Hawaiian, Alaska Cancel 77 Hawaii Flights as Lala Shuts Big Island Airports

Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines canceled 77 Hawaii flights Saturday, August 15, after Tropical Storm Lala shut down both major airports on Hawaii Island. The closures halted all service at Hilo and ended Kona operations at 2 p.m., leaving travelers to seek rebooking under a waiver covering Friday through Sunday.

The Hawaii Department of Transportation suspended service at Hilo International Airport for the entire day. Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keāhole stopped operating after 2 p.m.

No passengers remained at either airport when officials closed the checkpoints. The department expected both facilities to resume operations Sunday, August 16, depending on weather and safety conditions.

Airlines moved to protect passengers and crews.

Alex Da Silva, a Hawaiian Airlines spokesperson, said the carrier reduced its schedule in advance and offered affected customers refunds or alternate flights.

“Affected passengers will be offered options that include a refund or rebooking on another flight.”

The carrier canceled five Neighbor Island flights to and from Hilo beginning late Friday afternoon. Its Saturday suspension affected 23 scheduled Hilo flights, and it also canceled one Kahului-Honolulu flight while assessing additional weekend disruptions.

A separate airline update said passengers affected by cancellations were being placed on later flights. The travel waiver applied to trips scheduled from Friday through Sunday.

The 77-flight figure came with different breakdowns

One published count attributed to the carriers divided the Saturday cancellations into 59 Neighbor Island flights and 18 transpacific flights. Another tally listed 54 Neighbor Island cancellations and 11 transpacific cancellations.

The figures describe the same disruption but do not match. The airline updates also recorded additional cancellations for Sunday.

The Sunday reduction totaled 24 flights. The carriers canceled 17 Neighbor Island flights and seven transpacific flights while repositioning aircraft and crews and gradually restoring service.

That smaller schedule still left travelers facing possible changes. Both airports needed safety inspections of runways and terminals before limited operations could resume Sunday afternoon.

Hilo closed all day while Kona stopped accepting flights at 2 p.m.

Hilo began closing procedures Saturday morning. The airport suspended every scheduled operation for the day.

Kona remained open longer, but only until the afternoon. No flights were scheduled there after 2 p.m., according to the transportation department’s operational update.

Shelly Kunishige, a spokeswoman for the department, said several airlines were adjusting flights at Lihue Airport for Saturday and Sunday. The changes extended beyond Hawaii Island as carriers moved aircraft and crews around the disrupted network.

Ed Sniffen, director of the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation, said the agency was working directly with carriers to restart airport operations “as soon as it is safe to do so.” The department targeted Sunday, August 16, for reopening the Big Island airports.

The storm also affected marine transportation. The U.S. Coast Guard’s captain of the port placed commercial ports on the Big Island and Maui in “Zulu” status, closing vessel and terminal operations.

The storm strengthened before weakening south of Honolulu

Lala reached Category 1 status as it approached Hawaii, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph. Rain fell at rates of 2 inches per hour, and forecasts called for up to 25 inches at higher elevations.

The storm weakened Sunday morning. It returned to Tropical Storm strength while moving 130 miles south of Honolulu.

Governor Josh Green issued an emergency proclamation Friday, August 14. He urged residents to “shelter in place” as rainfall reached life-threatening levels in some areas.

The storm’s approach prompted early cancellations Friday and the opening of emergency shelters at Waiākea High School in Hilo and Kealakehe High School in Kona. Public schools and offices across Hawaiʻi County closed through the weekend.

The approaching system also canceled the Hawaiʻi Island Agrifood Summit. Its outer bands disrupted travel across the islands even as the center passed south of South Point.

Power outages and road closures added to the disruption

More than 10,000 customers on the Big Island lost power. Fallen Albizia trees and downed power lines closed Highway 19 and Māmalahoa Highway.

The airport shutdowns came as travelers were already seeking shelter and replacement transportation. About 60 people at Kahului Airport had to shelter in place overnight Friday after they could not secure flights or temporary lodging before the storm arrived.

The closures affected the wider air network because inter-island flights connect passengers to transpacific services. The cancellation totals therefore included both short-haul Neighbor Island segments and longer flights linking Hawaii with the mainland and other destinations.

The storm also brought a historic warning. The Big Island had not experienced a direct hurricane landfall since 1871, a span of 155 years.

Sunday flights depended on inspections and aircraft repositioning

The carriers planned a limited recovery rather than an immediate return to normal schedules. They canceled 24 flights Sunday while crews and aircraft moved back into position.

Hilo and Kona were expected to resume limited service Sunday afternoon after inspections of runways and terminals. The transportation department’s reopening plan remained conditional on safe operating conditions.

Travelers holding affected Friday-through-Sunday itineraries could use the waiver and seek a later flight, a refund or another booking option. Airport checkpoints had already been cleared before Saturday’s closures, but the return of scheduled service depended on the inspections and continuing weather conditions.