Lei Greeting Questions & Answers

Book online in about three minutes: choose your arrival date and landing time, the number of guests and your lei, then add your contact and flight details. Reggie calls or texts before your arrival to confirm everything. Book your lei greeting.

Please book at least six hours before your scheduled arrival so we can prepare fresh flowers for your lei. If your plans are tighter than that, call us at (808) 264-9500 and we’ll tell you honestly whether we can help. For groups and weddings, book as early as you can. Booking last minute?

Your arrival date and landing time, the number of guests, your lei choice, your name, phone and email, and your airline and flight number. You can also add a name for the welcome sign and any notes, such as a surprise or a flower allergy.

No. Nothing is charged when you book. Your balance is due in person when we meet you at the airport.

Payment is made in person when we meet you, by cash, card or payment app. Your booking confirmation shows the full total, including tax.

No. Hawaiʻi General Excise Tax is added to the prices shown. Your booking confirmation shows the full total.

You may cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before your scheduled arrival time. Cancellations within 24 hours and no-shows forfeit the reservation.

Yes, and it’s something we arrange often. Share the traveler’s flight details and the name you’d like on the welcome sign, and we’ll greet them for you. If you’d like it kept as a surprise, or you’d like to pay for it yourself, just add a note when you book. How to send a lei greeting.

We meet you just outside the secure area, at the foot of the escalators beside Baggage Claim at Kahului Airport (OGG). We’ll be holding a sign with your family or group’s name on it. See the terminal map.

Look for your name. We hold a welcome sign with your family or group’s name at the foot of the escalators. If you’re comfortable sending us a photo of yourselves ahead of time, it helps a lot, though it’s not necessary.

There’s nothing you need to do. We monitor your flight on FlightAware and adjust to your actual landing time, whether you’re delayed or you arrive early. As a courtesy, we’d appreciate notice of any change to your flight schedule, as we source fresh flowers for every greeting.

We greet arriving flights Monday through Saturday, 8 am to 5 pm, and we are closed on Sundays. If your flight is scheduled to land outside these hours, please call us at (808) 264-9500 before you book.

No. You don’t need an airport pass or any special arrangement. Simply walk from your gate toward Baggage Claim and take the escalators down; we’ll be waiting at the bottom.

Yes. Lei Maui is an authorized lei greeting provider at Kahului Airport (OGG).

Yes. If you’d like photos of your greeting, just let us know and we’ll be glad to take them for you.

A standard lei is a classic single-flower orchid lei. A premium lei combines more than one type of flower for a fuller, more layered look. Premium lei are made by hand, so every one is unique. Compare them side by side.

Every lei is handmade with fresh flowers on the day you arrive.

For weddings, anniversaries and milestone birthdays we offer an executive-class lei, made to suit the occasion. Because each one is made to order, we quote it individually. Please call (808) 264-9500.

Yes. Kukui nut lei, shell lei and maile leaf lei are available on request. They’re a good choice for men and for anyone with a flower allergy.

Please let us know in advance if anyone in your group has allergies to flowers or plants. We offer kukui nut lei and shell lei on request, and maile leaf lei as well.

A standard single orchid lei is $57 for one guest, $47 per lei for groups of two to five, and $37 per lei for groups of six or more. A premium multi-flower lei is $67, $57 and $47 at those same group sizes. Prices are per lei, and Hawaiʻi General Excise Tax is added. See all prices.

Yes. Choose the quantity of each when you book, and each lei is priced at the rate for your total group size.

No. We monitor your flight on FlightAware and adjust to your actual arrival time. Delays and early arrivals do not change your price.

Executive-class lei are made to the occasion, so we quote them individually. Please call us at (808) 264-9500 and we’ll be glad to help.

Our group rate begins at six guests: $37 per standard lei and $47 per premium lei. For groups of eight or more, we arrange the greeting personally so we can coordinate your arrival properly. Learn about group greetings.

Yes. We can greet guests on separate flights, on the same day or across several days. Share each guest’s flight when you plan the greeting, and we’ll schedule a welcome for every arrival.

Yes. We offer an executive-class lei for weddings, made to suit the occasion, and kukui nut and maile leaf lei are available on request. Guests can receive our standard or premium lei in the same booking.

Yes. Invoicing and a W-9 are available on request for planners, companies and event coordinators. Mention it in your quote request or call (808) 264-9500.

We reply to every group request within 24 hours. If your arrival is soon, calling is the quickest way to reach us.

A lei greeting is a Hawaiian welcome in which a fresh lei is placed over an arriving guest’s shoulders. At the airport it means someone is waiting for you with your name on a sign and a lei in hand, so your trip begins with a personal welcome.

A lei represents aloha: love, friendship, honor and welcome. Lei are given to greet arrivals, to say farewell, and to celebrate weddings, graduations, birthdays and other milestones.

The custom grew from Hawaiʻi’s steamship “Boat Days” of the early 20th century, when arriving ships were met with music and lei at the pier in Honolulu. As travelers began arriving by air, the tradition of greeting visitors with a lei moved to the islands’ airports.

Drape the lei over your shoulders so it hangs evenly down the front and back, rather than tight around your neck like a necklace. It’s traditionally placed on you by the person giving it.

It’s considered impolite to refuse a lei, since it’s given as a gesture of aloha. It’s also customary not to remove a lei in front of the person who gave it to you.

Yes. Men wear lei for greetings, weddings and celebrations across Hawaiʻi. Many local men prefer kukui nut lei or maile leaf lei, both of which we offer on request.

Since 1928, Hawaiʻi has celebrated May 1 as Lei Day, a statewide celebration of the lei with lei-making contests, music and hula. It’s often summed up in the saying “May Day is Lei Day in Hawaiʻi.”

Popular flower lei include orchid, plumeria, tuberose, carnation and pikake (Arabian jasmine). Leaf lei such as maile and ti leaf, and lei made from kukui nuts or shells, are also treasured. We make standard orchid lei, premium multi-flower lei, and kukui nut, shell and maile leaf lei on request.

A fresh orchid lei usually stays beautiful for a few days. To help yours last, mist it lightly with water and keep it in the refrigerator overnight in a plastic bag. Avoid the freezer, which damages the flowers.

Rather than throwing a lei away, it’s customary to return it to nature: hang it on a tree, bury it, or return it to the earth, removing any string or ribbon first. Some people dry their lei as a keepsake of their trip.