Honolulu to Hong Kong Flights (HNL to HKG): Connections, Travel Time and Arrival Tips

No nonstop: connect in Tokyo, Seoul, Manila or Taipei

There is no nonstop between Honolulu and Hong Kong as of recent schedules. The good news is that Honolulu has nonstops to several Asian hubs that each have frequent flights to Hong Kong, so the trip is a one-stop with a short second leg:

• Via Tokyo: Hawaiian, Japan Airlines, ANA, Delta or ZIPAIR from Honolulu to Narita or Haneda, then Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, ANA or HK Express to Hong Kong. The most frequent combination and the easiest to rebook.
• Via Seoul: Korean Air or Hawaiian from Honolulu to Incheon, then Korean Air, Cathay Pacific or Asiana to Hong Kong.
• Via Manila: Philippine Airlines from Honolulu to Manila and onward to Hong Kong on the same airline, a single ticket with a short final hop.
• Via Taipei: China Airlines has served Honolulu to Taipei and connects to Hong Kong; check whether the Honolulu flight is operating for your dates.

Routing back through the US mainland to a Cathay Pacific nonstop from Los Angeles or San Francisco is possible but flies you the wrong way first and adds many hours.

Travel time and distance

The great-circle distance from HNL to HKG is roughly 5,550 miles (about 8,950 km). The leg to Tokyo or Seoul is about 8 to 10 hours westbound, followed by a layover and a 4 to 5 hour flight to Hong Kong. Plan on 15 to 19 hours of total travel. The return is a little shorter in the air with the winds behind you.

You cross the International Date Line heading west. Leave Honolulu in the early afternoon and you land at your hub the next afternoon or evening and in Hong Kong late that night or the following morning. Coming home you land in Honolulu in the morning of the same calendar day you left Hong Kong, sometimes earlier than you departed.

Departing from Honolulu

Daniel K. Inouye International has two main passenger terminals. Hawaiian uses Terminal 1; Japan Airlines, ANA, Korean Air, Philippine Airlines, China Airlines, Delta and most other carriers use Terminal 2, the main overseas terminal. The two are linked by a walkway and the Wiki Wiki shuttle. Checked bags leaving Hawaii pass through a USDA agricultural inspection before you can drop them, so finish any fresh fruit first.

This is an international departure, so arrive three hours ahead; the Asia flights board within a short window in the early afternoon and the Terminal 2 security lines back up. Ask to have bags tagged through to Hong Kong if the whole trip is on one ticket.

Connecting in Tokyo or Seoul

At Tokyo Narita, Japan Airlines and Cathay Pacific use Terminal 2 while ANA and most Star Alliance airlines use Terminal 1, so a connection between a Hawaiian or JAL arrival and a Cathay departure may stay in one terminal while others need the free shuttle bus. At Haneda, all international flights use Terminal 3. In either case you stay airside and do not enter Japan if you are on a through ticket. Allow at least two hours.

Seoul Incheon is a single large airport with two terminals linked by train; Korean Air uses Terminal 2 and most other airlines Terminal 1. Transit is smooth and two hours is comfortable. If you have a longer layover at either hub, both airports offer transit tours or short excursions, though Japan and Korea each have their own entry rules for that.

Arriving at Hong Kong and getting into the city

Hong Kong International Airport on Lantau Island handles arrivals in Terminal 1. Immigration is quick: US passport holders queue for the visitor counters, and e-channel enrolment is available for frequent visitors. The arrivals hall connects directly to transport:

• Airport Express train: to Kowloon station in about 22 minutes and Hong Kong station in Central in about 24, running every ten minutes. Free shuttle buses link both stations to major hotels, and in-town check-in is available for the return.
• Airport buses: the A-route buses reach most districts in 45 to 70 minutes and are far cheaper than the train, with luggage racks.
• Taxi: 30 to 45 minutes to Kowloon or Hong Kong Island, with colour-coded taxis for different areas; red taxis serve the urban areas.

Buy an Octopus card at the airport for the MTR, buses, trams, ferries and convenience stores. It is the single most useful thing to have in Hong Kong.

Time difference and jet lag

Hong Kong does not observe daylight saving and is 18 hours ahead of Honolulu all year, which in practice feels like six hours behind plus a day. The westbound trip lands you late at night or in the morning after a long journey; most people adjust in two or three days with daylight and local meal times. The return, landing in Honolulu in the morning, often feels harder because you have been awake through a long night.

When to fly and when to book

October to December is Hong Kong's best weather, dry and warm without the summer humidity, and the most popular time to visit. Chinese New Year, in late January or February, is the biggest holiday, with many shops closed and flights across Asia full; Easter and the mainland Golden Week in early October also crowd the city. July to September is hot, humid and typhoon season, when a storm can shut the airport for a day.

Fares from Honolulu tend to be lowest in late spring and in the humid summer months outside the holidays. For October to December and Chinese New Year, book three to four months ahead; otherwise six to eight weeks is usually enough.

Entry requirements and documents

As of recent rules, US passport holders can visit Hong Kong for up to 90 days without a visa, with a passport valid for at least one month beyond the stay. Hong Kong keeps its own immigration system separate from mainland China, so a Hong Kong visit does not grant entry to the mainland; a day trip to Shenzhen or Macau has its own rules. Rules change and other nationalities differ, so check the Hong Kong Immigration Department before you book. You do not enter Japan or Korea on a through connection.

What travellers on this route get wrong

The first mistake is a tight connection in Tokyo between terminals. The second is forgetting the date line and booking the Hong Kong hotel for the wrong night. The third is arriving in Chinese New Year week expecting normal opening hours. The fourth is paying for the Airport Express when the hotel is nearer an A-route bus stop; both are good, but the bus is far cheaper and often just as quick to Kowloon.