Smoking at Honolulu International Airport – HNL – 2026

Looking for a place to smoke at Honolulu Airport? There is one critical thing every smoker needs to know about Daniel K. Inouye International Airport: Hawaii enforces a total smoking ban on all airport property.

Honolulu Airport has NO designated smoking areas — anywhere. Hawaii’s “cabin to curb” anti-smoking law is among the strictest in the United States. Smoking is completely prohibited in all indoor areas, outdoor areas, sidewalks, parking structures, and curbside zones on airport property.

This means there is nowhere on the airport grounds where you can legally smoke. Not inside the terminal. Not outside the terminal. Not in the parking garage. Not on the sidewalk.

Inside the Terminal:

The open-air design of Honolulu Airport might look like you could smoke on the outdoor walkways between gates, but smoking is strictly prohibited everywhere including these open-air areas.

Outside the Terminal:

There is one small exception: a designated smoking area exists on the ground level median between the Inter-Island Terminal (Terminal 2) and Terminal 1. This is the only legal smoking spot on airport property and can be difficult to find. Beyond this single location, the smoking ban covers the entire airport property boundary.

Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 328J prohibits smoking in all enclosed and semi-enclosed public places, and specifically extends this ban to the entire grounds of all state airports. This includes sidewalks, roadways, parking lots, and any area within the airport property line. Fines start at $100 for the first offense.

If you need to smoke, you must leave airport property entirely. The nearest area where smoking is permitted is beyond the airport boundary, which requires a significant walk or a shuttle to a nearby hotel or commercial area.

Smoking Ban at Honolulu Airport

Honolulu Airport has NO designated smoking areas — anywhere. Hawaii’s “cabin to curb” anti-smoking law is among the strictest in the United States. Smoking is completely prohibited in all indoor areas, outdoor areas, sidewalks, parking structures, and curbside zones on airport property.

This means there is nowhere on the airport grounds where you can legally smoke. Not inside the terminal. Not outside the terminal. Not in the parking garage. Not on the sidewalk.

Inside the Terminal:

The open-air design of Honolulu Airport might look like you could smoke on the outdoor walkways between gates, but smoking is strictly prohibited everywhere including these open-air areas.

Outside the Terminal:

There is one small exception: a designated smoking area exists on the ground level median between the Inter-Island Terminal (Terminal 2) and Terminal 1. This is the only legal smoking spot on airport property and can be difficult to find. Beyond this single location, the smoking ban covers the entire airport property boundary.

Honolulu Airport Smoking Policy

Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 328J prohibits smoking in all enclosed and semi-enclosed public places, and specifically extends this ban to the entire grounds of all state airports. This includes sidewalks, roadways, parking lots, and any area within the airport property line. Fines start at $100 for the first offense.

If you need to smoke, you must leave airport property entirely. The nearest area where smoking is permitted is beyond the airport boundary, which requires a significant walk or a shuttle to a nearby hotel or commercial area.

Tips for Smokers at Honolulu Airport

• Hawaii enforces a near-total smoking ban — one small designated area exists at the ground level median between Terminal 2 and Terminal 1
• Smoke your last cigarette before arriving at the airport if you cannot reach the T2 median area
• Fines start at $100 for smoking anywhere on airport grounds
• Vaping, e-cigarettes, and heated tobacco are also completely banned
• If you have a long layover, consider leaving the airport entirely to a nearby area off airport property