I flew from Maui to the Big Island of Hawaii for $66. Here's what it was like and why I totally recommend it
The plane I flew on when island-hopping in Hawaii was meant for 10 passengers.
I grew up in Hawaii, and I flew from Maui to the Big Island of Hawaii on a 40-minute flight.
The booking was inadvertently made on a 10-seater commuter plane for only $66.
The flight was like an affordable aerial tour of both islands, which was worth the turbulence.
While growing up on Maui, I often visited family on neighboring islands and quickly became accustomed to the quick flight.
Me being driven from Lahaina to the airport in Kahului.
On these short flights, the plane takes off, flight attendants hand out juice, and, by the time they start collecting the trash, you're already starting to come in for a landing.
Many flights from island to island usually cost around $100 and are on Boeing aircrafts with about 30 or so rows of five seats.
But I recently had a different experience when I island-hopped from Maui to the Big Island so I could spend the day at Hapuna Beach.
I had inadvertently booked the flight on a 10-seater commuter plane — and my ticket only cost $66.
Here's what it was like to experience this scenic 40-minute flight.
During the drive to the airport, I got to see wildlife, like whales and butterflies.
I could see a butterfly and a couple of whales off in the distance.
The time it takes to get from my house to the airport is about 35 minutes, which is only a slightly shorter trip than the flight itself.
While driving along Honoapiilani Highway, which meanders along the west coast of Maui, there were plenty of opportunities to spot whales and other wildlife.
I arrived at the airport over an hour before my departure time.
The welcome sign at Kahului Airport.
I normally get to the airport a maximum of two hours early but felt I could get away with a shorter time frame since it's a small airport that I know very well.
But I soon realized that I didn't know the airport as well as I thought.
The commuter terminal at Kahului Airport, which is in a separate building from the main airport.
After being dropped off at departures, I wandered around for about 10 minutes trying to find Mokulele Airlines, which is a Southern Airways company.
Finally, I swallowed my pride and asked an employee for help. I was informed that my terminal was on the other side of the airport. It was also in a completely separate building that I didn't even know existed.
I'd flown on commuter planes before, but only ever out of the even smaller airport in Kapalua, so I just assumed that was the island's hub for those types of flights.
All passengers had to stand in line to check in for our flights.
The check-in counter at Mokulele Airlines.
This is because we were required to check all of our bags, since there's nowhere to store them in the passenger area. There aren't overhead bins and there's no extra space under the seats.
We also had to disclose our weight so the airline could ensure the distribution was even throughout the plane.
There was no security check to go through, so I found a seat in the open-air terminal to wait for my boarding call.
A view of the West Maui Mountains from the commuter terminal.
I wasn't exactly sure how to feel about the lack of security, but it was convenient to not have to go through that step, so I rolled with it.
The terminal didn't have much inside.
A lounge area in the commuter terminal with vending machines.
I found a couple of vending machines with drinks and snacks, but sadly no coffee, so I decided to wait and pick something up after arriving at my destination.
Once they announced our plane was ready to board, the pilot met us in the terminal and gave us our seat assignments.
The artwork on this commuter plane featured a depiction of Pele, the Hawaiian creation goddess, on its tail.
Everyone on the flight then walked out onto the tarmac together and boarded the commuter plane, which doubled as a beautiful Hawaii-themed work of art.
The plane's tail had a gorgeous depiction of Pele, the Hawaiian creation goddess.
As expected, the plane was tiny both inside and out.
The "low ceiling" sign posted in the cabin was no joke.
I'm 5-foot-3 and had to bend over at what felt like a 90-degree angle in order to get to my seat.
The seat belts were a little different than on standard passenger planes.
Me, fully buckled in with my seat belt, and ready for takeoff.
In addition to the lap belt, there was a secondary one that went over our shoulders so we would be extra secure while strapped in.
Before taking off, our pilot hopped out and appeared to fix something on the wing.
Our pilot seemingly needed to adjust something on the plane before takeoff.
I have no clue what he was doing, though it looked like he was tightening something.
Better safe than sorry, I suppose, though my anxiety didn't quite agree at the time.
Still, we were taxiing on the runway only about five minutes after boarding.
My view from the third row of our 10-seater plane shortly after takeoff.
And once we were in the air, the views were spectacular.
A majority of the flight was essentially a tour of Maui's north shore.
One of my favorite shots from the flight — a view overlooking the Maui Country Club in Paia.
The pilots didn't also serve as guides, so it was more of a self-guided tour based on the passengers' collective knowledge of where we were flying over.
Halfway through the flight, I noticed that the aviation GPS was in my line of sight.
My view of the aeronautical chart from my seat on the plane.
This added to the intimate experience since you can't normally see into the cockpit. It gave me an idea of where we were as well as our flight path.
Some of my favorite views were of the Road to Hana and various waterfalls that connected with the ocean.
A view of the Road to Hana.
I could see the Road to Hana, one of the most beautiful highways in the world, from my seat.
It runs from Kipahulu to Kaupo on Maui, is about 64 miles long, and is known for being dangerous.
Even the cloud cover was absolutely stunning.
White, puffy clouds covered Maui.
I felt like I was literally on cloud nine — if only it were possible to get out and take a nap on one of them.
Once we reached the island's edge, I shifted my focus to try to spot some more whales.
The view as we flew over the east edge of Maui toward the Big Island.
This was much harder than I thought it would be from above, as it really just looked like the ocean was covered in white caps.
That said, I can say with the utmost confidence that we did fly over many whales, whether we actually saw them or not.
It was also a little nerve-racking being above the open ocean during the flight, but I tried to stay calm.
When we started to descend, the turbulence actually gave me a welcomed sense of nostalgia.
Our plane coming in for a landing on the Big Island.
My dad has always loved flying on commuter planes and I remember him speaking about the turbulence, saying, "This is more fun than the rides at Disneyland!"
That said, the turbulence wasn't as intense as I expected it to be considering it was a windy day.
Our final view was of what locals call "brownie brittle."
You don't want to try taking a bite of this brownie brittle.
It is an affectionate nickname for the miles and miles of lava rock that is especially prominent in Kona, which is on the west side of the Big Island.
We landed almost exactly 40 minutes after takeoff and, before we deplaned, all of the passengers took a group photo.
All nine passengers of our commuter flight to the Big Island.
I asked them to take the picture — and felt a little awkward doing so — but they were happy to oblige, as was the pilot who snapped the shot.
Before I left the airport, I took one more picture of the plane.
Another side of the commuter plane.
I discovered more beautiful artwork on the other side of the aircraft, which was a lovely way to end the journey.
Overall, this intimate flying experience was top tier.
Me in front of the commuter plane after landing in Kona.
The smaller terminal was convenient and the plane was fast and efficient.
The $66 ride is worth it for the views alone — especially since helicopter tours of the same area cost hundreds of dollars. I'd choose to travel on another commuter plane over the standard ones any day.
