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.

THE BAD

Hawaii is the most oil dependant State in the most oil dependant Country in the World. The rising fuel costs affect everything in our lives. With everything being shipped from overseas, Hawaii’s economy is a slave to the oil industry. Signs of this changing are slim to none. With the rising costs, Hawaii is becoming ever more expensive to live and visit.

THE GOOD

Hawaii seems to get hit by a slumping economy a little later than the rest of our Country. Hawaii real estate is still highly valued because the people that can afford to buy here are of a different breed. Wealthy people tend to weather storms better than the masses, and the wealthy are the ones buying second homes in Hawaii, especially when the economy is struggling. Decreasing value in the dollar can only help Hawaii tourism and industry. A huge portion of visitors to Hawaii come from Canada and Japan. With the dollar becoming worth less, tourism will rise with international visitors. These visitors will help us grow and stay afloat through the rough times.

WHAT WE CAN DO

American visitors and residents of Hawaii both need to concentrate on buying American, and traveling in America. Keeping money in this country will ensure our prosperity. As the dollar falls, local production is more attractive and will help our economy. Signs of this are already present. The film industry rushed to Canada to save money in the last 5 years. Just in the last year, we’re seeing filming move back to the USA. With major tax incentives, the state of Hawaii has enjoyed industry revenue with recent filming on Kauai, Oahu, and Molokai.

With concentration on continued spending within Hawaii, this rough spot in our economy will be lessened, and we’ll be better prepared for the next wave of prosperity.

hawaii real estate

Now is the time to invest in US property, Don’t abandon it, invest in it.

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.

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.

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.

Since we wrote this, both airlines have gone bankrupt.