Tourism Slump in Hawaii – Trouble in Paradise

So I hear the state of Hawaii will be tapping into emergency funds to lure tourists back to the Islands, spending millions on a marketing campaign to convince US travelers to vacation there.

Hawaii’s tourism industry is hurting from the sudden closings of Aloha and ATA airlines last month along with a spike in airfares, pushed up by rising jet fuel prices and fewer flights.

I’m wondering, (and hoping), that the whole “supply and demand” theory will start to kick in and maybe actually lower some hotel and airfare prices… if you lower it, we will come!

You can read more about Hawaii’s tourism woes here…

What the &%$#! is Up with the Airlines?

So first it was Aloha Airlines suddenly closing it’s doors and filing bankruptcy without warning earlier this week…

Yesterday I’m in my car and turn on the radio as I hear the tail end of a news report where the reporter is interviewing passengers stranded at the ATA ticket counter at LAX because they came to board their flights to Hawaii and the ATA ticket counter was closed with nobody around and only a handwritten note apologizing that they had filed bankruptcy and closed that very morning!

First I was in disbelief that 2 airlines would go belly up in the same week with NO warning to their passengers, (is that legal?), then panic started to set in as I tried to remember which airline I booked my May trip to Hawaii with 2 months ago… I raced home only to find that , yes, it was friggin’ ATA!

Of course I had no email or warning from them and when I logged into my Travelocity account all appeared fine… thank goodness my girlfriend, (who used to work in travel), got on the phone immediately and got me a flight reservation for the same dates and times on another airline… of course the cost was $175 more than I had paid for my ATA tickets but at least my trip was still on, (by 9pm the SAME flight she booked me was almost $400 more than what I had first paid – VULTURES!!)

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Travelocity sticks to their promise to issue a refund for the ATA tickets… at least I wasn’t one of those poor people who walked up with bags in hand, ready to start my Hawaiian vacation, (one couple was on their way to get married!!), only to find a closed ticket counter!!