Unscrupulous authors of fraudulent travel reviews are obviously well aware of our human nature. Unmoved by a genteel approach to why we should or shouldn’t stay at a given hotel, they now appear to be baiting us with the cursed words potential visitors fear most. Bed bugs and rodents. When I read hotel reviews, I need only hear these […]
Before you comment that $700 is not a deal and you’re going elsewhere, read on. Hawaii summer airfares have been $700 to $1,000 or more for at least the past 15 to 20 years. Airfares have been on the rise globally in recent months, and Hawaii is not excluded. That having been said, there are still some exceptional Summer […]
Thirteen year old Allegiant is a diminutive airline compared with mainline carriers. Their might, however, is far greater than their size would indicate. Allegiant is one of the most profitable airlines, period. Last year Allegiant reported net income of $76.3 million on revenue of $558 million. Up to thirty percent of Allegiant sales are derived from non-airfare, composed mostly of […]
Over a year ago we broke the news that Allegiant Airlines would be flying to Hawaii in the near future. Today, Allegiant CEO Maurice Gallagher confirmed those intentions. The carrier has acquired the six Boeing 757’s of which we spoke, and plans to begin Hawaii service later this year. Delivery of the first two planes will occur within 60 […]
An article in NY Times comparing several meta-search sites got me thinking about how each might or might not find the unadvertised Spring deals we reported last week between the West Coast and Hawaii. Meta Sites like Bing Travel, FareCompare, Fly and Kayak are designed to save you time in finding the best deals. Searching hundreds of other sites, […]
It’s full moon, and winter is thawing, together with some very good Hawaii airfare deals. You can now fly on Hawaiian Airlines from all of their West Coast locations to Hawaii for between $124 and $170 each way, plus tax. Pricing is based on their website price, less 5 percent using Hawaiian’s affiliate program (with which we have no […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
If you didn’t hear the live broadcast, we were featured on Frommers Travel show Sunday. You can listen to the interview here. 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 […]
When TripAdvisor’s list of the dirtiest hotels in America came out last week, the Laie Inn on Oahu’s North Shore was missing. A wrecking ball saved it from the list and innocent guests will no longer have to endure its nightmare. Laie Inn closed in October and is being demolished this week. This is good news for the 45 […]
