The State of Air Travel in the 50th State
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| by © marcinkamil |
It’s the end of an era in island travel. On March 31st, travelers said “aloha” to Aloha Airlines, the airline of choice for inter-island fliers, and mainland travelers alike for over sixty years. The Aloha shutdown will affect more than 1,900 employees; United Airlines and other code-share partners prepared themselves to assist those who were inconvenienced by the sudden closing of doors.
Inter-island flights aren’t just the way that tourists make their connections from Oahu to the islands without direct service from the mainland; it’s also the way that residents and business commuters make their way to work, meetings, and pleasure travel without leaving the Pacific. And it’s also the way that food and dry goods make their way from their origin to customer.
On the day that Aloha nixed its freight service, everything from fresh leis to fresh-baked bread was marooned at Honolulu International Airport, with some manufacturers and distributors having to resort to heroic measures to get their perishables and in-demand merchandise from Oahu to the outer islands by way of Seattle and San Francisco. Since then, competitor Hawaiian Airlines enforced a hefty boost in inter-island fares, along with additional charges for checking a second bag on flights to the mainland.
On a personal note, I’d like to say a belated aloha and mahalo to an airline that has served as a symbol of my childhood and upbringing; the memories I have of watching residents and tourists board Aloha flights from Maui to Kaua’i with bags full of onions are working up my tendencies to harbor too much nostalgia.
What is there to do besides make plans according to budget, and maybe whip up a pot of delicious Maui onion soup? Here’s to living in interesting and changing times, wherever we may be.
3 Comments
Wow, the airline literally just shut down without notice?
Lack of competition in the airline industry really stinks. Sorry to hear about this.
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