May 8, 2008
Airfares to Hawaii have taken a big hit from a) the bankruptcy of ATA and Aloha Airlines, and b) the increased cost of fuel; here's how to cope
The probability that the disappearance (through bankruptcy) of ATA and Aloha Airlines would cause airfares to Hawaii to rise sharply, has been confirmed. Catharine Hamm, travel editor of the Los Angeles Times, has performed a useful service by making test bookings on Los Angeles-to-Hawaii flights for scattered summer and autumn dates, and has found a general increase of at least $100 round-trip. Summer round-trip fares, which recently ran around $700, are now about $800. And to make things worse, Delta Airlines has just announced a $110 round-trip fuel surcharge on flights to Hawaii, bringing some summer prices up to $910, round-trip between Los Angeles and Honolulu.
Although off-season (autumn) fares are considerably better and occasionally drop to as low as $425 (to which the $110 fuel surcharge must still be added), it's important to stress the word "occasionally." It's important to experiment with different dates to find economical off-season fares to Hawaii, although the September prices are usually far below those of July and August. The lesson of all this is to postpone your Hawaii vacation, if possible, until September-November, when the total round-trip cost (airfare plus fuel surcharge) can often be as little as $535 and occasionally $425 (plus fuel surcharge).
The other smart alternative, as Ms. Hamm points out, is to buy an air-and-land package to Hawaii rather than airfare alone. Pleasant Holidays, the major tour operator to Hawaii from the West Coast, is still charging only $500 or thereabouts for round-trip airfare from Los Angeles and five nights of hotel accommodations in Oahu or Kauai (Maui costs $25 more). But here, too, you'll need to anticipate a $110 fuel surcharge.
The sharp rise in the cost of oil (which hit $120 a barrel yesterday) is having a heavily adverse impact on travel. You can minimize the effect of that hit by traveling off-season (autumn to Hawaii), being flexible in your schedule (experimenting with different dates as you scan the airfares), or by purchasing package arrangements.
Write and read comments about this post.
Although off-season (autumn) fares are considerably better and occasionally drop to as low as $425 (to which the $110 fuel surcharge must still be added), it's important to stress the word "occasionally." It's important to experiment with different dates to find economical off-season fares to Hawaii, although the September prices are usually far below those of July and August. The lesson of all this is to postpone your Hawaii vacation, if possible, until September-November, when the total round-trip cost (airfare plus fuel surcharge) can often be as little as $535 and occasionally $425 (plus fuel surcharge).
The other smart alternative, as Ms. Hamm points out, is to buy an air-and-land package to Hawaii rather than airfare alone. Pleasant Holidays, the major tour operator to Hawaii from the West Coast, is still charging only $500 or thereabouts for round-trip airfare from Los Angeles and five nights of hotel accommodations in Oahu or Kauai (Maui costs $25 more). But here, too, you'll need to anticipate a $110 fuel surcharge.
The sharp rise in the cost of oil (which hit $120 a barrel yesterday) is having a heavily adverse impact on travel. You can minimize the effect of that hit by traveling off-season (autumn to Hawaii), being flexible in your schedule (experimenting with different dates as you scan the airfares), or by purchasing package arrangements.
Write and read comments about this post.
Labels: airlines, deals, hawaii
Fifty years ago, 
Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the
