Hotels and Others Aid Stranded Fliers
Tales of inconvenience surface, but tourism officials say things are “surprisingly quiet”
By Allison Schaefers, Honolulu Star-Bulletin – April 1, 2008
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On the eve of Aloha Airline’s abrupt closure yesterday, Hakalau resident G. B. Hajim got bumped from his Hilo flight and had to fly into Kona.
Hajim made it to his destination, but the $3,000 worth of scuba gear that he was bringing back from a diving trip to Manila almost did not make the transition, he said. Twenty calls and many hours later, Hajim finally got his gear.
“I had just about given up hope when someone from Aloha located my luggage,” Hajim said. “It was a happy ending for me, but I’m worried about other passengers. Luggage gets lost, that’s a fact of travel, but there’s no system in place to help other passengers once they close.”
Hajim, who would have had to file a claim with Bankruptcy Court to seek reimbursement, likely will not be an anomaly.
While a final count has not been given, based on the size of Aloha’s fleet, as many as 1,397 passengers on flights between Hawaii and the mainland could have been displaced by the carrier’s abrupt cancellation Sunday of 11 flight segments. And with some 14,000 daily interisland seats, thousands of travelers going to and from Oahu and the neighbor islands were also inconvenienced.
Still, tourism officials say that tthere have been fewer problems than expected since Aloha’s sudden announcement that it was ending passenger flights.
“The word is that it’s been surprisingly quiet,” said John Monahan, president and chief executive of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau.
Since Aloha was flying only at about 65 percent full, Hawaii’s other interisland carriers should be able to fill the void left by Aloha, said Monahan.
Aloha had only about 9 percent of the trans-Pacific market and Monahan said he is confident that other carriers will be able to boost capacity to make up the difference.
More than 37 of Hawaii’s small hotels and top hotel chains are offering discounts, and many are waiving cancellation and rebooking fees for visitors who were inconvenienced by Aloha Air. Most hotels are offering up to half-off rates, with some, like Aqua Hotels & Resorts, even offering free nights, based on availability, to stranded passengers.
The Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii also will serve as a final backstop for stranded travelers who cannot find relief, said Jessica Lani Rich, president and executive director of the traveler’s aid society that was founded in 1997 by the Honolulu Rotary Club.
“We don’t bankroll Hawaii vacations – that’s not our function – but we do help stranded visitors find the resources they need,” Rich said.
VASH did not hear from any Aloha Air customers to help on Sunday. By press time yesterday it had received a few Aloha-related calls, Rich said, but … added that they were from concerned residents who were worried about visitor impacts.