Lihu’e Airport finally open

But it’s unlikely there will be enough planes for everyone.

Let’s start by doing some simple math.

If both Hawaiian Airlines and Aloha Airlines fly their entire schedule of flights between Lihu’e and Honolulu today, there will be 5,645 passenger seats available.

There were an estimated 8,000 visitors on Kaua’i as of yesterday. Many of them had to fly home Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.

Since 8,000 – 5,645 = 2,355, there is a strong possibility that all the visitors who wish to leave the island today can’t.

Yes, Aloha and Hawaiian did have a few flights yesterday in the late afternoon and evening, but the figures above also don’t calculate Hawai’i residents stuck here since Tuesday’s terrorists attack, or Kaua’i residents wishing to leave the island.

The scene at Lihu’e Airport today is expected to be much different than the view Thursday, as what was at one time one of the nation’s busiest airports resembled a ghost town, with flights not allowed to take off or land until 2:45 p.m. because Federal Aviation Administration certification wasn’t given until then.

During the day yesterday, airport workers trimmed trees near buildings while police and others attempted to contact owners of vehicles parked in the public parking lot in violation of the FAA’s new rules banning any vehicles from parking within 300 feet of any airport terminal.

Since most of the public and employee parking and a significant chunk of car-rental parking is within 300 feet of the Richard A. Kawakami Terminal, the feat of removing the vehicles took most of the day.

So, why was Lihu’e the last of the four major Hawai’i airports to reopen? The answer is that new 300-foot rule that’s part of new security efforts in the wake of four airliners being hijacked on the East Coast Tuesday as part of the terrorism plot.

The handful of vehicles officials couldn’t get moved were allowed to remain, as Lihu’e Airport got a temporary exemption from the 300-foot rule.

Car-rental companies must move all of their cars farther from the terminal and use shuttles to move customers.

United Airlines is resuming its regular schedule of flights to and from Lihu’e and San Francisco and Los Angeles today, as well.

The same stringent security guidelines announced Wednesday were to remain in place today, with the 300-foot exemption meaning the public parking lot will be open for business. However, all vehicles will be subject to search before entering the lot.

Travelers, including those parking cars at the airport lot, should expect long delays, officials said.

As reported earlier, only ticketed passengers with confirmed reservations should come to the airport on the day of their confirmed flight.

Passengers holding tickets for canceled flights must reschedule directly with airlines or via travel agents (even those with e-tickets, which will not be honored for travel) and should plan on arriving at the airport at least two hours before their scheduled flight.

Vehice traffic in the vicinity of the airport will slow, and the Kaua’i County Police Department is advising those who can avoid the Kapule Highway-Ahukini Road intersection in daily commutes to do so. Only traffic bound for the airport from the eastside should take Kapule, and traffic from the south and west should take Nawiliwili Road to Kapule, the county suggests.

Tighter security

Security rules the Federal Aviation Administration is ordering airport to enforce include:

– No curbside and off-airport check-ins.

– No electronic tickets.

– Only people with valid tickets and boarding passes will be allowed past the main security checkpoint.

– No knives of any kind. Previously, small pocket knives were allowed on board.

– Greater scrutiny of vehicles parked curbside. Unattended vehicles will be cited and towed.

– A thorough check of the airport and aircraft will be conducted before boarding begins.

– Random security checks of passengers after they pass the main checkpoint.

Staff Writer Paul C. Curtis can be reached at mailto:mailto:pcurtis@pulitzer.net