Why do men outdraw UH Wahine basketball?
I wonder why the University of Hawaii Wahine basketball team has not been drawing larger numbers to the arena, even with an advertising budget equal to the men's. The entire UH basketball budget could promote the women and more people still would attend the men's games.The Wahine are winners, but they will never outdraw the 'Bows. The men's game is more popular. Is that so hard to understand?
Gil Riviere
Waialua
Smoking ban is victory for nonsmokers
Banning smoking from restaurants is what I like to hear.It brings great triumph to all of us nonsmokers because we won't have to suffer the secondhand smoke any longer as we try to enjoy our meals.
Smoking in restaurants ruins the atmosphere. Plus, it has been proven that secondhand smoke is just as dangerous as smoking a cigarette.
I always sit in the nonsmoking section when I go out with my family. From that corner, I see huge clouds of smoke where all the smokers sit. The waitresses and waiters suffer -- you can tell by the expressions on their faces.
It's a victory that smoking has been banned in restaurants. This is a good thing for the majority of people, the non-smokers.
Kelley Macdonald
Grade 8 Mid-Pacific Institute
"This is what happens when you get bored on Maui." [Quotables]
Popular musician, speaking to the crowd during a quickly arranged beachfront concert in Waikiki.
"Women have fought for so many years to not have to go out with their hair done, with makeup, high heels and jewels ... but then they see a drag queen and think it's all fabulous."
Champion drag queen appearing in Waikiki this weekend.
Airlines give raw deal to agents, travelers
Beginning March 15, Delta Airlines cut travel agent commissions to zero. Three days later, American and Continental followed suit, and Northwest joined the crowd the next day. Now United Airlines has followed suit. The real loser in this issue is the consumer. How much time will passengers spend trying to find the best prices and schedules when they have to go to several Web sites or spend hours on the phone with each airline?After all the money the government has given the airlines to stay in business, this is how the airlines thank us travel agents for doing 80 percent of their work. It is difficult to understand how a company can refuse to pay its workers even the lousy $20 that they paid us.
Previously, the airlines paid us a commission as a cost of doing business. Now they want the consumer to pay us directly for our services, while we take the liability of issuing the airline ticket for nothing.
Not everyone has access to the Internet, which the airlines believe is the cheapest form of distribution. How do travelers really know what they are getting without an experienced agent to find the different rates and schedules? How do they know what airlines even fly to what cities?
Travel agents are here to protect the interests of their clients. Their knowledge and experience are well worth any fee when you travel in a world like we have today.
Wendy Goodenow
Owner
HNL Travel Associates
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