travelling to Hawaii for conferences

introduction

even though your online ESTA travel visa may be approved, you may not get past border security in the US if you have travelled to “US designated sponsor of terrorism countries like Iran, Iraq, or Cuba” in the past, or if your travel or social media content raises red flags
border security in the US and in Australia have the right to copy images and data from your mobile phone, laptop, cameras, etc - and if these provide evidence that you may have committed a crime or are a risk, these will be kept and you may be detained

flights to Hawaii are generally from Sydney and take 9hr 45min and take 10hr 45min return
- Qantas and Virgin Australia usually use Hawaiian Airlines for the Syd-Honolulu flights
  - flights generally depart Sydney 2120hrs and arrive Honolulu around 10am
  - flights generally depart Honolulu 1135hrs and arrive Sydney 1920hrs next day
- Jetstar have flights from Sydney departing 1800hrs and depart Honolulu 0815hrs
Melbournians will thus usually need to change planes in Sydney unless they fly with Jetstar who have direct flights Melbourne (Tullamarine) to Honolulu taking 10.5hrs there leaving Melbourne 1630hrs, arriving 7am, and 11.5hrs return leaving Honolulu 8.30am and arrive back in Melbourne 16:10hrs next day
for conferences in Maui, you will need to catch another flight from Honolulu airport to Kahului, Maui which is usually a 40min flight making total travel from Melbourne of around 15hrs.
other airports include:
- Hilo and Kona on Hawaii Island
- Lihue on Kauai