A Hawaii Island ferry system is back in the news. Will there ever be an alternative to Hawaiian Airlines when traveling inter-island, or is it a moot point. With the seemingly short distances between islands, locals and visitors often wonder aloud about this. Furthermore, Hawaii is reliant on air service for transportation in a way that is unprecedented in the US.
A new State of Hawaii study says there will be no ferry service in the future. Here’s some of the reasons why.
1. Costs for the ferry and its required infrastructure are too great. It is likely that the state would need to subsidize its operation. Lesson learned – not a good idea.
2. Inadequate space exists at piers to accommodate such a new ferry system.
3. No real interest in such a system exists. In fact there have been 70+ ferry feasibility studies done in the past half century.
4. A ferry system could not operate with lower fares than airlines.
Latest Hawaii Island Ferry Study
1. Both inter-island and intra-island (Oahu) services were studied.
2. More than $100 million in additional state infrastructure improvements would be required.
3. Environmental issues including invasive species remain an ongoing concern that would need to be addressed.
4. The federal government would need to approve of any such service.
5. Vessel cost would be very high. Federal laws require such a ferry to be built domestically.
What caused the failure of the past SuperFerry?
First, two SuperFerries were built, but only one entered service. The operation began in 2007 and ceased in March 2009 due to a final legal blow from the Hawaii Supreme Court. Thereafter, SuperFerry filed for bankruptcy and the ships were returned to lenders.
The two Hawaii Superferry catamarans, Huakai and Alakai, cost approximately $90 million each to build, but were finally sold at an action for $25 million each. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration ultimately purchased both ships. They were moved to Norfolk, Virginia.
Hawaii is still paying off tens of millions in debt associated with SuperFerry. Additionally, barges and other equipment the state acquired for SuperFerry cost nearly $40 million and were sold were sold for about 1% of their cost.
Rough Hawaiian ocean conditions in winter resulted in significant sea sickness and many SuperFerry service cancellations. Transit times were longer than desirable. The 866 passenger, 282 car SuperFerry was fuel inefficient and required use of expensive barges and tug boat assistance.
Prior to it’s fail, we wrote: “SuperFerry is likely to cease operations. They have too high cost, too few riders, a rough winter ocean ahead, and an upcoming decision about a complete environmental impact study, among other problems.”
The Supreme Court ultimately ruled that the SuperFerry exemption from an environmental impact study was unconstitutional. Cut-throat competition fueled by the airlines, together with poor economic conditions at the time, were among good reasons the SuperFerry called it quits.
Did you ride the Hawaii SuperFerry between 2007 and 2009? Let us know your experience in the comment section below.
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Bring it back we need it so sad because of young brothers and Hawaiian air paying people to protest and make a uprising just like maunakea sad nothing better to do but make trouble and in the end we all loose why are we so easy to take sides and rise up without listening equally to both side before we start yelling and chanting Is it for us so we can be recognized because we want to be heard because we are the little guy I guess so but who looses us the little guys in the end because the big guy pushed us in the way they wanted the get what they want and we think we made a difference yeah we did ?
Aloha I’m from the big island Hawaii that I call home. It’s really sad to see such a great service we could of have in are hands.Go to waste! The state should have ok the permit for five years put gambling on boat an lottery let that pay for rail in the big city oahu. Bring the taxes back down
But Strip clubs get the only 🙄k come on.
Where’s the Different options for people of hawaii to visit what nature has in store for people of Hawaii an the hawaiians to gain from like seeing family an friends with there own wheels.
It’s sad people call Las Vegas the 9th island..come on Hawaii have some lets have some class you imagine how many people from Hawaii go to Las Vegas to spend money all that could be right here in our island ,schools, police an people of Hawaii an the many thing transportion is key in any community..Come on hawaii lets bring it back!!
I took one of the last super ferry trips in 2007. It was incredible. Large lounge seats. Comfortable walking space. Awesome to watch the waves go by. One of the BEST travel decisions I have made. The ship was full. Crew said it was always full despite the reports. I wish I could do it again.
I’ll be visiting Big Island from the UK in 2019 and have been researching travel options.
It seems odd and very much a shame that there are no ferry services between the islands. After so much flying to just get to Hawaii it would have been nice to travel a different way and I for one would certainly pay a premium over the flight cost to do so. I suppose the problem is that too few people think that way.
In Scotland there are numerous islands that are linked by ferries and some that also have air services. The ferries are quite heavily subsidised by the Scottish government, as a public service to the remote communities.
If the Super Ferry had been allowed to run its course and proved successful we would have achieved more economic integration state wide. Travel between islands for stays longer than 2 days would have been lower allowing greater freedom of movement for business and pleasure. There would be a brisk RV purchase and rental system which (along with the lower cost of moving vehicles and personal goods) would be presently in action helping with the slow rolling volcanic disaster on the Big Island. Which is the final point we have NO integrated means of transporting people and their own vehicles/goods, particularly in emergency situations, as is common throughout the world.
Aloha,
I love beatofhawaii.com! I can’t believe how
many questions you answer, it is so kind of you!
I recently joined my husband in retirement, so we plan to spend more time in Hawaii! We are so lucky! We will be traveling with our daughter, who is disabled, so nonstop flights are best.
We will be going Seattle to Maui 11/15, then to Honolulu on 1/4/19, then back to Seattle 1/18/19. Hawaiian Air is currently right around $800 for the flights. I tried Alaska and Delta, but I didn’t really like their times nor prices. Do you think prices will go down at all?
Thank you so much, I apprecite your help!
– Lanell
Hi Lanell.
Thank you! Yes there are a lot of questions and answers on Beat of Hawaii. Actually tens of thousands of comments already.
Your 11/15 and 1/18 flight dates should yield good prices – in the range of $400 RT. A couple of thoughts. First, you might need to buy two one way fares, since generally (not always) round trips are set to only yield best prices if completed within 60 days. November flights might be optimally priced in summer and January flights in fall. That is very speculative and there are variables that could change that. Stay tuned but don’t panic.
Aloha.
The ferrys around Seattle, to all of the islands, including to Vancouver Island, are considered part of the Federal Highway System. Using Federal Highway monies and support.
Could that be a possible solution to the ferrys in Hawai’i?
Using commercial leased wharfs, as suggested by another reader, is an excellent suggestion.
Hi, We are going to Oahu for the third time and would like to go to Maui and Kona or any other islands around. Which would be our best option, is there any like a day trip?
Aloha
Hi Leo.
Physically doable, but we high suggest you don’t try to do an island day trip. It is really a half-day project just to fly and get a car or connect with a tour.
Aloha.
I lived in a high rise on Oahu where I had a birds eye view of the Super ferry coming and going. I rode it once from Oahu to Maui, $378 round trip to transport my SUV, dog and wife. It took around 3 hours each way, the seats and tables were lounge type, inexpensive snack bars, it was a great deal! Packing was wonderful as we did not have to cram our things in a suitcase! Contractor vehicles, military vehicles, bread n dairy trucks, etc. would be on the ferry. Travel was economical, fast, and turn around accomplished the same day. However, this was the downfall of the Super ferry: IT WAS A POLITICAL TAKE DOWN, simple as that! Hawaiian Air, Young Brothers, Car Rental Co. and hotels, took a financial beating because the ferry could do the job fast and cheap. The environmental impact statement that the ferry never obtained, was the main issue as this process would take years to obtain and case tied up in court. Issues bought up were silly like, the vessel creating danger for whales, people blocking piers and water ways making it difficult to load and unload were all part of the reason for shut down. The legal process was long and lengthily. The owners of the ferry could not survive the financial loss of having the ferry parked and not in operation. They even kept a full staff employed, for months, hoping that they would be given permission to operate again. I felt sorry for the owner as I slowly watched his business fail, with a tremendous financial loss. I personally do not support the Super ferry, only because I want the charm of the neighbor islands to remain as such. Making it easy access for contractors, developers, building materials, investors and hoarders; would surely mean a disaster. I welcome Southwest Airlines and support their application for interisland travel. Competition is surely needed on the ocean as well, perhaps someone will give Young Brothers competition.
Took the ‘old’ ferry service between Maui and Molokai and at the time there were more than a few local commuters who lived on Molokai and worked on Maui. We did the car rental package and spent the day driving around Molokai, then returned a couple of years later to spend a week there. It’s a special place and some sort of ferry service SEEMS to make sense for an island area where interisland travel can be costly.
What about the hovercraft service I keep hearing about?
The entry of Southwest Airlines into the Hawaii Market would be a boon to EVERYONE living in Hawaii if the playing field is kept level. They have proven it over and over again in many markets on the mainland. Just think of what it could mean if they were to enter the interisland routes. . .
There can always be found bureaucratic reasons why this wouldn’t work (and, to be sure, a few practical ones, like seasickness).
But, as was already pointed out, lack of such service restricts interisland movement (especially if you really dislike Hawaiian Airlines, as many do).
The superbly ridiculous and incredibly costly Honolulu light rail system — not even providing service to Mililani, UH, or Hawaii Kai — makes a mockery of any State cost-effectiveness study. The State (along with Federal tax dollars) is subsidizing a wasteful and inefficient system for Honolulu, but the rest of us get squat, because it’s ‘too wasteful.’
Typical.
Approach Pasha and subsidize a combo passenger cargo ferry to run a route from Oahu to Maui to Hilo or maybe Kona using there leased wharfs and scheduling expertise. Keep it simple! Good time to try and get an exception to The damned Jones act. They did it to help get aid to Puerto Rico
I like your idea!
Hi, we love the website. It is helping us plan our April trip. I keep reading here and other places this year will bring big changes in pricing and flight frequency. As I said, we are looking to fly from Denver to Honolulu just after Easter for a couple weeks. While I track prices several places and see lots of fluctuations I’m not sure what price is a great deal, good deal, or average fare. I would appreciate any help in judgement of prices.
Thanks so much, keep up the good work!
Grace
Hi Grance.
Thank you. How long a connection are you willing to endure? There are non-stops and there are fast connecting one-stops. Then there are more stops and much longer durations. All options.
With a relatively quick connecting one-stop, best hope is probably mid $500’s. For non-stop, about $200 more. There are some of those fares out there already, depending on your travel dates.
We are expecting more flights from Denver to Hawaii, but not in your time frame.
Aloha.
And yet they build a rail that will never be functional and will cost more than 30 billion when all is said and done cause traffic delays while being built take money from buses and other transportation. Encroaches upon peoples land, cost billions in legal fees, blocks views and ruins the skylines. Seems a 100 million is nothing in comparison. I was living there and watching the super ferry from the 30th floor of an apartment building. It was a marvel to watch how nimble and advanced it was. It turned on a dime in the harbor and was environmentally friendly to ocean life and the rest of the environment.
Wow, at $90 a piece those were darn cheap boats 😉 I think I might order one myself for cruising around the California coast.
Jokes aside, I don’t really have an opinion on these particular ferries, but I fondly remember taking the ferry from Maui to Molokai for a day trip during our honeymoon. We rented a car and explored the island that we otherwise would have probably never seen, and the boat trip itself was fun as well.
Everyone would benefit….. from the residents and a tourists….
to the State of Hawaii from the taxes…..