uber in case the parking lot gets full.

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