The Maui Goodness

After 60 years of travel to and from Hawaii, Aloha Airlines has closed it’s doors. ATA Airlines followed suit shortly afterwards causing enormous travel issues for customers. Those who payed with cash or a check have been left high and dry with no refund for unused tickets as well as many stranded from home. Neither airlines gave any warning before closing shop, while still accepting reservations up until the moment of their announcement. The selfishness of the airlines has hurt its loyal customers, the credit card companies that will have to foot the bill, our tourism industry, and the economy as a whole.

The remaining airlines operating are not without blame themselves. Having to pick up the slack from ATA and Aloha’s lost flights has been done in an under-handed way. Stranded travelers have been forced to purchase tickets costing anywhere from double to 5 times the original price as well as eat the original amount payed. The way all of this has been handled has soured travel for many and given the airline industry in general an ugly image.

The reasons given for the end of these airlines stem from a military contract having been canceled as well as the inflated prices for fuel. These are valid reasons and don’t need to be disputed. What does need to be disputed is whether these companies should be left accountable for their lack of responsibility to its customers, and how this disaster can be prevented in the future.

The State of Hawaii and America has taken a large blow due to the lack of foresight and responsibility by Aloha Airlines and ATA airlines.

I’ve lived in Los Angeles for half of my life and on Maui for the other. Since being on Maui, I’ve seen 100 times more celebrities than I ever did in LA.

Why do celebrities come to Hawaii? Hawaii is the closest tropical vacation getaway to LA. Also, paparazzi are not quite as prevalent on the islands. Don’t get me wrong, paparazzi are still here, but islanders are not fond of their invasive tactics. Most islanders are hard on these parasitic people. Another reason comes from the many film locations available here.

Britney Spears is a regular to Maui, Hawaii. She and her crew of bodyguards jaunt around South Maui with her family on a regular basis. This editor watched Britney change her shirt at a table at Tommy Bahama’s Maui restaurant as well as fall a sleep at the table during her meal. Her mother was taking care of the kids, while their bodyguards frantically patrolled the restaurant and it’s complex for the 3-4 paparazzi that had been following her.

Not only do high-profile celebs regularly visit Hawaii, many have second homes here. To name a few, Helen Hunt, Carlos Santana, Randy Travis, Willy Nelson, Woody Harrelson, Roseanne Barr, and Kelsey Grammar have Maui homes. Oprah happens to own many parcels of land, much of it in Hana. Willy Nelson spends a large amount of time here and also owns a restaurant in Pa’ia called Charlie’s. On occasion, you’ll find Willy playing a couple sets there. Many celebrities were born here. Presidential candidate, Barack Obama was born on Oahu as well as musician and surfer Jack Johnson who owns a home in front of Pipeline on the North Shore. Bette Midler was born in Hawaii and has a home on Kauai.

Mike Myers spends a good amount of time each year on the South Shores of Maui as well as Alice Cooper. Cooper is a big golfer, which makes for a strong attraction to the many world-class Maui golf courses. Many athletes come to Hawaii. Kareem Abdul Jabar visits as well as Horace Grant. Horace is one of the most low-key and nicest of all the celebrities to visit Hawaii. Not only is he extremely generous, but also Horace is polite and a pleasure to be around. Another surprisingly low-key celebrity, when in Hawaii, Paris Hilton spends a good amount of time in the Wailea area of Maui. Cameron Diaz also enjoys Hawaii. She is a regular on Oahu and is a decent surfer.

On Kauai, Ben Stiller, Pierce Brosnan, Michael Crichton, Drew Barrymore, and Natalie Merchant own second homes. Many cast members of the hit NBC TV show “Lost” have homes on both Oahu and Kauai. Most of the filming is done on Oahu. Since the State of Hawaii has issued large tax breaks and incentives to the film industry, movie and television filming has become increasingly attractive on the islands. The fact that the Hawaiian Islands are home to some of the most beautiful spots on the planet also make our islands popular with filmmakers. Recently both the last addition to Indiana Jones and the Pirates of the Caribbean movies have been filmed here, particularly on the neighboring island of Molokai.

Most of the information has been confirmed by reliable sources. Some of the above information is word of mouth and may not be accurate. �

What Is Island Fever?

Island Fever is the phenomena of feeling claustrophobic from the close proximity of each shoreline, and feeling disconnected from the outside world. This is a pretty common thing on the islands, seeing that we’re out in the middle of the biggest ocean in the world. Most people move away after a few months to a few years because of a lack of family and the necessity of having all the amenities of the mainland at their disposal.

Who Generally Gets Island Fever?

Typically, someone who doesn’t use the resources available on the island gets island fever. This means that they don’t appreciate and use the ocean for leisure activities, or take park in the many island communities. People from big cities find it most difficult to adjust to island living because of the lack of resources. There are fewer choices in restaurants, bars, shows, and large events. This coupled with the loss of getting anything you want at the local store can be discouraging for those that aren’t used to driving across the island. City-folk also have trouble because of the slow pace of life here. The heat brings with it a lack of desire to work. It hits everyone. Your own laziness is easier to handle than when you need to deal with someone else’s laziness. When you really need something NOW, you’re probably going to have to wait for it. When on the mainland, you can make it happen NOW. There’s also the expense of everything. From homes to groceries, everything costs more. Well, almost everything.

How Do I Keep From Getting Island Fever?

Those that last on the islands take advantage of all the wonderful free things to do. For example, when you might spend $100 at a bar or club on the mainland, you go to the beach or park with some store bought beers. To last on Maui and on any of the Hawaiian Islands, one must build relationships with those that are living there and you must learn to appreciate all the amazing things that these islands provide. One of the things that turn people off from living here full-time is the clickiness of island residents. In that, I mean that people are less likely to pursue a friendship with someone who’s only been on the island for a short period of time. Most people would think that their being standoffish is a form of snobbery. This is not the case. In fact, the reason people shy away from new arrivals is because most people here have made that mistake before. It’s hard losing a friend after investing a lot of time with them. And because most people that move to the islands move away shortly, this is a regular occurrence until you toughen up and only let certain people in. This is also the case with finding a job here. Why invest a bunch of time training someone to do a job when they’re only going to be there for less than a year? In most industries on the islands, finding someone that’s in need of a job is easy, and at the same time it’s risky to hire someone new to the island. This is one of the few instances where both supply and demand for jobs remains high.

In order to live happily on the Hawaiian Islands and stave off Island Fever, one must put in an effort to meet longer lasting residents, enjoy the many free activities that the islands provide, slow down and anticipate the laziness that EVERYONE has, learn to deal with not having all the regular amenities of the mainland, and it helps to make bi-yearly trips off island.

Ever wonder why you seem to get sick every time you jump on a plane? Here’s a little hint. A 747 pilot friend of mine told me the scoop, or lack there of. In the recent past, airplanes used to scoop up some air from the outside and work it into the ventilation system. This would keep the air from constantly recycling itself. Since gas prices have come to such ridiculous highs, airlines have had to cut corners in every place they can. One of these places is in fuel efficiency. Cutting out the fresh air intake causes less drag and saves a few bucks per flight. Unfortunately, this forces the plane to recycle air and germs throughout the aircraft. Your chances of catching a cold from the 5-15% of the plane that’s probably sick have just gone up exponentially. Will this ever change? That’s a good question.

You might wanna think twice the next time you turn your little air vent on. On second thought, you’re probably gonna get sick anyway.

After having flown between the Hawaiian Islands and the mainland on hundreds of occasions, it’s about time to let the world know who’s the best and who should quit. 

Hands down, bar-none, Aloha Airlines are the best to fly to and from Hawaii with.  Aloha is by no means the perfect airline, but when looking at the alternatives, they’re pretty close.  Service, punctuality, and quality aircrafts all play factors.  Unless you can find a deal with them, Aloha is usually a little more expensive than the other airlines.  Another downer is that they don’t fly into as many airports as some other Mainland airlines.  If you wait till the last couple weeks before flying, they occasionally have good deals.  Aloha serves real food, which is a nice change.  I’ve also heard that the older planes in their fleet are sold to Hawaiian Airlines.

The worst and usually least expensive airline to fly with is ATA.  I regularly find myself booked with them because I use Expedia to find flights.  I choose the least expensive route, which puts me on and off of planes.  Even a straight shot with ATA is not worth the cash you save.  They seem to be the least organized of all the airlines.  They’re the mutt of airlines, often poaching another airlines terminal.  I’ve been postponed and told to wait more with ATA than any other airline.  No one seems to have a straight or true answer for anything that’s going on.  If you’re hungry, you may want to pack a lunch.  Their “Gourmet Pack” of food consists of pretzels, and other items that you used to get for free.  Now it’ll cost you close to $8.  For those of you that surf, don’t take ATA. My last trip with them resulted in my new, well-packed surfboard being completely crushed.  No money, no apology. Add that to an already horrible flight, and you’ve got a recipe for a miserable experience.