How You Fly and Why?

This past weekend, the family and I visited the Big Island. I flew Aloha, because that's who my employer uses, and the wife and kids flew Hawaiian, because I personally like them better. The split reminded me of how locals all tend to have their favorite, like Coke vs. Pepsi, and are similarly loyal... quirks and prices be damned. Who do you prefer, and why?

I know "having a relative who works for the company" is one of the most common reasons for favoring one over the other. If an uncle works for Aloha, everyone takes Aloha (or at least doesn't admit to taking Hawaiian). On the other hand, especially with ticket prices lately, the almighty dollar is now proving to be a stronger motivator when picking a carrier. I admit, if one was $50 cheaper than the other, I'd almost not care if it was Bu La`ia Airlines or something.

A recent Honolulu Magazine piece, meanwhile, highlights the strong growth in chartered interisland flights, prompted of course by the higher prices and security-related hassles on the commercial side. I'm not fond of prop planes, but again, given the right price, I might just grin and bear it.

I wish there were more choices, but frankly I'm surprised Hawaii's managed to sustain two carriers instead of just one. Remember Mahalo Airlines?

Comments

What about this Honolulu Advertiser article about a proposed new interisland ferry? I'd take it, if it was running.

wow. I've never really had a choice, because the company I work for usually decides which airline...but every single time I've taken Hawaiian...I'd say a good 12-15 times...there was always a delay, at least an hour or two. The times I've gone with Aloha...we always left on time.

However...I do have an aunty who worked at Hawaiian as a flight attendant...so...maybe I'm just jinxing them when I fly...

I do have to say though, that both airlines have, at least twice, bumped me up to first class, just because there was room. They would just put me there without me even having to ask. So that was great, and I really appreciated that. But since I don't like waiting around the airport ... I guess I'll go with Aloha.

Sorry, Aunty. Sin thinks you're pretty, though!

I fly interisland at least twice a year, most always to the Big Island since I have family there. Been doing this now on a regular basis for more than 20 years.

In those 20 years, I've flown mostly Hawaiian Airlines mainly because I always liked their planes better than the ones Aloha flew. Hawaiian entered the jet age (in the 1960s) with better jets than Aloha... DC-9s.... Aloha started with BAC-111's and flew them for a few years before switching to the Boeing 737.

Hawaiian has had a long history of flying DC-9s and its variants between the neighbor islands for more than 30 years now. I like Hawaiian's Boeing 717 jets because they are quieter and offer 2 - 3 seating vs. that of Aloha's 3 - 3 seating on the 737. For a person who usually flies alone, I prefer seating on the 2 seat row of the 717 instead of having no choice and seating in a 3 seat row on a 737.

Hawaiian has newer and better planes with their 717s being less than 5 years old. Aloha still flies the 737 Series 200 interisland which are fairly older jets the last ones rolling off the assembly line in the mid or late 1980s.

That said, with the recent upheaval and change from a coupon based ticket structure to online e-tickets to get the best prices, I have in my last 2 trips switched to Aloha mainly because they offer a $59 each way fair vs. that of Hawaiian which is $69 or $79 coach.

The biggest gripe lately with interisland travelers are the higher one way prices and the fact that you have to buy online to get the best prices and book early. You don't have the flexibility to change your flight plans once you book a "cheap" ticket without being whacked with a $25 change penalty.

Book last minute because you have to be on a neighbor island tomorrow? Pay at least $110 each way. OUCH!

The inflexibility and the penalty for making a last minute booking impacts very negatively on those people who have to suddenly travel to Oahu (in most cases) for medical treatment. My Dad and Mom have been hit with this cruel fact due to conditions that could only be treated here in Honolulu.

In the old days you could just simply stock up on coupons and use them whenever you had to travel.

Now we are stuck with this mainland type of fair structure with no other options unless you charter a plane or swim.

This is the only state where you can't drive your car from one county to another.

We can blame all of these recent changes in our interisland travel lifestyle to the 9/11 tragedy and the changes it forced upon the travelling public and airline bottom lines.

There are other options besides Hawaiian and Aloha Airlines... Pacific Wings offers prop flights on their Cessna Caravan planes to Maui, Molokai and Lanai. Island Air which is still a subsidiary of Aloha Airlines is about to be spun off and sold to new investors who plan to expand the air service by purchasing a 2 or 3 more Dash 8's to supplement the current fleet of Dash 8 aircraft.

Finally there is the Hawaii Superferry that was mentioned in a previous post. I had the opportunity to take a private tour aboard the "Spirit of Ontario" superferry that sailed into Honolulu this weekend. I am fairly impressed with this option of sea travel and the possibility of taking your own vehicle to another island at the same time.
I'll support this as long as Hawaii Superferry remains a private entity that does not come to the State to beg for tax dollar subsidies.

If they can make a go in the marketplace I am all for it.

You can read more and see pictures about the Superferry at
my website: CLICK HERE

Funny. I used to puddle-jump to work every day while on Kwajalein. I rode a 30-passenger dual-engine prop plane 20 minutes each way. Pictures linked in that post.

hey, here's a contest, can anyone name all of the airlines that have attempted to be Hawaii's third interisland alternative? I can think of a couple:

- Mahalo Air
- Discovery Air
- Mid Pac or Mid Pacific

is that it? were there more?

I never flew on Mahalo or Discovery Airlines. I did fly on Mid Pacific Air which at one time had a $19 per trip coupon fare. That was one of the best prices to fly interisland in the last 20 years. Needless to say I did buy a lot of coupons back then and flew back and forth on Mid Pac's YS-11 turboprops quite a lot. In the final months of Mid Pacific Air's existence, they had acquired to Fokker F28 twin jets. Flew on those a couple of times.

As for airlines that flew interisland..... and are now gone... add to the list:

Royal Hawaiian Air: This was a commuter airlines that flew Cessna 402s and DeHavilland Twin Otter prop planes to most of Hawaii's rural airports like Waimea-Kohala and Hana.

Air Molokai: Flew to Molokai from Maui and Oahu on Cessna's and one old Douglas DC-3.

Princeville Airlines: Flew to Princeville, Kauai on Twin Otters... was sold to Aloha Airlines and became Aloha Island Air which then became Island Air. As mentioned earlier, Island Air is about to get a new owner.

Already mentioned....

Mid Pacific Air: Longest lasting of the interisland discount air carriers...

Discovery Air: Very promising airline that was forced to close down due to its partial ownership by a Japanese firm. Hawaiian and Aloha Airlines were instrumental in forcing Discovery to cease operations in the early 1990s. They flew 4 engine BAC jets.

Mahalo Airlines: Most recent of the failed carriers, they offered flights to most of the major Hawaiian islands on F-27 and ATR 42 turboprop planes.

When I was in college at UH-Hilo, I flew Aloha all the time. The flight attendants might have been prettier on Hawaiian, but it's only a one-hour flight--I'll take experience and professionalism over babe-ness any day, at least on a plane.

The Aloha ticket guy in the Hilo Shopping Center was named Calvin, and he was one of the first people in town (and not affiliated with the school) who knew me by name and greeted me whenever he saw me. That's huge.

And, like Malia, I have been bumped to first class by Aloha (unlike Malia, I haven't been bumped by Hawaiian). I think the trick is to make it obvious that you're local and that you fly interisland all the time. I'd always lounge in the boarding area until the line was almost completely down, then grab my stuff and casually stroll toward the Jetway, reading a newspaper or magazine. That seemed to do it.

When my friend's dad retired from piloting Aloha, I would occasionally fly Hawaiian (and on trips to the mainland, I've frequently flown Hawaiian) and have had no complaints. I like rooting for the underdogs, and as I said, it's just an hour's flight to the Big Island.

On the other hand, Aloha's reservation line has usually been better, and while I haven't tried Hawaiian's online reservation system, Aloha's was really easy to use.

I've flown Air Moloka`i to Moloka`i, and had good experiences both times.

Have never flown on either Aloha or Hawaiian ... and probably won't unless they get a little more realistic about their ticket prices.

Indeed. Back when Jen and I were separated (UH-Hilo and UH-Manoa), airline tickets and a generous Ka Leo stipend allowed me to fly her back and forth between HNL and ITO almost every other week. I think it came out to just over $55 each way. Today, you can quite literally spend more to fly and stay on a neighbor island for two days (air and hotel) than you would on a five day trip to Las Vegas.

I love Hawaiian's jets: newer, and much quieter. Some of Aloha's older jets are like riding in a tractor trailer by comparison. But overall I've found Aloha to be cheaper, with more convenient flights, with the added psychological benefit of not being in bankruptcy.

On this last trip, my Aloha flight to Hilo was delayed by two hours. In fact, the entire Aloha departures screen was blinking "NEW TIME." I'd set things up so my wife and kids, on Hawaiian, would get there soon after I did, but as it turned out, they had to wait around the Hilo airport for me!

Maybe it's just my age showing, but I can't see the words 'Mahalo Airlines' without thinking of the Rap Reiplinger sketch...

"There are four emergency exits on our 767 Super Delta aircraft. Two are located in front of the cockpit. The other two are located at the rear of the cockpit..."

"No be silly, vote for Willie!"

I just remember the pilot making engine noises with his mouth. Other than that I didn't think the Mahalo Airlines skit wasn't one of Rap's funnier ones. The kumu hula dude and Auntie's kitchen were the ones that stood out in my mind.

Whaaat?? And you didn't get in touch with me??? :p

Before I got my AlohaPass card I didn't care which airline I flew, but then again I wasn't flying at all for a good number of years.

Here's a beef from an occasional visitor from the Mainland. Whenever I come over, I try to maximize my sightseeing in your beautiful state by doing a bunch of island-hopping. (Most recent trip -- 7(!) inter-island flight segments, plus a round-trip on the Maui-Lanai Ferry! Don't think all that didn't set me back a few bucks!)

Back before September 11, shuttling around was quite a bit easier, not the least of which was because there were direct, nonstop flights between the neighbor islands. Now, it seems like everything goes through Honolulu. (And believe me, this can be pain, like when I was stuck at Kahului for five hours or so trying to get to Lihue, all thanks to bad weather centered over, you guessed it, Honolulu.)

Incidently, I've always had on-time service from Aloha, with the exception of the weather delay noted above. The first time I tried Hawaiian, they were about an hour late, and the boarding process was way too confusing. (Two flights, one to Hilo and the other to Kona, boarding at the same time from the same line, and no one there to sort things out. Maybe they figured, hey, it's all the same island, right?) But since then, I've had no problem with them. I much prefer Hawaiian's 717s to Aloha's ancient 737-200s.

Post a Comment