JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, HI
infoDAF Privatizing On-Base Lodging Beginning Fall 2027 (US & Territories)
The DAF has selected IHG Hotels and Resorts and Centinel Public Partnerships, LLC to execute a 50-year lease, starting Fall 2027. The first 23 installations scheduled for transition are: • Altus Air Force Base, Okla. • Barksdale AFB, La. • Beale AFB, Calif. • Buckley Space Force Base, Colo. • Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz. • Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga. • Edwards AFB, Calif. • Eglin AFB, Fla. • Goodfellow AFB, Texas • Hurlburt Field, Fla. • Joint Base Andrews, Md. • JB Charleston, S.C. • JB Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska • JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. • Little Rock AFB, Ark. • MacDill AFB, Fla. • Maxwell AFB, Ala. • Nellis AFB, Nev. • Robins AFB, Ga. • Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C. • Shaw AFB, S.C. • Sheppard AFB, Texas • Travis AFB, Calif. See the full story here: https://www.afimsc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4487502/daf-selects-partner-for-commercialized-on-base-lodging/
Hawaii's Patriot Express Gateway to Japan, Korea, Guam & Kwajalein
Hickam runs about 50 flights a month across roughly 78% of calendar days — one of the highest cadences in the AMC system. The dominant outbound is Travis (86 flights over the most recent 8 months, the return leg to the mainland); from there the network fans out across the Pacific to Kadena, Kwajalein, Andersen on Guam, Yokota, and Osan. Cat VI reach is unusually high: 92% of flights make it to that priority tier, and when Cat VI passengers competed for a seat, they boarded 100% of the time.
Where Hickam fits in the AMC network is the central Pacific transit point — the hand-off between the mainland (via Travis) and the deep Pacific. Total flight volume — 403 over the most recent 8 months — edges Travis (363) and roughly doubles SeaTac's 232 over the same window, though much of that gap is airlift missions rather than Patriot Express; on PE-only volume Hickam and SeaTac are effectively tied. Fill rate runs low across the board, around 26% on average, meaning most seats go empty. The exception is December, when flight counts drop sharply and seat competition spikes.
The move: if you're flexible on dates and Cat VI–eligible, Hickam is hard to beat for getting deep into the Pacific. Sign up early in the 60-day window, budget $65–$300/night for lodging on or near base, and plan ahead for the Hawaii animal quarantine if you're bringing pets. December is the one window where a backup plan is essential.
Terminal Information
Flight Schedule PDFs
AMC's official scheduling PDFs, opened in a new tab.
At a Glance
Editorial summary of the live numbers below.
- Hickam is one of the busiest Pacific transit hubs in the AMC system — it flies most days of the month, at roughly twice SeaTac's pace.
- Hickam is uncommonly Cat VI–friendly: the large majority of flights reach Cat VI, and when Cat VI passengers competed for a seat they essentially always boarded — by a wide margin the most accessible Pacific terminal for retirees and lower-priority categories.
- Hickam runs more Pacific-destination flights than any other AMC terminal — flights deep into Japan, Korea, Guam, Iwakuni, Misawa, and Kwajalein. If you want a flight deep into the Pacific, Hickam is where the missions originate.
- December tightens up — flight counts drop while the fill rate climbs, the same holiday compression seen at SeaTac. If you're planning a December Pacific run from Hickam, sign up early in the 60-day window and have a backup plan.
- Kwajalein is a real Hickam destination, not an exotic outlier — a regular run, more frequent than several of Hickam's better-known routes.
- April 2026 saw an unusually high spike in flight volume across many AMC terminals — probably driven by real-world operations rather than typical cadence. Weight the other months more heavily when planning your trip.
Legend
| Date | Departure | Destination | Released | Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Patterns Over the Past 12 Months
See the past 12 months of patterns at this terminal — busiest months, day-of-week cadence, fill rates, and top destinations.
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How to Sign Up
Methods, contacts, and terminal-specific quirks.
Skip the emails. Plan a trip on Space-A+ and we'll submit your sign-up at this terminal automatically — and refresh it every 60 days so it never expires.
Plan Your TripQuirks Worth Flagging
- Arrive at least 1 hour before any advertised roll call to leave time for any issues that arise.
- All passengers heading to CONUS (including Alaska) must clear U.S. Department of Agriculture screening — plan for an extra security stop on departure.
- Hawaii state quarantine laws apply to ALL cats and dogs, including service animals. Sort the paperwork before you travel — see the Hawaii Animal Industry Division for the 5-Day-Or-Less program. Missing the lead time means a 120-day quarantine at your expense.
- Japan (leave travel): passport required. No visa needed for stays of 90 days or less.
- Guam: a U.S. passport OR a State Enhanced Driver's License works for entry and exit.
- Kwajalein Atoll: passport, leave/travel orders, and a Form 55-R entry authorization required. Returning Kwajalein residents may use the K-badge in lieu of the 55-R or Form 480.
- DoD contractor family members traveling on a Letter of Authorization (LOA) are NOT authorized travel via MILAIR per AMC guidance.
- Dependents under 14 must travel with the sponsor or eligible parent and carry their own Federal, State, local, or tribal ID — a hospital certificate of birth is not accepted; a raised-seal birth certificate is.
When You Show Up
Parking, lodging, food, and what to do if you don't get on.
Parking
Check-In
Check in at the AMC Passenger Terminal in Bldg 2028. Doors open 1 hour before roll call during closure hours, and loitering in the terminal isn't allowed — plan to arrive close to your roll-call window rather than camping out early.
When to Arrive
On-Base Lodging
- Hickam Billeting (Royal Alaka'i)(808) 800-2330
- Navy Lodging (Arizona Hall)(808) 800-2337
- Navy Lodging (Ford Island)(808) 440-2290
- Bellows AFS Cottage/Cabin Rental(808) 259-8080
- Fort Shafter Lodging (O-6 and above)(808) 839-2336
- Hale Koa Hotel(808) 955-0555
- Inns Of The Corps (K-Bay)(808) 254-2806
- Waianae Army Recreation Center(808) 696-4158
Off-Base Lodging
- Best Western Plaza Hotel · (808) 836-3636
- Airport Honolulu Hotel · (808) 836-0661
- Doubletree Alana Hotel Waikiki · (808) 941-7275
- Hilton Hawaiian Village · (808) 949-4321
- Hyatt Resort Waikiki · (808) 923-1234
- Outrigger Hotels Military Hotline · (808) 921-6888
- Sheraton Waikiki Hotels Hotline · (800) 325-3535
Transportation
- TheCABHawaii · (808) 422-2222The only taxi company allowed on base. Order via app or call.
- NEX Shuttle Bus (complimentary) — press opt 0 · (808) 423-3344Pickup in front of the terminal; departs at :15 past the hour, 11 am – 4 pm Mon–Fri. Not available weekends or holidays. Press 0 from the phone menu to reach a person.
- "THE BUS" — Honolulu city bus · (808) 848-5555$3 one-way / $7.50 all-day / $35 7-day pass. Hand-carried items only — no luggage allowed.
Food on Base
Common Destinations
Editorial notes to complement the live counts on the flight tables above.
- Travis is Hickam's #1 outbound — about 11 flights a month, the standard return leg to the mainland. ~40 seats per flight at ~34% fill — the tightest fill on the page because it's the way home; plan return-trip timing accordingly.
- Kadena (Okinawa) is Hickam's second-busiest Pacific outbound — about 8 flights a month over the past 8 months, with ~32 seats per flight and ~25% fill. Reliable cadence and strong Cat VI odds.
- Kwajalein AtollKwajalein is a regular Hickam rotator — about 9 flights a month with ~40 seats per flight at ~25% fill. Requires a Form 55-R entry authorization in advance (see sign-up quirks); not a casual destination.
- Andersen on Guam runs about 7 flights a month from Hickam, ~33 seats per flight at ~25% fill. Entry via U.S. passport or State Enhanced Driver's License (see sign-up quirks).
- Yokota (greater Tokyo) sees ~4 flights a month from Hickam, ~42 seats per flight at ~25% fill — less frequent than Kadena, but the largest aircraft on average and the most direct Hickam-to-Tokyo connection.
- Osan (Korea) is less frequent — about 13 flights over 8 months (~1–2 per month) — but when one runs it tends to have plenty of empty seats: ~45 avg with only ~18% fill, the lightest competition of any major Hickam destination. Korea travel docs are stricter (passport required, no K-ETA exemption); see sign-up quirks.
Related Terminals
Geographic and functional alternatives.
FAQ
Travelers ask these about this terminal specifically.
I want to fly from Hickam to Guam. What are my chances getting on the flight? I'm Cat VI.
Pretty good odds at Cat VI. Hickam runs about 7 flights a month to Andersen on Guam — roughly two a week. Each flight averages 33 seats released to Space-A, and the typical fill rate is about 25%, meaning roughly 25 seats go unused per flight. On top of that, Hickam is unusually Cat VI–friendly: 92% of flights reach the Cat VI tier, and in our data every time a Cat VI passenger competed for a seat at Hickam they boarded.
Watch out for seasonal squeezes. The DoDEA winter break (Dec 22 – Jan 2) is the worst — December runs about half the flights of surrounding months and the few that go fill up much faster. PCS season (roughly May – August) and the DoDEA spring break (late March / early April) also tighten things up as PCS families fill PE flights — Cat VI reach drops from 92% to ~81% in our March data, the first sign of the squeeze. See our Space-A guide for the full DoDEA calendar tables, or DoDEA's official calendars for the latest source dates.
Outside those windows, if you're flexible on dates plan for two or three attempts and you should make one. Don't forget paperwork: Guam entry requires a U.S. passport or a State Enhanced Driver's License — travelers without one will be turned away at check-in.
Do I really need to bring a copy of my sign-up email?
Yes — always bring a hard copy of your sign-up email, and make sure it shows a date and time stamp. Terminal staff use that stamp to confirm your priority on the manifest at roll call.
Will they let me on the flight if my ID is expired?
No. Check every ID before you travel, and if any will expire during your trip, renew them now. Expired IDs (including your CAC, dependent ID, and passport) will keep you off the flight.
Helpful Links
AMC PDFs, terminal-specific guides, and external resources.
- Hickam AMC Gram (Jan 2026 PDF)Hickam-specific traveler info from AMC, dated January 2026.
- Hawaii Animal Industry Division (5-Day-Or-Less)Hawaii's pet quarantine program. Submit paperwork at least 30 days before arrival to avoid 120-day quarantine.
- USDA APHIS Pet Travel
- AMC Pet Travel Page
- USO HawaiiLocal USO chapter — operates the Hickam Terminal and Honolulu IAP lounges.
- Hickam ICE Customer FeedbackOfficial DoD-wide ICE comment card for the Hickam passenger terminal. Use it to report problems or commend specific PSAs.
Guide last reviewed . Sources: AMC Travel and Space-A+ historical data.
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