LIHUE — The domestic passenger count tailed off in September, as Lihue Airport wound down its slowest summer vacation period in the post-pandemic era.
A total of 60,109 passengers off-boarded domestic flights at the seaside transportation facility in September, compared with 63,057 in September 2023 and 69,396 in September 2022.
That marked decreases of 4.67 percent and 13.38 percent, respectively, according to data compiled by the state of Hawaii’s Department of Business, Economic Development &Tourism.
The busiest day at Lihue Airport last month was Saturday, Sept. 28, when the passenger count measured 2,524. The slowest day at the airport last month was Monday, Sept. 16, when the passenger count weighed in at 1,631.
The daily average passenger count was 2,004 in September, down 4.66 percent from 2,102 in September 2023 and off 13.35 percent from 2,313 in September 2022.
The count only includes passengers from direct domestic flights, including Kaua‘i residents returning home, and excludes the thousands of visitors who arrive by inter-island air each month.
That means visitors who arrive from neighboring islands aren’t accounted for in the domestic deplanement total even if their flight originated in the Lower 48, nor are passengers on flights from Canada.
All told, the passenger count retreated to 612,154 in the nine-month period ended Sept. 30, compared with 645,404 in the nine-month period ended Sept. 30, 2023, and 694,176 in the nine-month period ended Sept. 30, 2022. That marked decreases of 5.15 percent and 11.81 percent, respectively.
Of note, the domestic passenger count at Lihue Airport notched its second highest total on record in 2023, despite a year-over-year drop in the number of people getting off those flights to the island of Kauai.
The passenger count weighed in at 832,739 for the 12-month period ended Dec. 31, 2023, compared with a record 910,558 for the 12-month period ended Dec. 31, 2022. That marked a decrease of 8.54 percent in the period.
Pre-pandemic, we had been spending 6 weeks every year on Kauai, happy to spend our hard-earned dollars at farmers’ markets, local restaurants, at local festivals, and other local businesses on Kauai. The cost of these trips has now doubled, mostly because of the price of housing and rental cars, making them unaffordable to us. When coupled with the loud and clear message from locals for mainlanders to stay away, a vacation on Kauai just doesn’t make sense any more. It’s very sad for us, but the world is big and there are many places where locals are welcoming outsider dollars. I get the frustration locals have with arrogant mainlanders and their desire to enjoy their home in peace, but folks finding other places to travel is a consequence – perhaps the intended result. I imagine others that are finding other places to spend their time off and dollars feel the same way.