We’ve traveled on Island Air many times, which is our fault. They often have the lower prices, and that’s what sucks us in. Never again will any of us fly between any Hawaiian Islands with Island Air.
HISTORY
In the past, we’ve flown with Island Air and incurred long delays lasting up to 6 hours! If you’re deciding between another carrier and Island Air, you will probably get there faster with a stop over and 1 hour layover than with a direct flight on Island Air.
RECENT EXPERIENCE
Our flight to Kauai was delayed by 2 hours without notice. I mean, no one told us anything and instead had us sit and wait with no idea of what was going on. Then, on our flight back to Maui, we arrived at the ticket check in counter to find a sign saying our flight was cancelled and that no one could check us in for an hour and 20 minutes. We sat and waited and couldn’t go into the airport till we had a boarding pass. Finally, we got checked in and got to our gate with no one there. 25 minutes after our flight was supposed to leave, a message over the intercom explained that our flight was delayed by over 4 HOURS! Meanwhile, other flights with Island Air to Maui continued to board in front of us throughout the day.
We spoke with a supervisor (a major ordeal to obtain an audience with, but we had the time.) The only solution he came up with was to buy a ticket with a rival airline! Yes, it’s true! The supervisor of Island Air told us if we really need to get to Maui in a timely manner, we should consider buying a ticket with another airline.
We also overheard a TSA employee mention that most locals know to use Hawaiian Airlines because of their punctuality. He said, “It’s worth the extra few bucks to make sure you get there.” So our day concluded with over 6 hours of delays and cancellations.
THE FUTURE
It pains us to watch Hawaii businesses go out of business in these harsh economic times, but if Island Air dies, (with a smile) I’ll chalk it up as Economic Darwinism.

Like most of the nation, our economy in Hawaii is taking a hit.
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.
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.



