Rideshare & Ground Transport

Uber & Lyft Pickup at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport

Rideshare pickup at HNL is not always at the arrivals curb — most airports now route Uber and Lyft to a dedicated lot or garage. Here is exactly where to go, how to get there, and how to keep the fare reasonable.

Diagram of an airport rideshare pickup lot with numbered stalls and the walking path from arrivals. — Most airports route Uber and Lyft to a dedicated pickup lot or garage rather than the arrivals curb.

Where to get picked up at HNL

UUber Pickup Zone

Overseas Terminal (mainland flights): ground-level curbside, designated TNC zone outside baggage claim exit. Interisland Terminal: curbside TNC zone outside baggage claim.

LLyft Pickup Zone

Same TNC zones as Uber at each terminal.

Diagram showing the upper departures curb and the lower arrivals level where rides wait. — Pickup and drop-off often sit on different curb levels — arrivals below, departures above — so follow signs to the right level.

In the app

Select 'HNL Honolulu' in the app; specify 'Overseas Terminal' (mainland flights) or 'Interisland Terminal' (inter-Hawaii flights) to guide your driver correctly.

How to find the rideshare zone

Exit baggage claim to the curb and follow 'TNC / Ride App' signs; the Overseas Terminal (mainland flights) has pickup directly outside the baggage claim exit doors on the ground level.

Cell Phone Lot

The Cell Phone Lot is on Aolele St, across from the Overseas Terminal — 2 min drive to the terminal curbside. Cell phone lot details →

Avoiding surge pricing at HNL

When surge peaks: Surge peaks on holiday arrivals (Thanksgiving, Christmas week, spring break) and peak Japan tourism season (January, Golden Week in May); drivers are fewer here than mainland hubs so wait times can be long regardless of surge.

Wait tip

HNL international arrivals from Japan/Korea/Australia face 45–90 min customs queues; domestic mainland arrivals take 20–30 min post-landing. Request your ride only after clearing customs and collecting all bags.

Compare your options

Rideshare is usually the fastest door-to-door option, but it is not always the cheapest — especially during surge.

Option	Best for	Watch out for
Rideshare Uber / Lyft	Door-to-door convenience, groups with bags, no cash needed	Surge pricing on busy evenings & events; long walk to pickup lot
Taxi Metered cab	Predictable metered fare during surge, no app required	Often more expensive off-peak; cash sometimes required
Transit Train / bus	Lowest cost option, immune to surge pricing and traffic	Not available at every airport; less practical with luggage

For full ground-transport options at HNL including rental cars and public transit, see the HNL Getting Around guide.

Know exactly when to leave for HNL

Add your rideshare pickup time to the Leave-By calculator — it factors in current TSA wait times, so you hit the zone with time to spare.

Calculate leave-by time →