From United (and via code share on Continental), a good January and February deal from often deal-deprived Chicago. Having spent time in Chicago in winter, I can’t think of a better way to start the New Year. This is especially good value to the neighbor islands since inter-island airfares have risen again, now to $58 each way, plus tax. […]
Vietnam Airlines has just agreed to purchase four Airbus 380’s and two Airbus 350’s. The planes will supplement the airline’s currently long-range fleet of 10 Boeing 777’s, which are being used primarily for service between Vietnam and Europe. The reason I found this news especially noteworthy, is that the company plans on flying the new 500+ seat A-380’s and […]
Pleasant Holidays has some good pricing for air plus hotel from either LA or San Francisco. Travel dates for this first deal are December 1-16. In addition, Pleasant Holidays together with Starwood Resorts has another sale, this one valid through January 28. Air plus three nights accommodation starts at $399 on Oahu and Maui, $449 on Kauai and $639 on […]
Hawaii Hotel Occupancy Improving First, on a bright side, we’re finally seeing a little glimmer of hope in Hawaii tourism. Occupancy rose in September, albeit slightly, for the first time in 18 months. Hospitality Advisors LLC reported September statewide occupancy of 64.6% vs. 63% a year earlier as the state saw a a 7.2% increase in monthly visitors to […]
Barbara De Lollis at USA Today is reporting that Expedia’s TripAdvisor will soon be adding direct links to properties. The catch to adding this long overdue and badly needed feature, is that hotels will have to pay up. The cost will be from $600 to $15000 per year, depending on the property’s size. The fee will reportedly be discounted, […]
Here’s an e-certificate from Hawaiian Air that will save you and a friend $50 off your next round trip to or from Hawaii. Here’s how it works: Register (or obtain then register) your HawaiianMiles number at their web site and receive a $25 E-Certificate for 2 in your account the following day. Then, when you sign in at HawaiianAirlines.com […]
I’m fascinated by developments in the global civil aviation industry, and wanted to share what I’m learning with you. Since I first wrote about China’s commercial aircraft aspirations 1 1/2 years ago, they have greatly accelerated their efforts. China already has an Airbus A-320 assembly line in full operation at Tianjin. This past June that facility delivered its first […]
Today’s announcement from Alaska Airlines is great news for both Hawaii and California’s bay area. Starting in March, the company will offer these new services: Three times a week between San Jose and Maui Four times a week between San Jose and Kona Daily service between Sacramento and Maui This announcement falls right on the heals of this week’s […]
This is by far the best deal we’ve seen on the 7-day inter-island NCL Price of America cruises. If you want to pay slightly more, for only $599, you get an outside cabin and for $699, a balcony cabin. Prices are per person, double occupancy. When you compare this with the cost of inter-island transportation costs and hassle, meals […]
Those of us in Hawaii (and many Southern California residents) were sad to see Aloha’s demise and the discontinuation of Hawaii service from John Wayne Airport in Orange County. I’ve been predicting that Alaska would be the natural to jump into these routes as they have been slowly working their way down the Gold Coast (with Oakland starting in […]
When I wrote recently about Filterstream, it was to tell you about how it allowed hotels to show you only those TripAdvisor reviews that made them look good. The problem is, that entirely subverted TripAdvisor’s integrity. At the time, I checked with our contact at TripAdvisor, who said: “We have no comment for now on the Filter Stream widget.” On […]
If you thought paying your airline for meals and checked luggage was bad, you haven’t seen anything yet. The airlines profited at least $10 Billion last year, through ancillary charges. They are continuing to find new ways to unbundle everything except the lavatories (at least so far). Here are some either new and/or extraordinary fees that may impact your […]
