Hilo International Airport – ITO

Small but reliable. Indoor/​Outdoor concept like HNL and the other outer island airports, easy to walk down to baggage claim and get your things, then walk across the street to rent a car. PRO: you will never get lost in an airport this small!
We were headed to Volcanos Park but stopped at Ken’s House of Pancake for lunch on the way in and the Hilo Farmers Market, and Suisan on the way out for a fresh to death Poke bowl. Both recommended!

So easy to return our car, check in, USDA was simple… will use this airport for our BI departures.

The service at the airport was decent, but the United flight representatives were not as polite and professional as they should’ve been. Inside, the airport is exceptionally clean and comfortable, with chairs in the waiting area for the terminal. There aren’t many outlets on the waiting floor, so you’ll have to go upstairs. I would definitely recommend stopping in the small snack/​bar to get a little bit of the island vibe feel before departing.

Check-​ins are fairly quick and hassle free. Lines are minimal. TSA agents are 10 times more pleasant in this state than any other. The terminal is a little outdated but provides the basic travel essentials. The public restrooms are clean compared to most. There is a small gift shop in the terminal where you can purchase last minute keepsakes.
The downer: There is no Starbucks or coffee shop. :(

TSA have a chill job during the less busy season. Man I saw plenty of them talking story and not caring who was coming by to pass through their luggage.
I’m sad to say but the wifi is not free. unfortunately you must use your card to pay for it before you can use it.
You not allowed to keep your shoes on even if you are an senior citizen over 65 yrs old. My parents had to remove it irregardless of their age.

Uncomplicated and open air, like Hilo. So easy to fly in and out here. Through security and at your gate in minutes. Running late for plane? No worries !
Great views landing and taking off, make sure to get left side window seat when departing, right side window seat when flying in.
Very accommodating lei stands, call ahead and they will leave your lei with the security counter if your ohana is flying in late.
No restrooms upstairs at the gates so take care of that before you go up.
I am always very happy when I fly into this airport because it means I’m back on the Big Island !!!

I’m a fan of Hilo Airport because it is THE only airport that serves the east side of the Big Island, while Kona International airport serves the west side. The airport is small, laid back and not busy at all, but bottom line is at least we’re able to fly out.
Going through TSA is pretty chill. No one’s in a rush, just on Hawaiian time LOL! Like Terry K. mentioned in her review, the lobby and the waiting area once you go through TSA is air conditioned. There’s lots of seats to just lounge in so you won’t need to worry about that. Going up to the gates, the waiting area up there can get hot and uncomfortable, but at the same time tolerable.
I’m grateful for Hilo Airport. After going through busy airports that’s all about the hustle and bustle, coming home to a chill and relaxed airport just seems to put you at ease. Once you step off the plane and after taking a deep breath, for people who live on the Big Island… it’s HOME!

I hope I am not the only one that thinks this airport is crappy. I was speechless when I arrived at Hilo Airport. The airport was so OLD and CRAPPY. I have travelled a lot throughout the states in the US and this airport has to be the most crappy one out of all of them.
It says it is international airport but oh boy, it’s so tiny as hell! Super tiny and the interior is very old with all the ‘wood’ interior.
What’s worst was that it was SUPER HUMID and HOT inside the airport. So it does not have any doors. Its literally out in the nature with no doors to enter and exit. Horrible!
My checked bags at the caroussel was super wet and it was just hell waiting for my bags to come in because it was super hot and humid!
This is the only airport so I probably have to use it anyway but I wish they were at least air-​conditioned with the actual doors instead of having ‘open’ to air/​nature, if you know what I mean.

Great airport!
Friendly and clean. Easy to find baggage claim, and rental car.
Smaller than your average airport, but good choice for landing in Hilo rather than Kona.
The cool thing is the outdoor atmosphere as you walk towards baggage claim. Landscaping is way cool.

Fortunately, the folks who work at the Hilo International Airport are delightful and efficient. A friend and I were heading home after a full day tour of Volcano National Park (we flew in from Maui), and we were a bit panicked because the tour bus seemed to be cutting it quite close with timing to get my friend and I (and the rest of our group) back to the airport so that we could all catch our flights.
Fortunately, we were dropped off at this airport and able to check-​in quickly (in the open air check-​in counter space, which is a delight) with our carry-​on bags. We got through security quickly (the TSA folks here are very cordial and professional) and dashed off to our gate with time to spare. The waiting area was quite comfy, but it wasn’t long before our flight started to board, and we were off to O’ahu for a short layover before our connecting flight back to Maui.
Interestingly enough, our morning flight in to Hilo from Kihei, Maui had been a direct flight… but the night flight had the layover in Honolulu. Perhaps that layover on the way back to Kihei, Maui was the only real inconvenience. It would have been easier, for sure, if there had been a direct flight back to Maui at night as well.
TL; DR Love the open air feel. Friendly and helpful TSA and airport staff. Made the rushed experience for my friend and I feel a lot easier to deal with than it probably would have been otherwise. More direct flights at night may be helpful though… something to think about.

Besides the rain in Hilo the airport is the next big thing I love about Hilo! It’s the simple ness and crowd free fair it brings that makes you relaxed and comfortable! There’s no need to be at this airport anymore than 30 mins before departure! Tsa lines and checkin lines are the shortest you’ll ever see!

So the cargo bay for pets didnt work on the 12^th march for our flights to hawaii for our move to hawaii and so we had to leave on the 13^th well because we had a ride to transport our dogs from the quarentine station on the 12 not the 13^th our ride we had set up was not avaliable for the 13^th so we had to pay for a rental truck in Honolulu to transport our dogs to the next plane and then because the flight was on the 13^th and landing late & beacause of that we couldnt pick up our truck till monday afternoon we had to get to rental vehicle to get our dog home and because of that we cannot pay our rent & our bank is overdrawn and we cannot make our truck payment.
Consumer affairs said that have to file online and send copies of the paperwork online and they may be able to help us in 30 days. well 30 days is way too long considering that all of our money is gone now of them because everything kept over drafting because of them not fixing the cargo bay when all our reservations included our pets so they knew we were leaving with pets & could not leav e the 12^th and to the witch to all of our finances were off that date we are in debt. they could have used another plane. They said maybe if we go to the airport we can get help after we file with consumer affairs this is ridiculous
I’m so mad I cant even type straight!

Small, compact airport which is convenient for interisland travel. Rent-​a-​car companies are just across the street, which is a real convenience. TSA are cordial and helpful.

This place is small and not that busy. It’s clean and easy to find. $ 6 for parking.

They subscribe to the whole indoor-​outdoor concept for sure. Basically, the carousel area is open-​air, as are the walkways to the different terminals. This level of security would never fly (pun intended) at other airports, but it definitely reinforces that «aloha» spirit.
The security gate is so fast, after which you are in this lobby with cushy couches while you wait. For flights back to the mainland, you have to go through an agricultural screen, which is basically putting your bags on a conveyor belt right before your gate. Not a big deal at all.
I would say give yourself just 45 min before your flight to arrive if you’re not checking bags.

I’m torn about this airport coz it’s like expecting to judge a kindergartner’s artwork against Picasso. Yes it’s an airport but a country airport so it’s not busy or crowded or have a lot of options as far as food/​gifts etc. But where it lacks in sophisticated amenities it overloads you in country charm and pride. The waiting lounge looks like my mom’s living room full of couches, arm chairs and side/​coffee tables. The displays in the lounge look like high school science classroom but it’s chock full of super interesting and unique items.
Newly opened is Uncle Miles Café/​Bar or kiosk with a bar and TV… that wasn’t there in April but was there now and it’s cool, very, very simple but they serve beer inside now! Not cheap either (I’ll review that separately…). The AC section in the downstairs, but once you get out to your gate you’ll be experiencing the Hilo weather, be it muggy, rainy, voggy, sunny etc. All good and part of the experience.
To sum it all up, when my 4 year old landed in Hilo and we got out the gate he yelled out, «Mommy, where’s all the people?» Exactly son, welcome to Hilo.

TSA and Hawaiian Airlines staff — so friendly!
Only thing: airport kind of smells. Understandable, it is a little on the older side.

Hilo Airport, no wifi, well, yes wifi but no one can get connected. I think they need to reboot the router. We’re in Hawaii, who needs wifi? Well, we do if you are from another country with no cellular roaming or a T-​Mobile user, good luck with that.
So if you’re listening ITO please look into your wifi for your guests.
Other than the wifi issue this is a quaint and comfortable airport with all the basic necessities (minus a Starbucks) but maybe it doesn’t need to be at ever corner like we are used to on the mainland, this is Hawaii after all. Thank you ITO for servicing this part of Hawaii.
Mahalo

This is how every airport should be: Small, laidback and you dont have to wait in line for everything. There is no big fancy Tax-​free shop to splash all your money in, although they have a smaller one. This is Hawaii in a nutshell and they have mainland capacity as well.
Convenient to drop off your rental car just outside the terminal and there is no need to take a shuttle you just walk it off. That you forgot to bring your fill-​up gas receipt? Doesnt matter!
Here you will be served by men and women in «Real shirts» in a gentle phase, so you can easily settle down in a Hawaiian patterned sofa while waiting for your flight to depart.
But you dont really want to leave just yet, because this is Hawaii…

Hilo International Airport has everything you could possibly want at a neighbor island airport: a visitor information desk, lei stands, a bar, a restaurant, a gift shop, a Hawaiian Airlines Première Club lounge, and a newsstand /​convenience store selling snacks, drinks, reading material, etc. I especially like that the car rental offices are located just across the check in /​baggage claim so picking up and dropping off your rental car is super fast and convenient. A really well designed small airport!
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