FAQ/Hawaii Travel and Operational Differences

• Per the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations, certain fruits, vegetables, plants, and flowers are prohibited in carryon items when traveling between Hawaiian Islands.
• Examples of these carryon restrictions include but are not limited to: fresh fruits and vegetables, berries of any kind, fresh flowers, plants or plants in soil, seeds, live insects, cotton or cotton bolls, and sugarcane. To learn more about the full list of prohibited items, visit here.
• Customers traveling between Hawaiian Islands are required to place USDA restricted items into their checked baggage.
• All checked and carryon bags traveling within Hawaii (with the exception of Kona (KOA), which combines USDA & TSA checkpoints), must be inspected at a USDA inspection station. These stations are located in front of the airline check-in counters. Once inspected, you should receive a USDA APHIS sticker placed on your luggage. If the sticker is not present on baggage at the time you check your bag, you will be asked to visit a USDA Inspection station for processing.
• USDA inspection stations usually open at the same time as the airline check-in counters (generally two hours prior to a flight).

• Per the U.S. Department of Agriculture certain plants, plant products, animals, and animal products will not be permitted when traveling to Hawaii.
• All agricultural items must be declared on the Plants and Animals Declaration Form which must be completed onboard prior to arrival at the gate for every family onboard. These forms will be distributed and collected by Flight Attendants prior to landing in Hawaii.
• All individuals arriving in Hawaii from the U.S. mainland who have declared agricultural items brought into the State must present these items for inspection to a Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) Plant Quarantine inspector in the baggage claim area.
• Most plants are permitted into Hawaii after inspection. For a complete list of items not permitted, please visit https://hdoa.hawaii.gov/pi/pq/import-program/plant-guidelines/

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) prohibits or restricts the transportation of many agricultural products from Hawaii to the U.S. mainland, including most fresh fruits and vegetables and certain types of plants and flowers.
• All checked and carryon bags traveling from Hawaii to the U.S. mainland must be inspected at a USDA inspection station. These stations are located in front of the airline check-in counters. Once inspected, you should receive a USDA APHIS sticker placed on your checked luggage. If the sticker is not present on baggage at the time you check your bag, you will be asked to visit a USDA Inspection station for processing.
• Upon inspection, Customers should be prepared to open and close their own bags. Coolers and boxes should not be closed until after inspection. If a Customer has any fresh fruits or vegetables, plants, flowers, souvenirs made from plants or wood, or other agricultural products they must inform the inspector. Failure to declare these items can result in delays and possible issuance of civil penalties.
• USDA inspection stations usually open at the same time as the airline check-in counters (generally two hours prior to a flight).

For more information on USDA inspections of checked and carryon baggage, refer to https://hdoa.hawaii.gov/pi/pq/travel-shipping-information/traveling-from-hawai%CA%BBi-to-the-u-s-mainland/

• Customers traveling between Hawaiian Islands will be unable to carry many agricultural products, including most fresh fruits, vegetables, and certain types of plants and flowers. Still want to take it with you? Don’t sweat it, bags fly free^®*—so you can check it for your interisland travel. Learn more >
  
  *First and second checked bags. Weight and size limits apply.