[4K] Trip Report | The Best Airport in the US?! And More Island Hopping in Hawaii! | KOA - HNL

Welcome to the Kona International Airport! Today we are island hopping back to Honolulu (PHNL) with Hawaiian Airlines from Kona International Airport (PHKO). Kona International Airport is possibly one of the best airports in the US, and in this video, you'll see why!
Here are the first two legs where I flew from direct from Austin to Honolulu, and then island hopped from Honolulu to Kona:
Austin to Honolulu: • [4K] Trip Report | Exi...
Honolulu to Kona: • [4K] Trip Report | Isl...
--- Flight Information ---
Flight Number: HA137
Aircraft Type: Boeing 717-200
Registration Number: N488HA
Aircraft Name: Puaiohi
Flight Time: 0hr 30min
Seat: 14A
Departure Runway: 35
Arrival Runway: 4R
I will be posting the final leg of my Hawaii journey next week, where I will fly direct from Honolulu back to Austin on another one of Hawaiian's A330-200s.
I also recommend checking out the main channel, where I post more rail and aviation videos.
Thanks for watching and I hope you enjoyed!
Honolulu Ramp Action: • [4K] Ramp Action at Da...
Honolulu Planespotting: • [4K] Cargo Heavies and...
Subscribe: / lonestartripreports
Main Channel: / lonestaryt
Equipment Used:
Camera: iPhone 12 Pro Max
Other Equipment:
Camera: Sony AX-43
Mic: Rode Videomic Pro+
Camera: GoPro Hero 9 Black
Tripod: Coman DF06 + Manfrotto 502 Head

[@BpGregor]

I was at Kona airport in 1975, 5 years after it opened! Thank you.

[@LonestarTrips]

Awesome! This wasn't my first time at this airport, and I certainly hope it won't be the last!

[@travelwithcarl_au]

Reminds me of my trip to Kona about 8 years ago. Such a cute airport - agree, very Hawaiian :)

[@manubird2475]

Aloha! Here's an AV Geek factoid: When you landed, you crossed over the "reef runway". Part of its design was to serve as an emergency landing strip for the space shuttle, thankfully never used. One end had a raiseable netting mechanism to stop the shuttle from crashing into Kihei Lagoon and skipping across it into the Sand Island industrial area or the backside of Honolulu Harbor.

[@LonestarTrips]

I didn't know that! That's super cool!

[@ericjones7769]

The 717 is a member of the DC9/MD80 family and all of those have the 2 by 3 seating configuration

[@haroldlipschitz9301]

Lovely footage. Small correction: there is no runway 8R at KOA (5:35) You later mentioned the correct runway

[@LonestarTrips]

Whoops haha! Must’ve slipped under the radar when finalizing the script.

[@hzkdsg1257arg]

Great trip report! Like the voiceover!

[@LonestarTrips]

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed!

[@milesarchibald1114]

Such an underrated channel

[@LonestarTrips]

Thanks! I'm glad you think so, and I appreciate the support!

[@jackmckenna274]

Great vid

[@LonestarTrips]

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed!

[@hawaiifiles]

Ever heard of POGS? They are the caps that came with bottles of Passion Orange Guava juice. I love the open air Kona Airport but plans are in the works by the State of Hawaii to reconfigure it to include 2nd story jetways.

[@LonestarTrips]

I really hope they don’t follow through with that. This airport is so quintessentially Hawaiian, it would be a shame to get rid of it.

[@Bunby-ur8ij]

I drank a lot of those because I live in hawaii and I usually take Hawaiian airlines. I rlly love them

[@simba9725]

I love that airport, it's the only open air airport in the world.

[@K2Torazo]

I wouldn’t say the world. Lol. It’s going through a major expansion currently.

[@SuperLQQK]

we agree the 717 is really a DC-9? Right!?! and....it's Mr Aviation 101 right!?!

[@PC-hh1wf]

sorry man. its a fine presentation. but the MD-series and Boeing 717 configuration has always been standard 2-3 or 3-2. it has never been 3-3 as you mention during the boarding sequence (5:10) 😊

[@LonestarTrips]

Not actually what I was referring to when I mentioned the “standard 3-3.” I was referring to what is the standard on most aircraft nowadays with the 737 and a320 series of aircraft. I realize I’m hindsight I didn’t communicate this at all, but that’s what I was trying to say.

[@harveyh3696]

10:58 Would you believe that building in the background is a Federal Prison.

[@TheDalune]

Flight 2724& 0051

[@TheDalune]

To Keahole

[@toddmccraven7078]

The Best Airport in the US? Not even the best airport on the island. Hilo Airport is plush. It is mostly indoors due to the fact that it's on the windward side and gets a lot of rain at times. The waiting lounge feels like a huge First Class lounge with very comfortable, well cushioned chairs and nice tables. The Security lines and Baggage pickup is very much like in Kona. We were there in November 2021 on a day trip to Volcanoes National Park from Oahu.

[@LonestarTrips]

Thanks for the insight! I've never had any reason to fly through Hilo, so I didn't know what it was like, but I'll be sure to check it out next time I'm in Hawaii to see how it stacks up against Kona!

[@K2Torazo]

When are they modernizing this airport?

[@LonestarTrips]

What do you mean by modernizing? Like a new, larger terminal building and whatnot? If so, I honestly hope they never do, as it's such a beautiful airport, and that open plan is oh so very Hawaiian.

[@danielng113]

You should consider using a gimbal.

[@LonestarTrips]

I'm already planning on investing in one!

[@danielng113]

@@LonestarTrips anyways nice review on Kona airport. I was at Hilo airport 3+ years ago and wish to return to Kona instead in the future.

[@LonestarTrips]

@@danielng113 I highly recommend it. Kona is a much nicer airport.

[@TheDalune]

I went Hawaiian Airlines to Hawaii Then I Took Southwest Airlines

[@gregh7457]

best? LOL.when it rains all those lovely lava rocks surrounding the airport turn it into a big sauna and try boarding the airplane at night in the rain

[@BenjaminBowling777]

Attention KZbin...I am so sick and tired of that Uber eats marriage proposal ad!!! I'm sure everyone else is too. Enough is enough already!!!

[@idiotgamer3412]

ugh this was such a good video but I had to stop watching at 3:19. I suffer from motion sickness and was already getting dizzy and nauseated. Please for future videos slow your camera down and less jerking movement. I am not being petty.