Superferry passenger count jumps in busy travel season
STORY SUMMARY »
Higher airfares for interisland travel appears to have helped boost the passenger count for the Hawaii Superferry in the midst of Hawaii's busiest tourism season.
The Superferry saw its passenger count jump 40 percent in July over the previous month, with more than 36,600 passengers transported between Oahu and Maui during the month. The 9,200 vehicles ferried represented a 36 percent gain over June. Altogether, the Superferry averaged 390 travelers and 99 vehicles per voyage, according to a new survey commissioned by the Superferry.
This was the third full month of operations for the Alakai -- which seats up to 800 passengers and about 200 vehicles -- after restarting daily service to Maui on April 7 following nearly two months of maintenance.
FULL STORY »
The Hawaii Superferry saw its passenger count jump 40 percent in July over the previous month in the midst of Hawaii's busiest summer season.
In an environment of higher interisland airfares, more than 36,600 passengers were transported between Oahu and Maui during the month. The 9,200 vehicles carried represented a 36 percent gain over June. Altogether, the Superferry averaged 390 travelers and 99 vehicles per voyage, according to a new survey commissioned by the Superferry.
This was the third full month of operations for the Alakai -- which seats up to 800 passengers and carries about 200 vehicles -- after restarting daily service to Maui on April 7 following nearly two months of maintenance and repairs. The June passenger count rose 20 percent from the preceding month.
"Business is good and we are very pleased with the rate at which our passenger and vehicle loads have increased these past three months," said Superferry President and Chief Executive Tom Fargo. The Superferry's break-even business model calls for 400 passengers and 110 vehicles per trip.
In addition, the survey also noted that 98 percent of passengers indicated that they would recommend the Superferry to their family and friends. Other highlights of the report include:
» 92 percent of passengers rated their overall experience on the Superferry as "very good," the highest rating on a four-point scale.
» 92 percent have a "very favorable" opinion of the Superferry, also the highest rating on a four-point scale.
» 90 percent indicate it is "very likely" they would use the Superferry in the future.
» 39 percent traveled on the Superferry as part of a vacation; 85 percent were local passengers.
» The two reasons mentioned most often as reasons for taking the Superferry were lower cost and wanting to try it.
The company hired QMark Research to conduct the study, which generated 347 passenger surveys from June 20 through July 29. Passengers were randomly selected on random voyages. The margin of error is plus or minus 5.26 percentage points with a 95 percent confidence level.