Apr 01 2008
With Aloha Gone, Buy Inter-Island Tickets This Week or Consider Superferry
With Hawaiian and Go! airlines back in a traditional Hawaii duopoly, I expect to see airfares rise in the next few days. While you may still find a few $49 inter-island fares, the bottom will likely be $54 or $59. Both remaining carriers are desperate to raise fares, enough so that they may even cooperate in this regard.
My Recommendation: This may be the best time to buy inter-island tickets for the forseeable future. When possible, I’d fly Hawaiian for their convenience, comfort, and a more professionally managed company. Also consider IslandAir, if their limited routes meet your needs.
Superferry Update: It’s due to resume service between Oahu and Maui starting April 23, with fares of $39 through June 5. If they start and continue to operate without interruption (which they have not previously been able to accomplish), this will be the lowest cost Superferry ticket until then.
Thereafter, fares will rise to $44-$62 plus an additional 35.3% fuel surcharge, making Superferry the highest priced (and most unreliable) choice.
As for whether Superferry will return to Kauai, I don’t see any indication thereof. They have removed all references to Kauai on their website, and their planned community outreach here has not happened.
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A minor correction, Superferry still refers to Kauai on their website.
http://www.hawaiisuperferry.com/reservations/routes-schedules/default.html?src=main-menu
Pardon the pun, but it’s sink or swim time for Superferry. With a few months of good weather ahead and the prospect of higher inter island airfares, if they can’t make it now they never will.
David
Thanks David. The “loose” Kauai reference is as you indicate, indeed there, although, virtually all other prior mention of Kauai is gone.
I concur that if HSF can’t do anything now, they will be toast. Frankly, I wonder if they even intend to stay.
Jeff
I really Hope that Go! airlines sticks around- We purchased a “dream” trip to Hawaii this June for my wife and I to celebrate our 30th anniversary( we never had a honeymoon) and we decided to bring my parents to Hawaii with us to celebrate their 56th ( they have always wanted to see Hawaii) and all of our travel arraingements were purchased on- you guessed it- Aloha and ATA on monday our inter island flights went under with Aloha- we rebooked immediately with Go! and 48 hrs later ATA folds up- now we are on inter island flights but stuck on the mainland until we find resources to buy new tickets to hawaii- we are out $4,000 in cash we used to purchase the first airfare and may not be able to get new tickets to the Islands- what a nightmare of a dream trip - and we haven’t even left home yet!!
Hi Mike. What a mess. Airline tickets bought with cash/check or through a travel agent (not with airline directly) leave you very vulnerable to these changes that are becoming all too common.
I’d even suggest considering some minimal travel insurance for Hawaii travel. I did a post on that a couple of months ago.
Go! (Mesa) has a mixed situation. They have money (even with their stock at $1.41), inasmuch as they own nearly 60 of their planes outright. So they could raise cash through a lease-back arrangement if necessary.
However they have lots of problems (as I pointed out in my latest post), which “might” cause them to reconsider Hawaii. I wouldn’t even be surprised to see someone else come in (take United for example) and push Go! back to the mainland. Their mainland regional services are their meat and potatoes if you will, not Hawaii.
The good news I can offer is that I don’t sense anything will happen with either Go! or any of the other carriers’ service Hawaii in your travel timeframe.
Let me know how your plans proceed or if I can be of any help.
Best aloha,
Jeff