Browsing Month September, 2008

A View From Inside American Airlines

Beat of Hawaii is fortunate to have such wonderful readers. Following the recent post on our "first impression" experience with A.A., we heard from a reader, who is also a working American Airlines flight attendant.  I found this candid take compelling and wanted to...

Posted in: Industry News

SFO to HNL Air (Even Thanksgiving!)

I've finally started to notice some softening in Hawaii airfares. The fare below is down from over $500.  Weakness in the market is (as I had suggested) forcing the airlines to begin to either lower Hawaii fares or reduce schedules. San Francisco to...

Posted in: Deals

How Is American Airlines Doing?

I recently had the opportunity to fly American Airlines between New York's JFK and Seattle. While it's true that one flight does not an airline make, impressions do count and can make or break an airline in today's competitive market. Let me know if you agree or disagree...

Posted in: Industry News

Chicago to Maui $419 RT

UPDATED 10/1/08: Now valid through December 12, 2008 (Including Thanksgiving!) A small and likely short-lived airfare skirmish is providing a nice Fall travel opportunity.  I hope that some of you who have been asking about Chicago to Hawaii deals can take...

Posted in: Deals

Hotel Room Gone Bad (Part 2)

Yesterday I gave you my advice on what to do when your hotel room does not live up to expectations. Normally I complain immediately if I'm unhappy. On my recent trip to New York I was stuck with a bad room for 6 nights. Here's what happened at New York's Millennium UN...

Posted in: Venture Beyond Hawaii

When You Get A Bad Hotel Room…

THIS IS A SUPERIOR ROOM ON THE HOTEL'S WEB SITE: THIS IS THE SUPERIOR ROOM I WAS GIVEN: I was expecting multiple windows, a corner room, and updated furnishings, based on the superior category I reserved. This is the first of two parts on what to do if your...

Posted in: Venture Beyond Hawaii

Is Amex TravelAssure A Bad Deal?

I received this travel insurance promotion from American Express: Protect your travel plans for a more relaxing vacation....$28.95 per covered person per covered trip. The maximum benefits offered: Cancel due to illness: $500 in non-refundable expenses. Airline...

Posted in: Travel tips

Hawaiian Air Sells Non-Stop

Coming home yesterday from the mainland, we were struck by the ever more blatant and sometimes annoying commercialism of Hawaiian Airlines. The other airlines we used on this 10,000 mile trip, United and American, were nowhere as bad. Before I go on, let me just say that...

Posted in: Industry News

Too Slow Hawaiian Sunday

Yesterday afternoon we had the opportunity to visit three of Hawaii’s airports, Kahului, Honolulu and Lihue. The reason is that we were returning from Seattle, and this was the only routing available. Sunday afternoons are traditionally a very busy time at our...

Posted in: Travel tips

Gecko-Proofing in Hawaii

I received an email from a reader this morning: Hi Jeff, Read your comment to "It's not a bird. it's a gecko." You said, (you) have pretty well gecko-proofed (your) house. Want to know how you did it. They are all over the place, dropping their poop everywhere. Can...

Posted in: Culture and Events