"You can fly round-trip from Honolulu Hawai'i to Anchorage Alaska on Alaska airlines for approximately the same price you pay Hawaii'an and Go airlines for a round-trip from Kaua'i to Oahu." James "Kimo" Rosen This blog appeared as an opinion article in the 07-24-12) edition of Kaua'i Garden Island news... "Airline execs are laughing to the bank." http://thegardenisland.com/news/opinion/mailbag/letters-for-tuesday-july/article_6732b12a-d559-11e1-a1aa-0019bb2963f4.html |
Traveling from Kaua'i to Oahu can cost as much as $200.00 per segment. the average round-trip for this short flight of less than 90 miles is now between and $300-$400. There are special airfares of $169.00 one way to Las Vegas from Honolulu, which is 1700 miles away. It's really sad that one can travel to Las Vegas (often times called the 9th Hawai'ian island) cheaper than they can to a neighbor island.
You can fly RT from Honolulu Hawai'i to Anchorage Alaska on Alaska airlines for approximately the same price you pay Hawaii'an and Go airlines for a round-trip from Kaua'i to Oahu.
The airlines are abusing Hawai'i people by overcharging. Families cannot get away to visit relatives on neighbor islands, others with keiki in competitive sports cannot afford to travel to see their kids play sports on another island which was once a common thing.
We can't even have a decent protest and boycott the airlines, since there is no other form of inter-island transportation to support.
Back in 2006 when Go airlines came into the Hawai'i marketplace all the airlines had limited seat specials of $5.00 Round-trips, they were basically giving trips away as promotional specials. Regular discounted fares were $39.00. I am not asking for a free ticket, just for a decent competitive priced ticket like most places in the world.
Many protested the Super-ferry and were worried about drug dealers coming to our island, ironically now about the only ones who can afford to come to our island are those drug dealers we so despised.
Back in 2006 when Go airlines came into the Hawai'i marketplace all the airlines had limited seat specials of $5.00 Round-trips, they were basically giving trips away as promotional specials. Regular discounted fares were $39.00. I am not asking for a free ticket, just for a decent competitive priced ticket like most places in the world.
Many protested the Super-ferry and were worried about drug dealers coming to our island, ironically now about the only ones who can afford to come to our island are those drug dealers we so despised.
We need a new airline to come into the market place and force some good old competition, or we need some rich entrepreneurs to launch a Ferry boat business which hopefully would not be scared away this time around.
Air travel needs to be more affordable to the neighbor islands before the whole state of Hawaii goes insane with chronic cabin fever.
Please airline CEOs if your reading this, do what's pono. You can still make money just don't continue taking us to the cleaners.
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