Hawaii Travel News

Non-Stop Service for Chinese Tourists Planned

2008-05-27T23:56:32Z

A Beijing-based charter company is planning to begin six weekly nonstop flights to Honolulu this year in what will be the first direct air service between China and Hawaii.

It will offer three flights from Tianjin, tentatively beginning July 28, and the same number from Hangzhou in October.

Mega Global Airway will use Boeing 767 airliners that can carry 220 to 240 passengers on the flights, which will continue on to Las Vegas. It says the first six months already are sold out.

Mega Global's new Hawaii service will come a month after a pact between China and the United States allowing Chinese group leisure travel to the U.S. for the first time.

American Airlines to Charge for First Checked Bag

2008-05-23T00:54:35Z

American Airlines has announced that it will start charging $15 for the first checked bag. The Fort Worth-based airline, the nation's largest carrier, said it needs extra revenue to cover fuel costs, which it says have soared by billions of dollars in the last few years.

American said Wednesday that the fee for the first checked bag starts June 15, and it will raise other fees for services ranging from reservation help to oversized bags. Those fees could cost between $5 to $50.

The first-bag fee will be charged to everyone except people who belong to elite levels of its frequent flyer program, those who bought full-fare tickets, and those traveling overseas.
JetBlue Airways Corp., the Forest Hills-based discount carrier, has started selling extra legroom, for a fee, starting at $10 for short flights, $15 on medium-haul flights and $20 on long-hauls. For the extra money, passengers get seats with 38 inches of pitch instead of 34 inches on other seats.

United Airlines, the nation's No. 2 carrier, is "seriously studying" imposing its own fee on first bags. Delta Air Lines, the third-largest, has no current plans for a fee but is considering all options, spokeswoman Betsy Talton said. AirTran Airways and Northwest Airlines said they were weighing their response.

Last month, American joined other carriers in charging $25 for a second bag checked by passengers. The major airlines have also raised fares about a dozen times in recent months.

Hawaii Hotels Clampdown on Smoking Law Violators

2008-05-21T19:41:15Z

According to Travel Hawaii LLC, Hawaii's hotels are still adjusting to the comprehensive smoking ban that the State of Hawaii put in place in November of 2006. One of the outcomes of these adjustments are high and often mandatory cleaning charges, imposed by many hotels should a guest light up in a non-smoking hotel room. "The Aqua Palms & Spa in Waikiki has the highest charge we know of at present," said John Lindelow, owner of Travel Hawaii, a Hawaii-based Internet retailer. "They charge a $500 cleaning fee should they find that a client has been smoking in one of their rooms."

Other Aqua hotels in Waikiki charge a $200 to $300 cleaning fee, sometimes adjusted for the "severity" of the offense. Outrigger, with 25 hotels and condos in Hawaii, charges a $250 cleaning fee, and ResortQuest (29 hotels) charges $425.

Travel Hawaii maintains an online database of smoking policies at Hawaii Hotels, which can be found at Travel-Hawaii.com. "This is a rapidly changing area of hotel policy, so we make a lot of phone calls to stay on top of what the hotels are doing," said Lindelow. Some hotels have no smoking in any room or in any other part of the hotel. Others ban smoking in rooms but allow it in designated areas around the hotel, for example the Waikoloa Marriott, which allows smoking "next to the luau area, next to tennis courts, and at the cabana."

In addition to continual changes, said Lindelow, there's sometimes significant variance between the stated policy of the hotel chains and the reality on the ground. "For example, ResortQuest has a corporate-wide non-smoking policy for all their hotels. However, we found that two of their hotels, when we call them, do offer smoking rooms, these being the Waikiki Joy in Waikiki and the Aloha Beach Hotel on Kauai. I guess they didn't get the memo."

Travel Hawaii has had to change their database to accommodate the evolving situation with smoking policies at Hawaii hotels. Formerly, they simply tracked whether a hotel allowed smoking. Now they track whether smoking is allowed in some rooms, whether smoking is allowed in other areas of the hotel, additional details on either of these policies, and any cleaning fees hotels may assess on violators.

"Our Japanese clients - more of whom are smokers - have shown a keen interest in our smoking database," said Lindelow, "so we've translated the entire database into Japanese on our Japanese site." The Japanese version of the database can be found at Japan-Hawaii-Travel.com.

Hawaiian Cancels Online Insurance Charge

2008-05-15T01:45:30Z

Hawaiian Airlines has canceled an online travel insurance program. The airline briefly instituted the program for online ticket reservations.

The program on www.hawaiianair.com automatically assessed a $19 charge for insurance when making reservations unless users opted out by clicking on an option that canceled the insurance.

Hawaiian introduced the program May 5 to streamline the booking process for Mainland-originating customers who Hawaiian said "are increasingly wanting trip insurance to protect against change fees and other restrictions that apply to nonrefundable tickets when plans change."

E-mails began circulating last weekend between people who were troubled by the automatic charge.The Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau and travel agencies received inquiries about it.

A Hawaiian spokesman said the e-mails were "full of misinformation," but the airline decided to pull the program last Friday because it "wasn't communicated properly" and caused confusion.

No Significant Slow Down in Travel Predicted

2008-05-13T20:00:15Z

As airlines are increasing their rates to offset rising fuel costs, few expect to see much of a decrease in the number of travelers this summer.

The Air Transport Association is predicting that more than 211 million passengers will travel on domestic carriers between June 1 and Aug. 31. That would represent only a 1.3 percent drop from last summer.

The ATA also says airlines are reducing their carrying capacity amid slower economic growth and rising jet fuel prices. The group says planes will be nearly 85 percent full, and that delays emanating from New York-area airports will remain a problem.

American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines all raised rates by $20 per round-trip last week in the form of a fuel surcharge. The ATA says further fare hikes this summer are "inevitable."

Hawaii Tourism Authority to give Marketing a Boost

2008-05-08T19:42:32Z

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 settles with Hawaiian Air

2008-04-30T18:35:27Z

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.

Royal Hawaiian closes for renovations until Jan 2009

2008-04-23T18:36:09Z

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.

Westin Princeville Celebrates grand Opening

2008-04-16T17:43:14Z

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.

Volcanoes National Park to reopen today

2008-04-10T20:04:19Z

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

Hawaii Superferry Sets Sail for Maui

2008-04-07T21:28:54Z

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 ends flights today

2008-03-31T19:55:55Z

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 Ranch to Close

2008-03-25T16:28:39Z

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 files Backruptcy, again

2008-03-24T16:14:26Z

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

Hawaii volcano explodes for first time in 84 years

2008-03-20T17:44:19Z

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.