What are the locals doing?
 

Pretty stunning how high interisland airfares have become -- many are almost $200 roundtrip, and there don't seem to be a lot of low fare alternatives. I cashed in 5000 miles on UA for an Aloha flight, which seemed a lot better than the alternatives. How are the locals getting around? Given the paltry distances, you would think an efficient airline could price 14-day advance tickets at $39 or $49 and make money. I hope that highspeed ferry provides some competition.

The "locals" just aren't flying (as much as they used to when coupons were around).

This will all change once the inter-island ferries start up. Also, for future reference, this thread is more suited for the Hawai`i board.

aloha

flying less interisland more trips to LAS
 

We have significantly cut back on interisland trips because its cheaper to do to vegas for the weekend then the outer island.

Some of the local air services offer $79 OW if you can get a reservation early

It would seem to me that Hawaiian and Aloha are opening themselves up for a new competitor. I remember when Greg Brenneman proposed merging the two airlines, he was going to eliminate the coupons but still have cheap advance purchase fares. My recollection is those would start under $50. That makes some sense. Starting them at $79 is ridiculous.

I would think this hurts the tourist economies of the outer islands because Oahuans will sharply cut back trips. Also, it discourages tourists from the mainland and abroad from visiting multiple islands. If you can't get an affordable ticket direct to Kahului, Lihue or Kona you might not go -- adding almost $200 pp for the privilege of stopping in Honolulu is too much.

There's currently an offer on the UA message board that gives you 15,000 UA miles for signing up for a fee-free UA Visa card. That's worth 3 Aloha interisland roundtrips. I think every man, woman and child in Hawaii should get one of those credit cards. :<)

Thread moved per user requests.