Get tips for trip to Hawaii
Before booking your Hawaii trip, learn key things about flying from Phoenix, how to get a COVID-19 test, and what to expect on the islands.
Your dreams of sitting beachside in Hawaii are closer in reach — if you can show you tested negative for COVID-19. The Aloha State has launched a new program allowing travelers to bypass the required 14-day quarantine by providing proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken no more than 72 hours before the last leg of their journey.
With flights from Phoenix running in the $300 range, you might be considering socially distancing yourself to the islands. Before you book, here are some key things you should know about flying to Hawaii from Phoenix, how to get a COVID-19 test, and what to expect when you arrive.
What airline flights are available from Phoenix?
For nonstop flights to Hawaii, both American Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines have options.
After suspending its Phoenix to Honolulu route on March 26 due to the pandemic, Hawaiian Airlines is scheduled to bring back nonstop service between Sky Harbor and Oahu on Nov. 1. Initially, the airline will resume four weekly flights before increasing to five weekly flights on Nov. 18.
American Airlines brought back its flights to Hawaii in late September, offering nonstop service to Honolulu, Maui and Kona. In addition, the airline will offer nonstop flights to Lihue, Kauai, between Nov. 4 and Dec. 31. 2020.
Arizonans can get COVID-19 test to avoid Hawaii quarantine
In order to bypass the quarantine, you’ll need to first register with Hawaii’s Safe Travels online system at travel.hawaii.gov by filling out the health form and then test negative for COVID-19 no more than 72 hours before departure from a CLIA certified laboratory. You’ll need to upload the negative test result to your Safe Travels profile and get a QR code to present upon arriving in Hawaii. You’ll also undergo a temperature check when you arrive.
So, where do you get a test in Phoenix? You can contact your primary health care provider, but Hawaii also has a list of approved travel
testing partners. Of those, here are some of the available options here in the Valley:
Your airline
Both American Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines are offering at-home testing to passengers traveling to Hawaii.
● American Airlines has partnered with LetsGetChecked. The test must be ordered five days before your flight and costs $129.
● Hawaiian Airlines has partnered with Vault Health to offer at-home testing. Follow the chart on Vault Health’s website to ensure you have the test ordered in time for your departure. The cost of Hawaiian Air’s test is $150.
CVS and Walgreens
CVS and Walgreens are also approved testing partners. If you don’t qualify for a free test, CVS will allow you to pay for it out of pocket. It’ll cost $139.
Check with your health insurance provider to see whether they will cover part or all of the cost of testing.
What to know while you’re there
Here are a few other things you need to know about COVID-19 related protocols in Hawaii as you plan your trip.
● The state recommends that travelers wear masks in public places, including the beach.
● Beaches are open.
● Restaurants, retailers and movie theaters are open but operating at 50% capacity.
● If you’re going to a restaurant, movie theater, museum or park, you cannot have a group of more than five people.
● Much like Arizona, many of Hawaii’s resorts closed down due to the pandemic, so when you go to book a room, you may find limited options. More resorts are scheduled to reopen on Nov. 1, 2020.