I never flew go!, usually choosing to simply redeem ff miles to fly HA. I would always check go!'s fares, though, and then conclude I might as well just redeem on HA.
But this strikes me as another miserable development in Hawaiian interisland service. Prices are really, really high now. Like last month, when I checked the prices before redeeming points, the ow fare was over $100. That's a lot for a half-hour flight booked well in advance.
I guess if I were a local, I'd just keep getting credit card sign-up bonuses (AA's probably the best now) and keep redeeming at 5K a segment. But that's not something most locals are likely to do.
Sure wish they didn't kill the high-speed ferry. I assume that's dead for good? Hawaii desperately needs a transportation alternative.