HNL Airport was pretty empty and it was a smooth process getting to my gate.
Watched a couple movies on the plane ride over.
Filling out immigration forms was a little confusing. They were handed out in the beginning of the flight. Be sure to ask the attendant for English forms (4 forms in total). Keep these forms in an easy to access place for a smoother arrival process.
Tip: It’s important to have a Korean phone number and Korean residence address on-hand for these forms.
The flight lasted 11-12 hrs.
Arrival process was simpler and faster than I thought it would be (it only took maybe half-an-hour to 1 hr). The airport also wasn’t too busy when I arrived at around 7:25pm KST. You get herded through the airport to different stations and booths, so it’s easy, as long as you have the 4 forms (customs, health declaration, arrival card, quarantine info) that you filled out during the plane flight, as well as your visa, passport, and negative covid test.
The airport staff briefly explain your quarantine duration and when you should get your PCR tests (the first one within 24 hrs of your arrival). They give you some forms verifying your quarantine and arrival (keep these!). They also help you download a tracker/self-diagnosis app for your quarantine, and instruct you on how to use it (check in 2x daily & report if you need to leave for your PCR test).
There are different booths and desks that help international students get taxis, or whatever mode of transportation you need according to the purpose of your visit and your designated place of quarantine. The airport staff just ask you questions and direct you to where you need to go. The Covid taxis were a flat-fee of 70,000 KRW, regardless of distance.
Tip: Have your quarantine address printed out & have your Korean phone number on hand— this definitely makes things a lot easier.
If your flight arrived earlier in the day, before the health centers closed, you could ask your taxi driver to take you to get your 1st Covid test before arriving at your place of quarantine; however, if the wait at the test center was long, you could end up paying your driver an extra fee.
I made it to my Airbnb, which was about 45 minutes away from the airport, at around 9pm.
I also briefly met my housemate, who was from Spain/Morocco.