Pleasant Holidays
to offer travel
to mainland

A new division will sell visitor
packages to 13 destinations

Soaring interisland airfares and the explosion of kamaaina travel to the mainland has prompted Pleasant Holidays to reverse its founding concept and sell mainland travel packages to island residents.

BAKER'S DOZEN Initial 13 areas served by travel packages from a new division of Pleasant Holidays: Arizona: Phoenix, Tucson California: Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, San Jose, Napa Valley Nevada: Las Vegas, Reno Pacific Northwest: Seattle, Portland

The company formed a new division, Pleasant Mainland USA Holidays, offering Hawaii residents airfare, hotel, rental car and activity packages to 13 destinations -- including Las Vegas, of course.

Pleasant Holidays, widely remembered as Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays, started its business in 1959 by offering mainlanders travel packages to Hawaii. Its new division reverses the travel direction.

Travelers will have a choice of six airlines and 70 hotels in 13 destinations in five states, two rental car companies and activities around each location, such as Disneyland passes, Las Vegas shows or wine country tours.

"It's been a year in the making," said Pleasant Holidays Staff Vice President Duke Ah Moo, who the company credits with the concept. He expects to serve more than 10,000 local customers in the first year.

Pleasant's air carriers include Aloha, Hawaiian, United, ATA, Delta and American. It has car rental agreements with Hertz and Alamo and deals with nationally branded hotel chains such as Starwood, Hilton and Hyatt, Ah Moo said.

"One of the things that's going to separate us from some of the other travel companies is that we're selling the complete vacation experience; it's from start to finish," he said. "We're a tour operator which is able to do volume discounts ... meaning we're able to get discounts from the airlines, hotels and car companies. And because we buy in volume, we can then pass on those savings along to our customers."

Roberts Overnighters doesn't see the mainland package offering as a threat.

"It's not really competition because we're strictly interisland, but it's an alternative to Las Vegas," said Sam Shenkus, Roberts' publicist.

The Pleasant Holidays brand is well known, she said. "You have the confidence of the brand and you have an alternative to a mainland vacation if you want a change from Vegas."

Pleasant Island Holidays will continue to sell discounted mainland airfares. It stopped accepting bookings for interisland travel in September but will fulfill obligations to remaining customers.

By the end of the year, Ah Moo expects to expand Pleasant Mainland's reach eastward to destinations such as New York City and Orlando.

To launch its service, Pleasant Mainland will offer an introductory, "buy one, get one free" airfare sale to Los Angeles or San Francisco for travel between April 7 and May 31. Reservations will be accepted beginning Friday via the company Web site at www.pleasantholidays.com, its toll-free number (888) 434-3232 or through travel agents.

During the promotional period, a three-night stay for two people at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport with daily compact-car rental, for example, would total $587, not including taxes.

A couple could spend three nights in Los Angeles or San Francisco for $293.50 plus tax per person, said Ah Moo.

Capacity for the promotion is not a concern, he said. "It looks good right now. As long as travelers can be flexible with dates, we'll be able to accommodate them. We have a lot of seats."