Tourism officials agree, and are working to ease airport hassles for tourists to ensure it doesn't dissuade them from returning to Hawai'i.

This year's busy summer season is "a big test for everyone," said Sidney Hayakawa, federal security director at the Honolulu International Airport.

"The tourists come here, they spend a lot of money. ... They've had a wonderful experience on our Islands, and if we hold them up for 60 minutes or whatever, it's no longer wonderful. People remember bad experiences."

The good news is that wait times at Hawai'i airports are, for the most part, shorter than at some other large airports around the country, and shorter than they were last summer, officials say.

Travelers waited as long as 90 minutes to pass security at Honolulu International Airport last summer, Hayakawa said. This summer, the longest wait has been 35 minutes.

"I think that waiting in line at the airport is part of flying," said Tom Barker, 31, also visiting from Seattle. "I've seen worse," he said of the Honolulu airport.

Tourism and airport officials are taking steps to speed tourists through the airport. Hayakawa's department added six new security checkpoints this year. Plans are to build three more lanes and hire more part-time security screeners.

Much of the effort is directed toward letting passengers know how to prevent complications: Pack lightly, limit carry-on items to the allowed number, and know what to leave behind before going through security screening.

High traffic

"We're experiencing a very good summer for traffic, so in addition to the fact that the regulations are tight, we're also getting a lot of people through the airport," said Frank Haas, marketing director at the Hawai'i Tourism Authority. "It's just important to make the check-in process as smooth as possible."

Honolulu International Airport is listed as one of the nation's busiest airports targeted for monitoring by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration this summer.

"Every day I get a report on the wait times," Hayakawa said. "So I'm looking at it, and we're doing pretty well."

The U.S. Department of Transportation inspector general said in May that the potential for congestion and delays at some airports this summer would be the highest since the summer of 2000. Culprits include a greater reliance on regional jets and expanded service by low-cost carriers, along with more security screening.

Gov. Linda Lingle's tourism liaison, Marsha Wienert, said the goal in Hawai'i is a maximum wait of 25 minutes in security lines, and nearly all airports have met that goal. Kona's airport had "a couple of glitches" earlier this summer, she said.

Baggage limits

Wienert said airlines, airport officials, hotels and travel agents are working together to remind tourists about stricter enforcement of baggage weight limitations to prevent employee injuries from constantly lifting heavy bags. Wienert said she hoped more retailers could offer shipping services for souvenirs.

"We hate discouraging anybody from doing lots of shopping while they're here," she said. But at the airport "there's nothing worse than getting up to the counter and having them tell you you owe them another $50."

Agriculture inspection

Passengers to the Mainland have the added burden of going through U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection for fruits, plants, live snails and other items to prevent the spread of fruit flies and other hazardous insects or diseases.

In some cases, tourism employees are reminding passengers at curbside to go through the agricultural inspection, where lines can get long during busy periods, Wienert said.

Ernest Nishizaki, executive vice president and chief operating officer at hotel owner Kyo-ya, said he was concerned about long waits at the airport, especially for Japanese tourists, who often travel in large groups.

"The security issue is never going to go away," Nishizaki said.

"If they're going to have to wait, let's at least make it pleasant. ... Maybe we need places to sit and wait."

Hawaiian Airlines has added Web check-in service this year and expanded its automated check-in system to get passengers through the airport more quickly, said spokesman Keoni Wagner. Hawaiian moves more passengers through Honolulu International Airport than any other carrier, he said, and a company survey showed 85 percent waited in line five minutes or less to check in at lobby counters.

"We see summertime as the period of highest exposure, in terms of being able to make impressions on travelers as to how good we are," Wagner said, "so we are continuously looking for ways to impress.

"We need to be constantly vigilant. Tourism is an extremely competitive business, and there are lots of competing destinations in the world that are becoming more and more accessible. And travelers have more choices."