Army National Guard Spc. Zachary Cabingas checks the temperature of 8-month-old Emily King before she and her mom board an interisland flight at Kahului Airport on Tuesday afternoon. Tuesday was the first day interisland travel was allowed without quarantine. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo
KAHULUI — Despite some flight delays and the need for a few airport staffing adjustments, the first day without a 14-day quarantine for interisland travelers provided a smooth ride for residents flying via Kahului Airport.
“It was easy, not too bad,” said Hannah Domingo, who was leaving her Maui home in Kahikinui to return to home on Oahu midday Tuesday.
Hawaii residents flying interisland have been subject to a 14-day quarantine since the state mandate went into effect April 1. In lieu of the public health emergency rule, which was lifted Tuesday, adult and child passengers must submit a completed travel and health form and undergo thermal screening.
Officials urged people to fill out the form available online in advance — but no earlier than 24 hours before flight time since health conditions may change.
“This will help us immensely in expediting the process,” said Marvin Moniz, Maui Airports district manager, during the county’s afternoon news conference.
Rena Kaina talks about her interisland travel experience Tuesday while standing with granddaughter Chaslyn Ka‘apuni at Kahului Airport. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo
Moniz said there were flight delays due to staffing issues and reconfiguring checkpoints to allow for social distancing, which created “backup.” Also, some passengers showed up late, he said.
“We did have a few glitches and some staffing adjustments to make tomorrow and going forward,” he said. “Once that’s done we will be good to go.”
Overall, Moniz said the first day went well.
Rena Kaina, a Maui resident who left on the earliest flight Tuesday to pick up her Oahu grandkids, then return to Maui midday, said the TSA line was long because there were a lot of people who didn’t complete the form ahead of time.
“We had it all prepared coming and going,” Kaina said.
National Guard members staff a screening station Tuesday afternoon at Kahului Airport’s departures area. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo
Despite officials who cautioned interisland travelers to arrive two to three hours prior to departure time, Oahu resident Russell Valdez said he was fine completing paperwork ahead of time and arriving 90 minutes prior to his midday flight to Maui.
“They recommended three hours but that’s kind of long,” said Valdez, who traveled to Maui for work.
He added that it was his first time traveling interisland since the pandemic began and the process was “pretty easy.”
Maui resident Lindsey King, who was traveling Tuesday with 8-month-old daughter, Emily, to see her Kauai grandparents for the first time in four months, said she was excited to travel and has been waiting for the interisland quarantine to lift.
“I’m not worried or scared too much,” she said. “I’m just excited to see Emily’s grandparents.”
King said they had plenty of time to make it through new screening protocols since they came early and knew about the form.
Interisland travelers at Kahului Airport on Tuesday said the new form took between five to 10 minutes and the questions were not difficult.
Kahului Airport was still relatively quiet around midday Tuesday, a far cry from the crowds that were typical before the pandemic hit.
About a dozen Hawaii National Guard members assisted people with onsite travel forms and thermal checks prior to entering TSA screening.
If a passenger’s temperature is above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or a travel and health form is not completed, the passenger will not be allowed to fly. Guard members said they hadn’t seen anyone with a high temperature so far Tuesday.
Moniz said at the news conference that officials arrived early Tuesday to have about 150 “excited” people preparing to head off island.
“For the most part I think it went well for the first day,” he said. “We thank all of you for being patient. It’s the first of its kind for us going through this process experiencing what we’ve experienced over the last three and a half months.”
The mandatory 14-day travel quarantine for trans-Pacific arrivals to Hawaii is still in effect and was extended by the state through July 31. Passengers who violate the mandate have received police citations and are flown back to city of origin.
Moniz said that when passengers from the U.S. Mainland arrive at Kahului Airport, they will fill out a self-quarantine form with information on hotel or residence.
“If you are here to go camping or stay at a beach or at a shelter, those are all not acceptable,” Moniz said. “We will send you back to the city you originated from.”
He added that people traveling from the U.S. Mainland to Hawaii may obtain a work exemption to allow for meal pickup and work travel. But if travelers do not have an exemption, they are “totally quarantined.”
“You have to stay in your room for the whole 14 days,” he said.
* Kehaulani Cerizo can be reached at kcerizo@mauinews.com.
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