The first thing you need to know when booking a trip across the pacific ocean, is where you are going to land! If the Hawaiian Island of Maui is on your family vacation itinerary then you will be visiting one of the Maui airports. Make sure to book a traditional lei greeting!

Maui is an island full of beautiful beaches, incredible hiking opportunities in Haleakala National Park, stunning waterfalls on the Road to Hana, and people with true Aloha spirit.

Which airport you will fly into, depends on whether you are coming on an international flight or from the U.S. mainland, or whether you flying on an inter-island flight.

Kahului Airport (OGG): This is the major airport in Maui where all international flights land.

It is located on the north shore of the island, about 30 minutes driving from Kihei, 35 minutes from the resort areas of Wailea, 40 minutes from Lahaina, and a 45-minute drive to the resort areas of Kaanapali.

OGG Airport Kahului is Maui's main airport and is also the busiest airport on the island. All the major rental car companies are located in Kahului so it is simple to pick up your vehicle from the rental companies located at this airport. The rental car kiosks are located a 4 minute trolley ride away from baggage claim.

There are also discount rental car providers, like Kimo’s Rent-A-Car or MauiVans.com where you can get a super cheap car and do self-serve pick up from the Kahului Airport Public Parking Lot. If you decide you like the price and can't understand why they are so much cheaper than the big rental car companies...let me help. I have rented from Kimo a few times, and I would rent from them again because I always find them easy to deal with and friendly, BUT now I know exactly what to expect. The vehicles they rent are very old, super high mileage, run down vehicles that are pretty dirty, and about to die. No joke! Locals would call these cars "maui cruisers", which basically means the car will get you from point A to point B, but that's all you should expect.

It is guaranteed that something is always broken. We have had to return a car for broken A/C, broken seatbelt, and an Engine light. If you are planning to do a lot of driving on your Maui vacation, don't rent a crappy car, it will make your vacation so unpleasant. If you are wanting a car for just a few beach trips or wheels to get out to dinner, it might be perfect. I would not recommend driving the Road to Hana in one of their cars! Book a tour instead!!

If you aren't going to rent a car during your stay in Maui, make sure your hotel has a shuttle service. Otherwise there are a few taxi service options on the island, as well as Uber.

Since Kahului Airport is the primary airport on Maui for direct flights from the united states, there are many tourists passing through this airport on a daily basis. The security lines can be quite a long wait. It's a good idea to arrive early (at least 3 hours in advance) for your return flight. The lines fluctuate by the day of the week with weekends being busier times for travel. Many of the nonstop flights to the east coast are red-eye flights, so don't rely on there being shorter lines because your flight is at 10pm. Our experience was very smooth with check-in lines being short, but the security line was still about 45 minutes. Many travelers heads to San Francisco or Los Angeles with mid-day flights face 2-3 hours waits in the security line up. A few hours in security before a long flight, makes for a very long travel day, so go mentally prepared that it might be an exhausting day. It's worth it though for a visit to the beautiful Valley Isle.

The other important thing to note at Maui's OGG airport is the agricultural screening. You must be prepared to open and close your baggage for inspection from the US Department of Agriculture. There are restrictions on what fruits, plants, and other live items can travel between Hawaii and the Mainland to prevent the spread of disease and plant insects.

For inter-island flights, there are some smaller commuter airports on Maui.

Hana Airport & West Maui Airport

These smaller airports have daily flights that offer nonstop service for interisland flights. You can also book a discovery flight from one of these smaller airports to get an aerial view of the Haleakala Crater and the West Maui Mountains.

If you are looking to book a trip to Lanai City or to the Island of Oahu, an interisland flight from one of the smaller airports on Maui may be possible. Our family always opted to fly from the Kahului Commuter Terminal for inter-island flights. It's a relaxed environment without TSA screening. There is no flight attendant on the plane, just a few passengers and the pilots. Whether that's an experience you are looking for or not is likely just a matter of personal preference. My family absolutely LOVED the small island hopper planes.

The best island-hopper commuter airline is Mokulele airlines. They have cheap domestic flights throughout the state of Hawaii that will allow you to choose the closest airport to your destination in the Hawaiian Islands, rather than the only airport that can handle the larger planes. If you want to avoid long drives, this is a great option.

My family and I flew on Mokulele Airlines to the Big Island for a 1 week vacation recently. We departed from the commuter terminal at Kahului Airport and flew to the Kona Airport on the Big Island because we were spending the week at the Hilton Waikoloa Village. Our stay at this hotel was outstanding. It was a excellent resort experience with all of the activities you can imagine. There are nice restaurants on-site, however when we were there room service and restaurant hours were still reduced. There is a hotel shuttle to the nearby shopping centre to stock up on in-room snacks, and to get all the Hawaii memorabilia your heart desires. My daughter was absolutely over the moon spending time at the dolphin lagoon. Watching the dolphins on our way to dinner was a magical experience. There is a small ocean lagoon where you can snorkel, Stand Up Paddleboard, and swim, without being exposed to the open ocean. There is also a train AND a boat to get around the resort. Did I mention the waterslides? My kids LOVE waterslides and a hotel with waterslides is mandatory when we are on vacation. The Hilton Waikoloa Village definitely delivers in terms of kid friendly activities!

Maui is an island of exceptional beauty that should not be missed! If you aren't already planning a trip, put Maui on your bucket list!

Now you know that the largest Maui airport is in Kahului, centrally located and accessible to the entire island. The long flight and long lines that are required for airline travel are 100% worth the time and effort to be able to land in paradise and have an epic family vacation exploring this beautiful island.

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