Aloha Airlines altering pricing structure
By Walter Wright
Advertiser Staff Writer
Aloha Airlines is reducing fares for customers who book interisland flights seven days in advance, and raising them for most who don't.
It is also scrapping the discount it now offers for coupon books of five tickets.
The new interisland pricing structure announced yesterday simplifies fares and rewards travelers who plan ahead, Aloha President Glenn R. Zander said.
Aloha's move follows a shift by Hawaiian Airlines to some advance-purchase tickets earlier this year. Both airlines are struggling to make interisland routes profitable. Such fares are commonplace on the Mainland.
The new Aloha advance-purchase fares will be lower than those Hawaiian began charging for similar tickets this summer, but Hawaiian said yesterday it will review Aloha's move before deciding if it needs to respond.
Aloha announced that effective Dec. 9 it will offer some $63 seven-day advance reservation tickets and some $67 three-day advance reservation tickets.
That compares to its most popular $66 weekday and $69 weekend fares, and the coupon fare for books of five tickets at $68 each.
"The day of running up to the interisland counter in Hawai'i at the last minute and booking a flight on any airplane available is coming to an end," said Stu Glauberman, Aloha's vice president for corporate communications.
Or at least it is becoming relatively more expensive.
A new Aloha "everyday" fare requiring no advance reservation or purchase will be $73. The everyday ticket will also be available in coupon books of five for $73 per ticket.
Both of the new kinds of Aloha advance purchase tickets must be paid for within 48 hours of making the reservation, and both will be "capacity controlled" by the airline, on a first-come, first-served basis, with more seats at those fares available on off-peak flights.
And they are non-refundable, with a $15 charge if you change the ticket.
Glauberman said the new fare structure at Aloha is another attempt to reduce or overcome interisland operational losses by making more efficient use of the aircraft and their crews.
Hawaiian charges $66.50 for a ticket purchased one week in advance for a Monday-Thursday reservation, and $69.50 for the same ticket for Friday-Sunday. There is a $10 fee for changes.
Hawaiian's unrestricted tickets are $78 Monday through Thursday, and $81 Friday through Sunday.
Hawaiian also offers a book of six unrestricted tickets at $72.25 per ticket.
"We think our new structure has been somewhat effective for us in helping move traffic into off-peak periods," Hawaiian spokesman Keoni Wagner said yesterday.
Wagner said Hawaiian "will take some time to review (Aloha's) structure before deciding whether we need to make any changes."
Reach Walter Wright at wwright@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8054.
