[ OUR OPINION ]
Interisland flight costs
more but expansion fills gap
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With tourism regaining strength, the larger Hawaii-based airlines no longer feel a need to court local travelers as much as they did in leaner times. Fortunately, market adjustments have resulted in smaller companies filling in the gaps with lower prices and flexibility.
The competition and expansion of air travel options may benefit the state in the long run.
Charter flight operators "are just jamming," FAA spokesman Don Walker told the Star-Bulletin's Dan Martin, pointing to a nationwide trend in air travel. While many charter passengers are the rich and famous, ordinary people and professionals who make frequent trips are also taking advantage of the alternatives.
After 9/11, when Hawaiian and Aloha airlines proposed a merger, residents and state leaders were concerned about a monopoly flying island skies, but that plan fell through in 2002. Hawaiian has since been struggling with bankruptcy and both companies have boosted fares and added mainland routes while cutting interisland circuits in their quests for profits.
Flights that were as cheap as $50 one way disappeared. The terrorist attacks eliminated the common practice of arriving at the airport at the last minute and hopping on a plane. With convenience and low-priced tickets gone, it's no wonder residents have curtailed weekend jaunts to neighbor islands.
However, smaller air operators have picked up where the bigger airlines left off. Maui-based Pacific Wings and Island Air, a commuter carrier once held by Aloha, are buying planes and adding flights to fill travelers' needs. When Hawaiian dropped its Molokai route, residents who had respiratory problems worried about flying without oxygen tanks, but Island Air quickly stepped in with a fix.
Meanwhile, travelers who want flights to fit their schedules are turning to charter companies, particularly because prices aren't prohibitive. An eight-seater plane will cost $200 per person, about $20 to $80 less than what Hawaiian and Aloha charge.
The annual survey, conducted earlier this year by SMS Research and Marketing Inc., calculates that in the 12 preceding months, 398,874 residents made interisland trips compared to 513,704 in 2000. At the same time, travel to the mainland increased 19 percent, suggesting that with the comparable cost of airfares, local people are choosing out-of-state destinations.
Tourism industry officials aren't concerned; they would rather have cash infusions from mainland visitors. The flip side is that residents' dollars are going elsewhere.
At any rate, the airline market in Hawaii continues to evolve and while residents won't likely see a return to the old ways, at least there are more choices now than before.
