The Flying Critic

Pearl Harbor - Daily Travel Photo

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Rainbow on Oahu - Daily Travel Photo

After hiking to the top of Diamond Head I found this rainbow.

Watching the Surf in Maui - Daily Travel Photo

After this perfect day in paradise I felt good about paying $20 to upgrade to the blue convertible.

Go! Adds $25 Fee For 2nd Checked Bag on Interisland Hawaii Flights

The Star Bulletin reports that Go! Adds $25 Fee For 2nd Checked Bag:

Mesa Air Group Inc., the parent of interisland carrier go!, said yesterday it will charge $25 for a second piece of checked luggage on all flights starting July 15.

According to Go!'s Baggage FAQ:

A $25 second-checked-bag fee takes effect for travel that begins on July 15, 2008. go!Express         customers exempt from paying the fee are:

• Corporate members;
• Customers traveling on government fares;
• Customers traveling on or after July 15, 2008 who purchased their tickets prior to June 25, 2008;
• go!Express passengers traveling from Kapalua, Maui; Kona, Big Island, Lana`i City, Lana`i and Ho`olehua, Moloka`i; and
• Customers flying on the same reservation as someone with exempt status (except for group bookings of 8 or more).

Customer checked-in items exempt from the bag fee are:

• Child car seats, carriers and strollers; and
• Wheelchairs, walkers and other personal assistive devices.

Customers are able to pay the second-checked-bag fee via the go! Reservations Department or at go! ticket counters.     Second-checked-bag fees paid via the go! Reservations Center are non-refundable.     Ticketed customers calling the go! Reservations Department to pay in advance for a second-checked-bag fee     will not be charged the $5 reservations call center fee.    

                      

 

What You Don't Want to Happen in Hawaii - Daily Travel Photo

My brother is getting married today.  Tomorrow they fly to Hawaii for their honeymoon.  The last time he went to Hawaii was with me in 2006.  This is what we found at the beaches along the North Shore of Oahu.  Hopefully this will be the only place he sees this sign for the next two weeks.

Fare Alert: Cheap Flights to Hawaii (~$250 all-in)

United (UA) and Continental (CO) are in a little fare war over flights to Hawaii. 

From LAX (on CO), EWR (on UA), CLT (on CO), IAH (on UA), PHL (on CO), and PIT (on CO) you can get to Hawaii for ~250 round trip all-in after taxes and fees. 

This is for travel starting in mid August and going through the end of the schedule. 

Follow the link above for some more details.  This deal has been running most of the weekend so it likely won't last long.

Daily Travel Photo: Sunset in Honolulu

Aloha Airlines Cargo shuts down - Hawaii loses 85% of its interisland air cargo capacity

Yesterday, bankrupt Aloha Airlines abruptly shutdown its interisland air cargo business. The air cargo business was profitable but GMCA Commercial Finance cut off Aloha's financing which triggered the shutdown.  Aloha Airlines cargo business transported 85% of the air freight between the different airlines. The Honolulu Advertiser said:

The shutdown means the loss of 300 jobs and the end of a business that handled more than 100 million pounds of cargo each year — about 85 percent of all goods flown between O'ahu and the Neighbor Islands.

That is a huge loss in capacity.  Why would GMAC pull the financing if it was a profitable operation?  Take your pick: high fuel or the current credit environment.  Or both. 

Regardless of the reason, I think this is too much of a loss of capacity on a profitable business for someone to not step in and add a new cargo service between the islands.  Let's hope for our Hawaiian friends that this massive drop in capacity is replaced quickly and doesn't hurt local businesses too bad.

Daily Travel Photo: Lounging on Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, Hawaii

It is hard to beat lounging on Waikiki Beach at the Royal Hawaiian.  The Royal Hawaiian is an outstanding Starwood/SPG property on Waikiki Beach that is going to get even better.  It closes in June for a seven month renovation and modernization.  I can't wait to go back.

Daily Travel Photo: Kauai Sunset

As part of the daily features of The Flying Critic, every day there will be a Daily Travel Photo from my travels. 

This first picture of a Kauai Sunset was taken during a cruise by Holo Holo Charters in 2006.  If you are looking for a good cruise company to see Kauai's Na Pali Coast I would recommend you check them out.