Hawaiian Airlines announced that it would be increasing the base fare price on it’s interisland flights from $49 to $54. This is for one-way tickets.

This news of fare increases is coming on the heels of news that Mesa Airlines, the parent company of the low fare competitor of interisland flights go! airlines, will pay Hawaiian Airlines $52.5 million. This was from the settlement last year that claimed that Mesa used confidential information to enter the market of interisland travel when it was thinking about helping Hawaiian out a few years back.

These prices are for off-peak flights and don’t include increase to peak flights, which I think everyone can agree have slowly been going up. It will be interesting to see how go! reacts to the news and if they can survive after having to pay Hawaiian. The fact that Aloha Airlines is closed may help the two airlines stay in business but Mesa is having it’s own troubles losing contracts with companies like Delta on mainland based flights.

Only time will tell if we’re to continue to see price increases and eventually have to pay more than we should on interisland flights. Maybe these companies should hang out with the CEO of southwest and see how they offer such cheap flights. (Although $54 one way isn’t too bad either.)

The Hawaii Superferry has been in local news for over a year. The main topic of choice has been to write about how the company was able to start operation even without doing an environmental impact study. Or how people tried to stop the vessel from entering one port or the other.

But this article isn’t about that. This one is about how the Superferry is actually making runs between Oahu and Maui, taking passengers and their vehicles on the trips between Honolulu Harbor and Kahului. Tickets still cost only $39, an offer that will continue through June 5th, for one way per passenger on a trip that takes just under four hours.

Vehicles will run you another $55 each way which brings the total for two people back and forth between the islands, $266. Considering that plane fares look like they’re going to continue to rise with rising gas prices and Aloha Airlines closing its doors, if the price of the voyage doesn’t rise drastically, this may be a decent alternative.

But now onto the good news. In addition to traveling everyday, leaving Honolulu at 6:30 am, arriving Maui at 10:15 am, then doing the return leaving at 11:15 arriving in Honolulu at 2:15, the Hawaii Superferry will increase routes and run another round trip on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

The second trip will leave Honolulu Harbor at 3:30 pm, arrive Maui at 7:00 pm then leave Kahului at 8:00 pm and finally return back to Honolulu Harbor at 11:00 pm. This schedule will begin on May 9th, 2008. This may mean that the Superferry is doing well, but I haven’t heard much. The ship still takes gas so I can’t imagine it’s immune to the rise in gas prices. Do we think it can sustain the $39 and be competitive?

Has anyone been on the Superferry? Any pictures, any opinions? Is it crowded? Are they doing well? Let us know if you have any scoops.

You can check out the Superferry website here

Due to fuel prices and interisland competitor go! Airlines, Aloha Airlines has gone out of business. Their last flight, number 261, touched down last night from Kahului on Maui. This is a sad day for Aloha, since they’ve been running business for the past 61 years.

Personally, I’ve been a big fan of Aloha Airlines. The staff was always courteous, and always do give the Aloha spirit. Although I don’t normally fly to the other islands, I was glad I was able to support Aloha during my flights there. I do like Hawaiian as well, but I haven’t flown with go! Airlines. But, I’m sure that Aloha supporters will have much animosity towards go! Airlines, and that is well understood, as go! was able to insert themselves and take business away from Aloha and other competing airlines. Will go! suffer business-wise? Probably in the next few weeks with the departure of Aloha being on the news everyday since their announcement. But in the longrun, I’m sure the cheap prices from go! will be enough to get people to ride with them.

I would like to close saying “aloha” to Aloha, and thanks for serving Hawaii and their residents for a great 61 years.

For one day only Aloha Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, and go! Airlines will be offering one-way $9 inter-island flights. You must purchase tickets by midnight tonight, so if you’re reading this, you’re already on your computer, head over to one of those airlines sites and book!

The only catch is that the flight must occur by the end of the year. 3 airlines, 4 more months? That’s a lot of flights to choose from and it appears they’re going to be offering a lot of flights open to this new value (although that usually is never the case so we won’t hold our breath over here.)

Watching the news this morning before going to work, I was surprised to hear another interisland price war among the 3 major interisland airlines. Today, Hawaiian, Aloha and go! Airlines are offering a $19 one way ticket to the interislands as long as your purchase the ticket today.

What are the restrictions for such a low price? Well, the ticket must be purchase today on the respective internet site, and the fares are only good for travel from now until July 12th. The only problem is that we don’t know how many seats are good for this $19 fare. As with the $2 fare offered by go! Airlines, there were only a few seats available for each flight out.

So if you are planning on flying to the interislands soon, maybe for July 4th, or just because, make sure you log on to each airlines’ respective website and book your trip today. Seeing how go! Airlines’ website crashed during their $2 special, the sooner you book, the better.

I just can’t see how any of these airlines make any money. The only thing I can see from the price war is to take the hit now, commit customers to their airline, and bankrupt the opposing airlines. Otherwise, strategically, this will only make them lose more and more money. Oh well, I guess at least it’s good for us. Take advantage of it while you can!