Isle travelers canceling Honolulu travel firm Emerson Travel Co., which specializes in travel to Indonesia, has begun receiving cancellations from clients who had been planning vacations and business travel to the resort island in the next few weeks.
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By Lyn Danninger
ldanninger@starbulletin.com"So far today there have been between 10 and 15 cancellations," Emerson Manager Teresa Sim said yesterday.
In the wake of Saturday's nightclub bombing, Sim said she also has received calls from Hawaii clients already in Bali who are trying to get earlier return flights.
"Right now, we're just waiting on the airlines for availability," she said.
Continental, Japan and China airlines fly to Bali direct from Honolulu, she said. Sim also is waiting to hear if the airlines will waive cancellation penalties for those who already paid for tickets.
"We are asking the airlines to waive any penalty for refunds," she said. "People should not be forced to go if they are not comfortable."
Airline penalties on canceled tickets range from $150 to $200, Sim said.
A round-trip ticket to Bali normally costs between $800 and $850.
The number of bookings from Hawaii would have been far greater a month or more ago. Peak season in Bali runs from June to September, Sim said. During that time, 300 to 400 people per month travel to Bali from Hawaii, most of them surfers, vacationers or small importers who trade in Indonesian furniture and clothing, Sim said.
"We have surfers who go there twice a year, furniture and clothing buyers who go three or four times a year, as well as vacationers," she said. "It's sad to see this happen. Bali is a great destination. We've been doing this for the last 15 years."
