Frustrated flyers forsaking island trips

HONOLULU -- For 20 years, John Wert boarded an interisland flight and headed to Kauai for a week's vacation at his timeshare.

Not this year. Frustrated with the price of airline tickets within his own state, the high school science teacher will instead fly thousands of miles to the mainland.

"Rather than decrease fares to try and build riders up and fill airplanes, they've cut back flights, increased fares and generally made it inconvenient as hell," said Wert, of Mililani on Oahu. "Eventually what you're going to do is drive everybody out."

One of the great advantages of living in the islands -- cheap trips to other islands -- is no longer such an advantage. As interisland fares rise, family reunions typically held on the islands are moving to the mainland, people are skipping off-island funerals and golf games are being played closer to home.

Interisland travel drops

For now, Aloha and Hawaiian -- the state's two major interisland operators -- are confident that locals will keep flying. But interisland travel has dramatically changed from just two years ago, when it was still possible to fly roundtrip between islands for less than $100.

Aloha and Hawaiian raised interisland fares in March and again on June 1. Fares now range from $144 for the lowest-priced roundtrip ticket to $212 for last-minute travel on the most popular flights.

And although they're in the air for just 20 to 60 minutes, interisland travelers go through the same security screening as passengers heading to the mainland or foreign points. Some travelers can wait for an hour in a line that snakes through the terminal.

What's left is a resident population in Hawaii that's often furious.

"I'd like to give the business to Hawaii, but I want to get the best price for myself," said Janice Kelii, a retired customer service representative who travels more frequently to Las Vegas than to the outer islands. "You pay more now and your service is still the same."

"It's too much for me," said Sam Lefotu, a retired state worker who has also opted for trips to Las Vegas made cheaper by package deals. "I waste my money if I go to the neighbor islands."

"For a little more you can go to the mainland," said Clint Kanahele, a bus driver in Honolulu. "To me, that's a rip-off," he said of neighbor island visits.

Constant costs

Hawaiian spokesman Keoni Wagner said short-leg flights -- interisland trips of 50 to 200 miles -- cost the airline far more per-mile than 2,000-mile-plus West Coast trips because "they are very different operations."

The Hawaii carriers offer some flights to the West Coast or even Las Vegas for under $350. Other airlines have advertised fares for even less.

Citing competitive reasons, Hawaiian would not reveal the cost-per-mile difference among its flights. But Wagner said there are certain fixed costs, whatever the length of the flight, that constitute a larger percentage of the price on interisland trips.

The highest cost, for crew labor, is dictated in part by Federal Aviation Administration safety regulations. Also, equipment and fuel costs and landing fees are spread among fewer passengers than on a typical mainland flight.

Aloha, which recently hired an executive to analyze pricing, refused to respond to questions on ticket prices.

The airlines also are trying to make up for years of economic trouble. Hawaiian, while it continues normal operations, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March, reporting losses of $58.2 million in 2002. Privately held Aloha reported it lost $23.5 million last year, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

"The consumer locally has been hit both ways, with higher costs and more restrictive options for travel," said Danny Casey, president of the Hawaii chapter of the American Society of Travel Agents.

Comparative statistics on the number of Hawaii residents traveling to islands within the state are not available. But state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism numbers do show an increase in Hawaii residents flying to mainland and international destinations.

The number of locals making such trips reached a peak of just over 1 million in 2000. In 2001, the last year statistics are available, it fell to 982,508.

Some locals have no choice but to fly, and to pay more. At the Hilo airport on a recent evening, Walter Love waited for a flight to his job in Honolulu, as he does three times a week. A dispatcher for Air New Zealand, Love has seen his monthly Aloha commuter pass rise but its his only option.