What’s behind this unexpected change of heart. Discover the surprising factors making this Southwest Hawaii flight attendant rethink travel plans to the islands. Is Hawaii’s appeal fading for those who fly there for a living?
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87 thoughts on “A Southwest Hawaii Flight Attendant’s Honest Perspective”
Hawaii, as we knew, is gone. Corp Hotel ROI require $1,000 per day just to stay in business. The old school tour escorts are retiring and being replaced with over worked, under paid and unappreciated individuals from Pennsylvania, Ohio, California etc. Aloha is from the heart. Some can be trained. Most cannot. Kiss the Hawaiian mystic goodbye. Walk thru waikiki, many transplants, from all over the world. It’s okay.
Accept the knew world, we love you and miss you Hawaii. Cherish those memories, of a simpler time.
Wow, no wonder the beautiful Hawaiian people don’t want tourists. Of course it’s more expensive, it is an isolated island thousands of miles away from the mainland. I have visited Hawaii 4 times so far. Each experience was unique and special. My husband and I did our best to respect the land and the people and never once were we treated lousy or had to deal with rudeness from the Hawaiian people. The rudeness we experienced were with the entitled tourists. I hope that the Hawaiian people know that we love them and hope they continue to welcome us back. Unfortunately, when tourists visit it also puts a strain on supplies for locals causing prices to increase. Think it’s bad for the visitors try living there. A little kindness, compassion, and understanding goes a long way.
As a 20 yr SWA flight attendant, I am mortified that one of my coworkers would say that. I feel so grateful to work Hawaii routes every week. I have been honored and humbled to be embraced by locals that I get to see on a regular basis. It makes me cringe when I see visitors (fellow flight crew or the tourists we carry) who don’t respect the culture or the land and I don’t blame locals who get upset when people act so entitled and disrespectful.
As for prices, yes the cost of eating out can be expensive, but it’s because you’re in one of the most remote places in the world! When basic food staples have to be shipped in from 2,000+ miles away, things tend to cost more, but look around you- you’re dining surrounded by unmatched natural beauty! To eat cheaper, go to local farmers markets and fish mongers… Simple, fresh, amazing food.
Any coworker of mine who doesn’t value the islands can have All the mainland routes they want and leave Hawaii to those of us who appreciate it.
After reading all the comments about Hawaii, someone like me who was born and raised in Hawaii understand all the comments if coming or not coming to Hawaii. Some not all of Hawaii feels the same about the tourist. The tourist need to be aware of there respect fir the Islands and there people.
How did this particular FA treat these Hawaiians? Were this actual Hawaiians or local people- there is a difference. Got a problem with the cost of a meal? Welcome to our everyday existence. Sorry, we get no per diem living here. It’s a great place- but you know the cost before you get here. Maybe a 24 hour layover isn’t enough time to make judgments. Wanna get a better, cheaper meal? Use google. Treat people kindly- aloha begets aloha. Come here with a better attitude and you will enjoy yourself. This person needs some self-reflection.
The problem is that Hawaii is a state and not a territory. If Hawaii was its own sovereign country prices wouldn’t be regulated by large Government and it’s policies, for example Title 11 Dept of Health Chapter 29 Food and Food Products.How about asking this question for example, “Are the banana’s that we purchase in Walmart from Hawaii?” Or “Are the pineapples from Hawaii. If Hawaii was to be on its own would the average home be 1.5Million?
The mixed messages that are being sent out to potential tourists to Hawaii keep breaking my heart, my desire and my wallet. All my trips to Hawaii were to the Big Island & Maui, and all were exceptional and memorable. The native residents never, ever made me feel unwelcome or intrusive. We never behaved entitled or acted as if we were better than locals. Quite the opposite, we tipped generously, gave glowing reviews whenever we could, and thanked locals who helped us profusely with genuine sincerity. My heart still aches for the Lahaina area devastation which I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to live thru and rebuild. The go away and stay away message destroys my desire to help, or return on vacation. As a CA resident, I never acted or said anything bad to visitors, tourists or Hawaiians. It’s just not right or wise to be so vocally unappreciative to anyone and bite the hand that helps feed you!
We have been there twice, staying in Honolulu at the Waikiki Resort Hotel. This is a nice place, close to the beach & other attractions & with rates considerably lower than surrounding hotels. A complimentary breakfast buffet was very useful.
You are correct, prices on everything are high due to the isolation from the mainland & we were expecting that. But we found people to be friendly enough, it helps to be nice to people, treating them with respect & courtesy. We hope to visit again!
It truly nauseates me to hear the complaining about the high cost of living here, while voting election after election for the same tax and spend hacks. A couple of facts.
The Jones act, revered by the unions is estimated to cost the average family in Hawaii 2,000 dollars annually. Businesses merely pass on the cost to locals and tourist alike. Hawaii public employees, can retire at 55 with full benefits. We all pay for two sets of public employees, the retired, and the working (not very hard i might add) we have the worst roads in the country (say high auto maintenance cost) high crime and the related high insurance cost (my auto recently quadrupled) low supply of housing (say years for a building permit, if you can get one) and on and on. Ask any businessman who set up shop here in the last 20 years. Terribly difficult place to do business (less competition) It really is a shame! So far as the SW attendant who cant afford to eat here, might i suggest packing you lunch and dinner!
I am a long time local transplant from the mainland. I am certainly subject to higher prices as that is the cost of living here. I certainly am able to purchase 3 meals for less than $50.00 in a 24 hour period. The SWA flight attendent just doen’t know or perhaps care how to budget her money. Perhaps she should stay away from Hawaii with her attitude.
Sad how much of this attitude comes out of the SWA folks, they are not all like that but they have their share
This says more about the Flight Attendant than Hawaii……a lot of people come to Hawaii everyday and have a great time. Travel around the globe has become more crowded and for some people more divisive. Some people just can’t help themselves. Give a little Aloha and you’ll get a lot back, give a little attitude and you’ll likely get that back too. If you want to point fingers and push your political views you’ll likely come away disappointed.
We own timeshare in Maui and therefore I guess we’re in a different category of tourist because we’re not paying the increased hotel prices. We are however paying more for car rental, groceries, and restaurant meals, but that’s everywhere, not just Hawaii! We’ve never been poorly treated in Maui; we’ve kept our eye on our timeshare’s Facebook group and not one person has reported lack of aloha over the last year. In fact they’ve reported being very welcomed. It’s hard for me to understand all the negative comments. Maybe I”ll feel differently after our next trip! But also someone suggesting that Arizona could be a good replacement for vacations vs. Hawaii — I live in Arizona, and that is just laughable. There’s absolutely no comparison anywhere in AZ to anywhere in Hawaii.
The difference when someone says they like Arizona instead is they visit as a tourist, not like someone who lives there like you.
The same goes with Hawaii. Living here is different than visiting here.
I lived across from the bay from San Francisco for 50 years. My relatives loved visiting the city. I hated it and never went there unless I wasn’t driving. Not a place locals want to visit. Same goes with where you live.
It’s all about perspective.
This is a big shout out to the flight attendants, hotel workers and all the similar people that are there for us, the traveling public. Your work is much appreciated and sometimes undervalued.
To you guys flown in and unfamiliar with Hawaii, search for “Amanda and Felix” videos on various platforms. They are a local couple on O’ahu and have lots of cheap eats and local grindz (food). You can learn about the awesome history of the food cultures and get away from the most expensive tourist areas.
While you’re at it, read up on King David Kalakaua. Especially about his visit to the White House and US Congress, firsts ever. And appreciate the timing of electrification of I’olani Palace versus the White House, 4 years apart, which would you assume was first…
It’s good to know how our shared humanity got here! Also, please understand the difference between being from Hawaii and being Hawaiian 🤙. Aloha to all🤙
Good point about what it takes to be a Hawaiian. As far as I know, there are three types of folks who live in Hawaii. There are native Hawaiians, who as degreed by the U.S. government must be at least 50% of native blood. (As opposed to many native American tribes who only require as little as 14% native blood.)
Then there are Hawaiians, who have some lineage to native Hawaiians. And finally, there are the rest of us who are considered “locals” or from Hawaii.
I would second that motion- Candor is appreciated, but sometimes spitefulness gets the upper hand. What a positive review, friend!
In comparing the views of the FAs… sure, an FA with 31 yrs of service is on the road to retirement and free flights to Hawaii is great. They probably have the income to bridge the gap of actual prices vs. per diem. Whereas the first FA probably doesn’t have the years of service nor the income to bridge that gap. They probably find it unfair that they get scheduled to fly to Hawaii, spend hours in the air and the per diem doesn’t cover their expenses. I know for me, when I was doing business travel, there were certain cities I didn’t want to fly to because the per diem didn’t cover expenses I don’t know what the pay structure is for FAs, but I’m sure an FA with 31 yrs of service is probably pretty close to the top of the pay scale. The first FA probably isn’t at the top of the pay scale and every penny counts in the current economy. Having to pay for something you think the company should be fully paying for is frustrating. I know it was for me.
I also find it interesting that Hawaii tourism isn’t in such dire straits as some people would have you believe. For instance, in 2023 total visitor spending rose to $20.87 billion which is a 4.4% increase from the previous year. 2024 is on track to also have a modest increase over 2023. So, let’s not pretend that the house is on fire here. Hawaii is shifting away from budget tourists, that’s obvious, but the tourism industry isn’t dying to say the least.
That increase in spending probably reflects the inflation of prices from year to year. The question should be, with a 4.4% increase in spending, are you getting the same services and accommodations as the year before. I would speculate that you aren’t. You’re paying more and getting less.
Perhaps, but I think that all the focus right now is in luxury accommodations. I think that might have something to do with the increase as well. I think that a lot of the price increases in Hawaii travel have complex, multiple causes. Over simplifications, and complaining from a small segment of the Hawaii travelers are being given an outsized voice.
Say you don’t understand inflation without saying you don’t understand inflation.
Tourist numbers in Maui are down 30%. Spending is down. Occupancy is down.
Unemployment will rise as a result of not needing as many workers to care for the guests or patrons of business.
Maui is a special case. The Lahaina Fire greatly affected tourism. Many tourists continue to avoid Maui because of The economic difficulties that the locals face.
That’s for proving my point about oversimplification of the problem. Maui is a special case. I was referring to tourism overall in Hawaii, not Maui specifically. Look, there are issues. Someone already referenced the Jones Act. That alone increases the prices of food, building supplies, etc. in Hawaii by 20-30%. BTW, that’s also a problem for Guam, and Puerto Rico as well. It was something that was passed in the 1920’s before Hawaii was even a state and was intended to protect American ship building. The funny thing is, there’s virtually no ships, other than military, being built in the US anymore. So what is the State of Hawaii trying to do about the Jones Act? They have Senators and Congress people. Have they floated any bill to repeal the JA? Or even modify it to make exceptions for Hawaii?
Follow the money. That’ll tell you all you need to know about what is or is not being addressed.
We had a condo in Oahu for 7 years where we stayed 4 months every year. We decided to retire here and sold our house and condo and purchased a home here.
I believe the anti tourist sentiment exploded 10 fold with the onset of Covid 19.
The beaches were shut down as well as hotels and short term rentals. Native Hawaiians saw what they feel Hawaii used to be. Lightly populated beaches and restaurants. Light traffic downtown as well as highways. They wanted Hawaii to remain in those conditions.
But it cannot. Everyone was getting handouts from the State and Federal Government. There wasn’t a want for anything. The handouts have stopped, but the anti tourism remains with the reopening of Hawaii.
Hawaii government refuses to build any housing. They feel the takeover of STR will suffice, but who can afford those prices?; along with the loss of jobs associated with STR.
The people of Hawaii have to realize that without a valuable commodity for people to be attracted to, no one is going to give one care about even coming let alone staying in Hawaii. Right now we have two commodities that people are attracted to – tourism for leisure and land investment and development. That is the reality that us locals need to either embrace or come up with something else to keep things going.
This takes us back to the same ‘ol argument. Tourism is fine, but it can’t grow indefinitely. Business is the US demands infinite growth, so the mainland companies that own the hotels, etc. expect that to happen. The result was more and more tourists, many on a budget and with unrealistic expectations. At some point, it has to be addressed. As you point out, COVID shutdown showed what it would be like with fewer tourists, but is economically a challenge. Some have suggested that fewer tourists that spend more (i.e. replace the budget tourists with luxury tourists) is the answer. Obviously this gets a lot of push back from the budget tourists. But the question is, if you don’t like that idea, then what else to you think will work? Seems like Hawaii is between a rock and a hard place when it comes to tourism and in the end, someone’s going to feel the pain. The only question is, who, or can it be spread around?
You forgot to mention all of the free money everyone got!! It was a good time.
Looking forward to reading about other more affordable options, but my Hawaii love is deep. It feels like home and calls for me in my soul, even if it’s less than once a year.
I prefer a discounted time share or home stay so as to have a kitchen and shop at Costco. Search the happy hour specials for dinner options. It can be done on a budget, and still feed your soul.
the Way, as revealed by mARy g. Thank you! As a budget traveler, I’m not mad when Native Hawaiians, some of them, decide that what works best for them is coddling the Four Seasons crowd or even just folks that flew in on a pricier seat than my $111 seat.
I am mad when one FA gets attention for whining and needs to be rebutted by a better FA.
Another thing to keep in mind is that on social media and sites like this, you’re going to get a very unbalanced view from people. Those who are angry, rightfully or wrongfully, are much more likely to post than those who aren’t. Are prices up in Hawaii? Are accommodations and food cheaper in 3rd world counties? Yup. Is it more dangerous for the average tourist in said 3rd world countries? Yes again. For example, kidnappings of tourists in Mexico are Way down to only 435 in 2023. How many were there in Hawaii in 2023? Zero. That’s just an example. The fact is that Hawaii is a state, and all of the good things about being a sate go with it vs. vacationing in a 3rd world country.
I worked in the Hawaii hotel industry during the 80s-90s, before the Internet. it was a common experience then that bad comment cards (angry, motivated) outnumbered good comments 5:1. I wonder with the profit motivated “click bait” sensational world online could it be an even more lopsided ratio today.
Hawaii is human and imperfect but it is still a very special place in the hearts of many. Go in respect and curiosity, and with the right expectations you can be amazed by the special places and communities. Aloha 🤙
It’s expensive for us all, residents and visitors alike. We’re an island and must import 90% of everything we have. A little grace and understanding goes a long way.
Blaming politicians is overly simplistic and unhelpful.
Well, you don’t import STR’s and hotel rooms. The outrageous accommodation taxes for tourists, and the ever increasing property and maintenance taxes for owners, are the fault of an incompetent Hawaii administration. But, Hawaii residents should not complain. You keep voting these idiots into office, thinking their promises will come to fruition, eventually.
Politicians are the ones who keep raising accomodation tax and banning short term rentals, so it really is “their fault.” They are the one’s who’ve wreaked Hawaii’s economy and killed the golden goose.
If by “blaming politicians” you mean blaming those who have taken in billions over the last several decades but who have not provided adequate fire safety (fixed wing for fire fighting), seawater firefighting high pressure water systems, lower than average (compared to other tourist dependent economies) economic growth projections, and no sensible low income housing options for service folks while also making only a few local suppliers wealthy from obvious preferred contracts for unnecessary and/or poorly thought out construction projects, then I would say that blaming them is appropriate. HI is in trouble. I live in calunicornia. We very clearly understand single party rule and what accompanies that. But please don’t think it’s not obvious. It is. That spinning feeling you feel is the economy going down the drain. I implore you not to continue down that path. I don’t want Hawaii to do so, but it’s tied itself to a wagon on its way off a cliff.
I have been going to Maui since 2014 and not once have I encountered anyone that was antagonistic towards me. I do not go to any place that is sacred nor do I plan to. I tip well and realize I am a visitor so am polite. I have read and learned about the culture. I appreciate the fact that housing is lacking. What I can say is blame your politicians; I pay a lot in “tourist taxes” and have not see them used to improved anything.