Entries Tagged 'Transportation' ↓

Hawaiian Airlines extended its streak as the nation’s #1 on-time airline to a sixth consecutive year in 2009, according to today’s release of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Air Travel Consumer Report for December and year-end.

Hawaiian’s on-time performance for all of 2009 averaged 92.1 percent highlighted by its leading the industry in each month for the entire year (Hawaiian ranked #1 in December at 87.0 percent). Hawaiian has led the nation’s carriers in on-time performance every year since 2004 and during that span has earned the #1 ranking in 63 out of a possible 72 months.

“The employees of Hawaiian Airlines know what customers care about most is arriving on time, and for the last six years, no one’s been better at this than Hawaiian Airlines,” said Mark Dunkerley, Hawaiian’s president and CEO.

Hawaiian also finished 2009 as the nation’s top-ranked carrier for fewest flight cancellations based on data reported monthly by DOT. Hawaiian averaged an industry-best 0.2 percent for flight cancellations in 2009, and either led all carriers or tied for the top spot in nine of the 12 months. In December, Hawaiian was nearly perfect at finishing #1 with only two cancellations out of 5,833 total flights.

Hawaiian earned the second-highest overall score for baggage handling in 2009 averaging 1.90 mishandled baggage reports for every 1,000 passengers served during the year. In December, Hawaiian recorded the industry’s top score with 1.66 mishandled baggage reports per 1,000 passengers.

Hawaiian also ranked second overall nationally in fewest oversales for 2009, reporting only 22 involuntary denied boardings out of more than 8.3 million passengers served during the year.

Hawaiian is the nation’s largest provider of air service to Hawaii from the Western U.S., as well as the leading carrier for interisland service between the islands of Hawaii. The DOT report covers 19 airlines, including nine carriers providing service to Hawaii, and is available online.

Hawaiian Airlines today announced a range of exclusively priced air-hotel vacation packages for travel to Hawaii from seven of its gateway cities on the mainland. The special prices include roundtrip airfare from the city of origin to Honolulu and a three-night stay in the three-star Aqua Palms hotel in Waikiki.

• Portland to Honolulu $544
• Phoenix to Honolulu $570
• Seattle to Honolulu $580
• Oakland to Honolulu $625
• San Jose to Honolulu$640
• San Francisco to Honolulu $700
• Sacramento to Honolulu $720

“Fall is a beautiful season to vacation in Hawaii and these are our best deals of the year,” said Glenn Taniguchi, Hawaiian’s senior vice president of marketing and sales.

Prices are per person and based on double occupancy. Packages including the newly renovated Aqua Waikiki Wave and Aqua Bamboo hotels are slightly higher. Additional exclusively priced packages with a variety of other properties are also available.

Hawaiian’s exclusive fall Hawaii vacation packages are available for purchase on the airline’s website through October 31, 2008 for travel through December 12, 2008. Prices include all taxes and fees except for any applicable baggage fees.

Hawaiian Airlines today announced that it has signed a “definitive purchase agreement” with aircraft manufacturer Airbus to acquire 12 new long-range wide-body planes with an option to buy 12 more. Provided all of the purchase rights are exercised, the deal is valued at $4.4 billion. The decision comes after the carrier reached key labor agreements with its pilot and flight attendant unions on the introduction of new aircraft.

Two weeks ago, Hawaiian Airlines said it may have to cancel the Airbus deal due to protracted negotiations with the unions.

“I want to thank and commend the leadership of our unions for demonstrating a shared vision and commitment to building a successful and profitable future for Hawaiian that serves the interests of our customers and employees, maximizes shareholder value and contributes even more to the growth of Hawaii’s tourism economy,” said President and CEO Mark Dunkerley in a statement.

The airline currently has 18 Boeing 767-300 airplanes in its fleet, and previously planned to replace at least four of them before 2010. Under the Airbus deal, Hawaiian is acquiring six wide-body A330-200 aircraft and six A350XWB-800 (Extra Wide-Body) aircraft, plus purchase rights for six more of each.

According to Hawaiian Airlines, the A330-200 seats 305 passengers in a twin-aisle, two-class configuration, and has an operating range of 5,500 nautical miles. It can therefore fly significantly farther than Hawaiian’s current fleet and will provide the ability to serve all of North America and points in eastern Asia nonstop from Hawaii. In addition, it carries 45 more passengers and is more fuel-efficient than Hawaiian’s current fleet.

The extra-wide-body A350XWB-800 seats 322 passengers in a two-class configuration and has a range of 8,300 nautical miles, which will give Hawaiian the capability to fly nonstop between Hawaii and Asia, Australasia, the Americas and Europe. The airline says the A350 carries 24 percent more passengers and is 20 percent more fuel-efficient per seat mile than its current fleet.

Gov. Linda Lingle today said that tougher measures are needed to penalize drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. The year is barely three weeks old, she noted, but Hawaii has already seen at least four fatal pedestrian accidents. “These accidents, along with many other pedestrian fatalities that have plagued our state for the past several years, could have been prevented if drivers yielded the right-of-way to pedestrians,” Lingle said in a press release. The legislature passed a new crosswalk law in 2005, but did not include the stricter penalties the Lingle administration sought. Lingle said she is reintroducing the penalty legislation, which would require a $150 fine and a 90 day suspended sentence for a first violation. A second offense would bring a $300 fine and a 180-day license revocation. A third offense would bring a month of jail time, plus a $1,000 fine and a year-long license revocation.

“Too many of our residents and visitors, especially our children and senior citizens, are being put at risk by drivers who fail to slow down and yield the right-of-way to pedestrians,” Lingle said. “The measures we are proposing will serve as a strong deterrent and remind drivers that they need to obey our crosswalk law and put an end to reckless driving.”

According to the State Department of Transportation, there were 29 pedestrian deaths in 2006, compared to 36 in 2005 — a decrease many attribute to the 2005 crosswalk law. Hawaii, which ranked 4th nationally in pedestrian deaths in 2004, now sits in 11th place.

An early afternoon accident in which a military vehicle damaged a bridge on the H-1 freeway led to hours of near gridlock in urban Honolulu yesterday. State transportation officials and residents alike called it the island’s worst traffic jam ever. The trouble began when an Army excavator being towed from Pearl Harbor to Schofield Barracks struck a pedestrian bridge over the H-1 in Aiea, between the Aiea Heights Drive and Kaamilo St. overpasses. The impact shattered the concrete structure and snapped steel support cables within, prompting state officials to deem it unsafe and to close down all westbound lanes of the freeway. Cars packed onto surface streets, the state extending green lights on Kamehameha Highway in an attempt to relieve the pressure. Commuters spent up to six hours in traffic, some circling around the island to avoid the mess, while others abandoned their cars to walk home. Bus riders reported emergency bathroom breaks that involved roadside shrubbery, and hotels welcomed dozens of downtown workers who decided against trying to get home at all. Nimitz Highway was still backed up at 2 a.m. Demolition crews worked overnight to remove the bridge span before this morning’s rush hour.

Water bottles, deodorants, and hair gel weren’t the only things travelers had to dump as a result of tighter air travel restrictions. In Hawaii, food items like malasadas, mochi, pastries and pies were also banned from airplanes. Fortunately, state transportation officials have adjusted the rules to account for local customs. When traveling to or returning from a neighbor island for business or pleasure, locals traditionally fly bearing omiyage, or gifts, usually highlighting a specific island’s most treasured food treats: mochi from Two Ladies Kitchen from Hilo, Liliha Bakery cream puffs from Honolulu, or Krispy Kreme donuts from Maui, for example. “At first there were a lot of food products that contained gel items or similar consistency and we were taking those away,” said Honolulu International Airport spokesman Sidney Hayakawa in an interview with KHON. “We have now refined protocols and basically are really concentrating on liquids, gels, and aerosol cans.” Hayakawa told KHON that each airport sets its own rules, so they will vary. Malasadas and cocoa puffs from Leonard’s Bakery will now be allowed through at Honolulu International Airport. Maui travelers can bring mochi aboard, but not ice cream. On the Big Island, some varieties of mochi are still banned, as are jams and jellies. To be safe, travelers are being advised to pack as much omiyage as they can in their checked luggage.

Jetstar Airways, a low-cost subsidiary of Australia-based Quantas, plans to fly between Australia and Hawaii by the end of November. According to a report in the Herald Sun, Jetstar will offer three weekly flights from Sydney and two from Melbourne beginning Nov. 23, pending fare approvals. Jetstar won approval for the routes from U.S. regulators over the objections of United Airlines, which had wanted the approval held back to push for greater U.S. access to the Australian air travel market. Quantas already has three weekly flights to Hawaii.

Jetstar Airways, a low-cost subsidiary of Australia-based Quantas, plans to fly between Australia and Hawaii by the end of November. According to a report in the Herald Sun, Jetstar will offer three weekly flights from Sydney and two from Melbourne beginning Nov. 23, pending fare approvals. Jetstar won approval for the routes from U.S. regulators over the objections of United Airlines, which had wanted the approval held back to push for greater U.S. access to the Australian air travel market. Quantas already has three weekly flights to Hawaii.

While there were long lines and some confusion at Honolulu International Airport yesterday, airport workers and travelers largely adjusted well to travel restrictions implemented in the wake of a disrupted terrorist plot in the United Kingdom. Hawaii benefited somewhat from its time zone, allowing everyone from hotel employees to airline staff to have preparations in place before the first flight of the day on Thursday. The most tangible result of the new rules at the airport was the more than 1,500 pounds of water bottles, toiletries, and other liquid items now banned from carry-on luggage. Travelers were required to repack the forbidden items in checked luggage, or use a self-service kiosk to have them sent by mail. Under the new rules, passengers cannot take any liquids or gels on board, including toothpaste, perfume, and wine bottles. There are conditional exemptions for baby formula and medicines. Transportation officials are now advising island travelers to arrive two hours early for interisland flights, and three hours early for flights to the Mainland or overseas. “We don�t want people cancelling their flight reservations, we are not urging them not to fly,” said state civil defense director Maj. Gen. Robert Lee. “We just want them to know that extra security precautions will be in place for their protection.”

Startup interisland airline go! — a subsidiary of Phoenix-based Mesa Airlines — has extended its $29 one-way fare through the end of the year. Veteran competitors Aloha Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines quickly matched the offer. Some restrictions apply, of course, and the sale prices are available only through Friday. This latest volley in Hawaii’s air war comes as go! released its traffic figures for July, showing a decline in passengers since June — its first month of business. The new airline’s load factor fell to 73 percent from 83 percent, although according to Pacific Business News, the lower figure is more in line with industry norms and estimates by Aloha. Hawaiian reported its planes were 89 percent full in July.

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