The latest airline to offer a pre-clearance program for Hawaii-bound travelers is Southwest Airlines, if they have tested negative for Covid-19 and followed other requirements of the state’s Safe Travels. They made an announcement Tuesday that it has launched pre-clearance for travelers departing to Honolulu and Kahului from its five California gateway cities - Oakland, San Jose, Sacramento, San Diego, and Long Beach. Pre-clearance provides an option for travelers participating in the state’s pre-travel testing program to bypass the airport screening upon arrival in Hawaii. Pre-clearance qualifications are as follows: passengers must register for the state’s Safe Travels program, where they will be required to provide travel and lodging information, present a negative Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours of departure, and answer a health questionnaire. Other major airlines have launched similar programs in recent months, including Alaska, Hawaiian, and United airlines which all have pre-clearance programs in place. Southwest Airlines added two new routes connecting Hawaii with Long Beach, California earlier this month which includes one to Honolulu, Oahu and one to Kahului, Maui. The airline, which first launched its service to Hawaii in 2019, currently operates a total of 14 daily flights between Hawaii and California, along with 24 daily inter-island departures. The airline also is slated to resume service between Kauai and Oakland and San Jose on June 6.
