BEAT OF HAWAII AND BEYOND

Here’s an update since my last post about Airline Broadband Service to Hawaii.

Last week, Alaska Air pulled the plug on Row 44 Wi-Fi service, a Ku-band satellite-based system. The carrier opted instead for Aircell’s Gogo, a terrestrial-based service which has already been installed in over 700 aircraft.

Out the window with that choice went the likelihood of finding Wi-Fi on flights to Hawaii anytime in the near future.

Hawaiian Airlines.

Hawaiian has not made their intentions clear regarding Wi-Fi. When and if they do choose (and I suspect they will soon), we’ll likely see them select from one of the few viable over-water solutions of which I’m aware:

• eXConnect. Lufthansa has just signed on to use this by Panasonic Ku-based system to equip their fleet.
• OnAir. British Airways’ internet service provider, uses technology based on SwiftBroadband, and the latest high-bandwidth satellite technology from Inmarsat.
• Row 44. The Ku-band satellite Wi-Fi chosen by Southwest Airlines (but currently in use on only four planes).

Other carriers to Hawaii.

Air Canada, American, Continental, Delta, United and U.S Airways have all standardized on Aircell’s service, which is incapable of providing service beyond the continental U.S.

More Wi-Fi deployment issues.

It’s interesting to see how some carriers are rapidly deploying Wi-Fi while others are dragging their feet. Southwest, for example, originally indicated that they would have Wi-Fi throughout their nearly 600 plane fleet in early 2010. The latest word is that they’ll now start the rollout by June, but won’t complete it for another 2 1/2 years.

One problem is the lack of power outlets for laptops on planes. Most laptops can’t take full advantage of a long trans-Pacific flight without it.

The financial model for the airlines seems to remain unproven. Implementation cost is estimated at $100,000 per aircraft, and it still isn’t clear how many customers are willing to pay for Wi-Fi. Travelers, weary of ala carte pricing, certainly rebel against hotel Wi-Fi charges. Will the same prove true for Hawaii-bound and other air travelers?

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Two new issues are adding fuel to the fire surrounding rampant travel review fraud, and may help bring the matter to a head, sooner than later.

1.  Yelp Class Action lawsuit.

Yelp became the subject of a class action lawsuit this week in a filing that asserts that the company used extortion by demanding monthly payments (in the form of  “advertising contracts”) in exchange for removing or modifying negative reviews.  This has been widely alleged and reported before.

2.  Europe may see new laws governing TripAdvisor and other review sites.

The British Hotel Association and others are talking with the European Union about strengthening laws governing review sites.  Hoteliers, at the least, want sites to implement verification that a person at least stayed in the hotel they are reviewing. This appears to be a matter that the EU is taking seriously.

At the same time, Travel Weekly is reporting that  the American Hotel & Lodging Association conducted a recent poll asking its readers if they believe such travel review standards are necessary. Seventy-nine percent of those surveyed responded that the current system makes it too easy for competitors to unfairly tarnish or destroy a hotel’s reputation.

As a travel consumer, do you believe that travel review standards have become necessary?

(Beat of Hawaii is written as a labor of love; there are no advertisers and we’re 100 percent volunteer. Some posts, like the one you’re reading today, are “beyond Hawaii.”  Instead it’s a travel topic of interest to us and one we hope helps make each of us more informed travel consumers.)

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Also available from Los Angeles on American, Continental and Hawaiian Airlines.

Right in time for upcoming school holidays, Continental has a great price on their new route.  The best news is that with the exception of the days listed below, it is currently available from now through the end of May.

• Airline:  Continental Airlines.
• Price: $386 round trip (all-inclusive).
• Availability:  Through May.  Not available at this time from Orange County on March 1-6, 18-22, and 25-28.

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Thanks to volunteer efforts, the access road to Polihale Beach on Kauai’s West Side reopened last year. We drove our not recalled Toyota Highlander SUV on the road last weekend for the first time in years. Fasten your seat belts for this ride; it’s going to get bumpy.

The five mile dirt road takes at least 30 minutes to navigate. Go slow and don’t start too late in the day. Your back is going to take a beating so keep that in mind.

Pack your own food and remember there’s no cell phone service or GPS. You’re out of touch with the rest of the world which may be a good thing. There’s no lifeguard and even if there was, this is not a beach for swimming (well almost never).

The ocean conditions at Polihale are among the most unpredictable.  Currents, rogue waves and undertow can take the lives of even very experienced ocean goers.

Its seven miles of white sandy beach touch the cliffs of the Na Pali, making this one of the most spectacular places on Kauai, and in all of Hawaii.

Polihale is very sacred. According to the book, Kaua’i Trails by Kathy Morey, “In Kaua’i mythology, the souls of the dead leave the world of the living at Polihale to dwell in the depths of the ocean in Milu, the land of the dead.”

As long as you stay out of the water, you’ll leave Polihale to live another day with renewed sense of peace and energy.

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If you’ve got the time, and are in the Atlanta area, we’ve got the deal.  Available in April and May, on US Airways.  This offer will only be available for a brief time.  Service is on US Air’s current Charlotte to Honolulu non-stop (which itself may not be available that much longer).

• Airline: US Airways.
• Price: Approx. $436 round trip (all-inclusive).
• Availability:  April and May.
• How to find dates: I used Kayak’s monthly fare calendar.

Reasonable Spring fares on the most heavily trafficked California to Hawaii routes are now available. You will need to act quickly due to limited availability.

• Airline: Hawaiian.
• Price: Approx. $320 round trip (all-inclusive).
• SFO availability: Now through March 15, and April 13 to May 20 (most days). Many corresponding return dates.
• LAX availability: March 1 through 16, and April 7 through 29  (most days).  Cheapest return dates are mid to late April.
• Oakland, Sacramento and San Jose all have intermittent availability in both directions through May.
• Additional Spring sale dates are up to $15 more each way, while others are up to $15 less.
• Pricing is based on published fare, less 5% savings using an Hawaiian Air Affiliate link.
• How to find dates: Use Hawaiian Air’s monthly fare calendar.

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Good News For Hawaii Visitors – Bad News For Hotels

Hawaii hotel revenues dropped nearly 20 percent in 2009 to $3.6 billion.  That’s a decrease of $741 million from the prior year, primarily due to lower occupancy and reduced room rates. The 2009 occupancy rate by island was:

• Oahu 73%
• Maui 62%
• Kauai 60%
• Big Island 55%

With no sign of any amelioration in sight, here’s how that works in favor of visitors.

Reasonable hotel rates will be easy to find.

Even during most of our peak seasons, expect to pay less. Use the methods we’ve been writing about to find the best Hawaii hotel deals for you.

Your Hawaii vacation should cost less overall.

Even more economical than prior periods of abounding fare wars. Even though airfare has increased your land costs are down.

Here’s a comparison of 2008 and 2010 estimated costs for a 7-night trip from Los Angeles to Honolulu:

2008 costs:  $1,900 total air and lodging

• Airfare for two at $250 total per person: $500
• Four star hotel for two, seven nights at $200/night $1,400

2010 costs:  $1,500 total air and lodging

• Airfare for two at $400 total per person: $800
• Four star hotel for two, seven nights at $100/night: $700

Suggestion:

Don’t wait for low summer airfares that may well not materialize this year.  Instead, I suggest you use this strategy to find great accommodation deals.

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Consumer beware.

Hospitality marketing firms are promoting their ability to concoct systematic fake reviews to improve a hotel’s rating and lambaste the competitors.  Consumers, however, are poised to be hurt the worst.

Can you spot these fake reviews?

I assert, definitely not.

The wide-spread belief that real reviews can be sorted from the bogus is rapidly changing through more elaborate (though not abstruse) means.

Basing your trust on those who have written more reviews, or a wider range of reviews no longer matters.  It doesn’t take a scientist to opinion that someone with few reviews and an angled perspective is likely fake, or in any event, not credible.  Professional review creators certainly understand that even better than we do, and write accordingly.

The fraud problem, previously seen as a potentially self-limiting number of fake reviews contrived by employees, friends and families in a relatively low-scale, low-tech way, is now progressing to an entirely new level of reviewer identities specifically fashioned with multiple reviews of different properties.

How it’s done:

Not requiring Herculean technology, marketers are using a multitude of reviewer locations and IP addresses, among other means, in order to to circumvent both the manual and automated fraud prevention methods that TripAdvisor employs.  Likely these black hat sculptors are several steps ahead of TripAdvisor and the rest of us in this regard.

Proof:

On a small scale, the photo example above points to a job offer to sculpt fraudulent TripAdvisor reviews.  You won’t find hotel marketers offering these services on Google. They use other, less traceable means to engage prospective properties.  It is hard to imagine many hotels which wouldn’t at least want to listen to such a potentially lucrative ploy.

Why this is working:

With an extremely challenging hospitality economy predicted for some time to come, hotels can simply not afford to leave reviews to chance.  The value in a higher TripAdvisor rating equates to rooms filled vs. rooms empty and to a great deal of money.  Or simply the ability to stay in business.

Where is TripAdvisor in all this?

Expedia’s TripAdvisor regularly states their position that while they are aware of attempts to systematically subvert reviews, they take this very seriously and have the matter under control.  As you’ll recall TripAdvisor not long ago went to the extent of putting punitive red badges on properties believed to be taking part in these nefarious activities.

That having been said, however, I believe TripAdvisor continues to be wary of anything that would reduce its number of reviews, real or otherwise. Doing so would likely bring serious damage to its advertising business, which is Expedia’s cash cow.

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Several websites have been discussing whether clearing your browser’s cookies might help you find better travel bargains.  Is there any truth to it?

What kind of cookie am I talking about?

This cookie, unlike the one I’m eating here at a the Eveleigh Farmers Market in Sydney,  is a small piece of code that is sent by the website you visit, and stored by your browser on your computer. Among other things, cookies identify you to a website on subsequent visits.

Could cookies be hurting your deals?

A post on Airfarewatchdog recently so theorizes.  It further suggest the practice of clearing your cookies so that websites you go to for deals are unaware of your prior visits.  Originally brought to their attention by a reader, the editor concurs with the practice.  They conclude that when you return to look for the same deal on a subsequent visit, it may no longer be available.  And that when you clear the cookies and appear to be a “new” visitor, the deals magically reappear.

My thoughts: It’s highly unlikely.

Obviously airfares vary, seemingly from moment to moment.  And certainly the fact that you repeatedly look for airfares, say from Los Angeles to Honolulu, does have an substantive effect on future ticket pricing.

Here’s how that works.  Feedback to the airlines from searches we do indicate likely interest in purchasing tickets between locations at any point in time.  It’s all about supply and demand.  That feeds into their pricing models such that higher demand (in relation to availability) essentially yields higher potential prices.

Personally I use three different browsers (Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer).  I store no cookies in two of the three, and have never found any difference in availability with cookies or without.  And I’m looking at airfare deals across multiple sites numerous times each day.

Still want to give it a try?  Here’s what I suggest:

Don’t wreck the usefulness of your browser saving cookies for those sites you visit often.  Try doing one of these two things instead.

1.  Use a different browser.  If you normally use Internet Explorer for example, on that return visit try using Firefox.

2.  Surf anonymously using a proxy.  On subsequent site visits when looking for a deal, simply enter the site you wish to visit at a free anonymous surfing proxy site, and the page you want will be presented to you.  Here are a few such sites to try (although you can search and find an unlimited number of them):  Anonymouse,  Proxify,  The Cloak.

Please tell me your experiences.

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Starting June 17, Hawaiian Air is adding two new flights, and for a limited time, is offering a super deal.  Many of you have asked for cheaper summer fares from the Bay Area, and frankly it isn’t going to get better than this.  The inaugural pricing can save you $300 or more round trip over alternative flights.

Airline:  Hawaiian Air.

Price:  $203 one-way (based on $214 fare, less 5% affiliate discount).

Availability:  Excellent at this time.  Weekday flights only.  Other days $25 additional.

Note:  I’m watching for matching from Alaska Air.  At this point they have occasional days at $230 each way from Oakland.

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If you’re looking to spend Valentine’s Day in Hawaii, here’s a deal from Pleasant Holidays that’s too good to pass up to Honolulu, Maui or Kauai.

• $189 per person, fly round-trip to Hawaii, including Hertz rental car for 3 days (hotel not included).
• $225 per person, fly round-trip to Hawaii and stay 3 nights at one of their partner hotels (car rental not included).
• Valid for travel between San Francisco/ Los Angeles and Honolulu/Maui, and between San Francisco and Kauai.
• Travel can also commence in Hawaii for California bound locals.

Otherwise, Hawaii airfare deals aren’t as plentiful as we’d like to see. For a vacation of a week or longer, the amazingly cheap hotel deals you can find will likely more than make up for expensive airfares.

Pleasant Holidays continues to stand out in this lull between deals.

They are selling their seats purchased in bulk from United Airlines.  When they aren’t able to sell all of them, and departure time is fast approaching, they successfully use Social Media (Facebook and Twitter) to push those seats into our willing hands.

I do expect to see more airfare deals announced soon, for the mid-April through mid-June shoulder season.

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If you didn’t hear the live broadcast, we were featured on Frommers Travel show Sunday. You can listen to the interview here or on the show’s site. It’s at the beginning of the broadcast.  Arthur and Pauline produce a savvy two-hour national weekly radio show heard in 100 markets.

Arthur and I discussed:

• Summer and Christmas vacation strategies.
• Finding the cheapest airfares.
• Getting the best accommodation deals.
• Where car rentals fit into your planning.

Extended interview on Frommers website:

After recording the interview, Arthur asked me to provide their listeners and readers with our best Hawaii tips which we did not have time to cover on the show.  This can be viewed on Arthur’s blog and includes:

• Negotiating your hotel deal.
• Ancillary accommodation fees.  These can quickly ruin your good deal, so make sure you check in advance about things like resort and gym fees, late check-out charges, wi-fi, cleaning fees (vacation rentals), and more. One Hawaii 4-star hotel told me they charged higher fees for Priceline guests.
• Important car rental tips.  Be careful about lack of availability at peak times.
• Packing to save money.

Lastly, Arthur’s recent book, Ask Arthur Frommer: And Travel Better, Cheaper, Smarter, is one I thoroughly enjoyed. It covers multiple destinations and reflects his 50+ years as the travel guru.  Here’s the Amazon link.

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