Round Trip or One Way?

Question

I am planning a trip to the Hawaiian Islands. It will be a one and done trip, we are older and this will be our 50th state to visit. What do most people do when they fly in to one island, but want to visit one or more of the other islands while there? I know we would be flying from one island to another, but what about the return flight to the mainland. Do you just get one way flights to one airport and then another one way from another airport, or do you return to the original airport (island) that you flew to?

Answer

Congratulations on visiting your 50th state — Hawaii is a wonderful choice for a milestone trip! Your question about flights is a common one for first-time visitors planning multi-island trips.

Here’s the general approach that most travelers take:

Open-jaw or multi-city tickets: Most people flying to Hawaii do not return to the same island they first arrive on. Instead, they book a multi-city or “open-jaw” ticket: fly into one island (for example, Oahu/Honolulu), visit it, then take inter-island flights to other islands (Maui, Kauai, Big Island), and finally fly home from the last island (say, Kona on the Big Island). This way, you avoid backtracking.
Inter-island flights: Hawaii has several local carriers (Hawaiian Airlines, Southwest, Mokulele, etc.) that specialize in short hops between islands. Flights are frequent, generally 30–60 minutes, and reasonably priced if booked in advance. Most people book these separately from their mainland flights.
Return flights: You do not need to return to your first island unless your airline ticket requires it (most allow you to depart from a different island). Major airlines like United, American, Delta, and Hawaiian Airlines offer multi-city booking options that let you select different arrival and departure islands.

Tips and considerations:

Compare round-trip vs. multi-city pricing. Sometimes booking a “round-trip from one island” plus separate inter-island flights can be cheaper than a multi-city ticket.
Plan your itinerary logically. For example: Oahu → Kauai → Maui → Big Island → fly home from Big Island. This minimizes inter-island backtracking.
Check inter-island luggage rules. Some carriers charge for checked bags, so plan accordingly.
Consider travel insurance that covers multiple flights, in case weather delays an inter-island flight.

In short, most visitors flying to Hawaii for a one-time trip use multi-city tickets and depart from a different island than they arrived on. This allows you to see multiple islands efficiently without returning to your original arrival airport.

Round Trip or One Way?

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