Hawaii Travel News

The Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) approved $3 million in emergency funds for the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau to increase tourism promotion in the U.S. and Canada.

Rex Johnson, HTA's president and CEO, made the announcement this week at Travel Weekly's Leadership Forum in Honolulu.

The comprehensive effort includes cooperative marketing programs and online efforts with airline, hotel and wholesaler partners.

The money is needed for programs to head off visitor misperceptions about Hawaii's airline seat availability and rising costs in light of the recent shutdowns of Aloha Airlines and ATA.

Mesa Air Group Inc. and Hawaiian Airlines announced this morning that they have settled their long-running dispute over inter-island Hawaiian service.

Under the terms of the settlement, Mesa did not admit wrongdoing but will pay Hawaiian $52.5 million from a bond it previously posted. Mesa said the agreement does not prevent its go! subsidiary from flying in the interisland market.

Phoenix-based Mesa launched go! in June 2006. Honolulu-based Hawaiian sued Mesa that same year, alleging the company misused company secrets — including figures on route profitability, passenger profiles, and expansion plans — Hawaiian gave Mesa when the former was going through bankruptcy reorganization and seeking investors.

From June 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008, The Royal Hawaiian will temporarily close its doors to undergo a complete renovation. The hotel will reopen January 1, 2009.

The ultimate Hawaii locale for love is found in the heart of Waikiki. An icon of comfort and romance, The Royal Hawaiian has captured the warmth of a true Hawaiian home, calling back visitors year after year.

Please visit sister Starwood properties such as the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani and the Sheraton Waikiki.

The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas on Kauai's north shore is is celebrating its grand opening with several savings offers. This refreshing villa resort lies along a lush cliff on the north shore of Kauai and blends into the inspiring beauty surrounding it. Resting two hundred feet above the Pacific Ocean, it boasts a plunge pool for looking out beyond the beaches to infinity.

Take advantage of the Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas at Travel-Hawaii.

Associated Press

VOLCANO, Hawai'i — Hawaii Volcanoes National Park will reopen this morning after being closed for two days due to elevated sulfur dioxide levels from Kilauea Volcano.

Park officials say trade winds that push the noxious gas away from visitor areas have returned.

They say the visitor center will open at 10 a.m., a little later than usual.

Officials Tuesday evacuated 2,000 people from the park, including the 42-room Volcano House hotel and the Kilauea Military Camp, a vacation destination for military families. The evacuees were taken to hotels in Hilo.

Kilauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, began erupting Jan. 3, 1983.

Elevated levels of sulfur dioxide have been pouring from Kilauea's Halema'uma'u Crater and Pu'u 'O'o vent.

Book your Big Island Hawaii vacation at Travel-Hawaii.com

After nearly two months of being out of service, the Hawaii Superferry set sail for Maui Monday morning. The Alakai left Honolulu Harbor at around 6:20 a.m. with less than 100 passengers. It had been in dry dock because of damage to its rudder and hull.

The voyage is raising concerns about whale strikes, invasive species and traffic, but Hawaii Superferry officials expect smooth sailing.

The voyage came two weeks earlier than expected. This after Aloha Airlines abruptly shut down its passenger service last week. Superferry officials say while the timing is just coincidence, they're looking to fill at least some of the void left by the inter-island service.

Aloha Airlines announced that its last day of operations will be today, as a result of the company going out of business. Already flights from Oakland to Las Vegas have been cancelled. The company said that United Airlines and other airlines will assist and accommodate passengers who have been impacted by the cancellation. The shut down of the passenger operations will affect about 1,900 employees. Also, AlohaPass miles will no longer be honored. Those who paid for a flight with a credit card should contact their travel agent to see about a refund, or a bankruptcy court if they paid cash, the airline said.

Molokai Properties Ltd. said Monday it will shut down Molokai Ranch by the end of March.

The closure will result in the laying off of 120 staff over the next two months.

CEO Peter Nicholas said the decision was "purely a business one" related to delays in approving a master plan for the 60,000-acre ranch.

Nicholas said Molokai Properties Ltd. would "mothball" the company's assets on the ranch and close access to the property indefinitely.

Operations being closed include the Molokai Lodge, Kaluakoi Golf Course, Kaupoa Beach Village, Maunaloa Tri-Plex theater and gas station, and cattle-rearing and maintenance.

It was unclear whether Molokai Ranch's proposed plans to build 200 luxury homes around Laau Point, opposed by many residents, will be affected by the ranch's closure. The master plan stipulates that Laau Point would be the last development on ranch lands outside the resort area.

Aloha Airlines has told the United States Bankruptcy Court that it is in discussions to sell all or some of its company.

The airline filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Thursday, a little more than two years after emerging from bankruptcy.

Aloha's attorneys said on Friday the firm's passenger services, air cargo and contract services, which include US mail shipments, were for sale.

The carrier said it would continue to fly as long as the court accepts the airline's financial plan to keep operating. The company told the court it had US$3.5 million remaining in cash, but expenses over the next 10 days would take US$2.3 million of that. Judge Lloyd King granted Aloha permission to pay its daily operating costs, such as wages, fuel and utilities.

Yucaipa Cos, led by billionaire investor Ron Burkle, has invested more than US$110 million in Aloha since it emerged from bankruptcy.

Book you Hawaii air tickets at Travel-Hawaii.com

An explosion atop the long-erupting Kilauea volcano rained gravel-size rocks onto a tourist lookout, road and trail before dawn Wednesday, injuring no one but forcing parts of a national park to close.

It was the first explosion in Kilauea's main Halemaumau Crater since 1924, scattering debris over about 75 acres, said Jim Kauahikaua, scientist-in-charge at Hawaiian Volcano Observatory on the Big Island.

The 4,190-foot volcano has been erupting from fissures along its side steadily for more than a quarter-century. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park draws thousands of people daily, with a visitors center and lodge near the crater rim.

Scientists monitoring the summit say that there's a "remote possibility" of an eruption inside the half-mile-wide crater, but that it's unlikely because other indicators of an eruption aren't present.

Book your Big Island accommodations at Travel-Hawaii.com.