Southwest Offering Pre-Cleared Arrival Into Hawaii
Hawaii-bound Customers from five California gateways can bypass arrival regulations in Honolulu and Kahului
Southwest Airlines has created a needed convenience for Customers flying to Hawaii —an easy way to present evidence of their compliance with the Hawaii Safe Travels protocol program. Passengers who have uploaded an approved negative COVID-19 test result, required travel information, and completed a health questionnaire before departing the mainland may be eligible to bypass airport screening when arriving in Honolulu (Oahu) and Kahului (Maui).
This pre-clear convenience complements the carrier’s approach to serving Hawaii with added ease for customers and pairs access of pre-trip testing options in select California cities. The new program promotes streamlined arrival into the Islands helping passengers save time, eliminate chaos and more lines, and skip the quarantine.
The airline is a Trusted Travel Partner of the State of Hawaii. As such, the program allows visitors and returning residents to bypass a mandatory 10-day quarantine on arrival provided they have met key requirements of the program and have correctly uploaded these items into a traveler profile on the State of Hawaii website:
• Updated and complete travel information including flight details for the initial flight segment into Hawaii, all lodging details for each traveler aged 18 or older (with younger travelers included in the profile of one parent);
• A valid, negative COVID-19 test result for each passenger, taken within 72 hours of departure for Hawaii, obtained from a State-of-Hawaii-approved Trusted Travel Partner; and,
• A mandatory health questionnaire within the Safe Travels account.
Southwest customer serviceagents are available starting 90 minutes prior to departure to confirm passengers’ State-of-Hawaii-approved profile. Completing this verification at a gate before departure allows a faster arrival on-island. Southwest is offering the new service to Customers either starting their journey or connecting in the five California airports from which it offers nonstop service to the Hawaiian Islands: Oakland (OAK); San Jose (SJC); Sacramento (SMF); San Diego (SAN); and Long Beach (LGB). The State of Hawaii reserves the right to re-screen or validate the screening of any passenger.
“This Pre-Clear convenience recognizes that Customers are excited to begin enjoying Hawaii once they land, and this process will expedite their time in the airport, allowing them to begin their Hawaii experience more quickly,” said Tony Roach, Southwest Airlines Managing Director of Customer Experience.
Additionally, Southwest proudly collaborates with CityHealth Urgent Care to offer appointments in five California locations for $20. COVID tests (results within 48 hours from the time of collection) that meet State of Hawaii requirements. Along with other providers listed at Southwest.com/coronavirus/Hawaii, CityHealth offers this affordable testing option to Customers at the airports in Oakland; San Jose; Sacramento; Long Beach; and at a location in downtown San Francisco.
With the addition this month of Long Beach as a gateway with daily service to Hawaii (nonstop to both Honolulu (Oahu), and Kahului (Maui)), Southwest aircraft currently are scheduled to takeoff for Hawaii 14 times a day from a total of five gateway airports in California.
Nonstop service between Lihue (Kauai), and the Bay Area (Oakland and San Jose) is scheduled to resume June 6, 2021. Southwest Airlines also operates 24 departures a day to offer interisland service within the State of Hawaii.
Southwest’s Hawaii service on Boeing 737-800 aircraft features seating for 175 Customers and inflight entertainment that makes time in the sky fly by. Southwest Customers may use their own devices and headphones to experience free music, free movies, free live and on-demand TV, and free messaging. These inflight entertainment options are available at no charge and don’t require a Wi-Fi purchase to access. However, the amenity is available only on Wi-Fi-enabled aircraft and may not be available for the full duration of flight. Inflight messaging only allows access to iMessage and WhatApp, which both must be downloaded before departure.
