Hawaii is hot and seats are a very finite supply, so up go prices. This section is intended to help you get to Kaua'i ACAP (As Cheap As Possible).

BASICS - The airline code for Kauai's airport at Lihue is LIH. Whether you come direct or via Honolulu on Hawaiian or Aloha, you will travel by jet all the way. As of 2007, Hawaiian is the preferred airline by most of us locals. Their site www.HawaiianAirlines.com is very helpful. They tend to be the cheapest also from the west coast gateways. Now that Southwest has teamed up with ATA to come to Honolulu, there are some good fares there also.

Direct flights to Lihue are available from United and American out of LA and San Francisco. They charge a premium, but many people like getting to Kauai 2 hours sooner by missing Honolulu. Get their price (if flying through LAX or SFO) and use it as a high dollar benchmark price.

The cheapest way to Kaua'i, of course, is frequent flyer miles if you've got them. Be aware that FF seats on the scheduled airlines go very, very fast for the holidays and summer months. You can book FF seats 11 months in advance of your departure date home from Kaua’i, and we heartily suggest you do so for those periods. FF seats are more readily available other times of the year, but when flying to Hawaii, planning ahead is always the best.

Fares sink like a rock about September 10th. So if you are coming in the Fall, try to hold off until then to buy your tickets. They stay cheap for flights until December 15th and then up they go. Non-holiday / non-summer fares are reasonably cheap on your scheduled airlines if you are trying to get those miles banked up for the free trip back to Kauai next year!

We are so excited with the new "direct to Kaua’i" flights on American, and the continuation of United’s (post bankruptcy) service direct to the island.. Accessing LAX post 9-11 has been a nightmare. Connecting through there is much easier. We encourage transfers through LAX over SFO because of the continued year-round delay of flights there due to weather...no way to start or end a holiday! Aloha is also offering flights to Honolulu from Burbank and Oakland, CA. They offer connecting service from Las Vegas and Phoenix. Hawaiian Airlines is now direct to Honolulu from San Diego, Sacramento, Seattle and Portland and Phoenix, as well! as San Francisco and San Jose

If you still have trouble getting a cheaper fare, please call or email us and we will tell you of any new secrets we have come across. Good luck!