Airlines put sale sign on Hawai'i
| • | Tourism board drafts plan in case of war |
By Kelly Yamanouchi
Advertiser Staff Writer
Travel agents hope a sale on flights to Hawai'i will boost business at a time when global uncertainty has kept many people from making travel plans.
The sale was led by United Airlines offering fares starting at $309 New York-Honolulu, $204 San Francisco-Honolulu and $244 Los Angeles-Maui. The fares apply to flights in both directions between Hawai'i and the Mainland.
The fares are good for tickets purchased by Feb. 28 for travel completed by June.
American, Continental, Northwest and Delta also are advertising low fares to Hawai'i.
Local and Mainland travel agents said they are hoping the sale will bring in customers.
"Hopefully it will drum up some business, but things are a little off, I think, because of the threat of the war," said Angie Borrelli, a travel agent specializing in Hawai'i at Peak Travel Group in San Jose.
Rachel Shimamoto, vice president of Travel Ways in Honolulu, said she keeps a list of customers to call when fares drop this low. She usually gets 25 percent more calls when fares fall, and she said she expects a similar response for this sale during the next couple of days.
"I think it's good for everybody because they need it — a shot in the arm — the airlines, the economy, everybody," Shimamoto said.
Still, she also expects many travelers will be less willing to make a last-minute decision to fly.
"What makes it hard is the Iraq situation," Shimamoto said. "People are kind of leery about what to do."
She also warned that travelers expecting to get the sale fare should be careful to understand the terms. Because there are a limited number of seats on each flight sold at the sale price, there are often many restrictions on cancellations and changes.
"People just jump to cheap fares sometimes, but they don't realize what's going to happen," she said.
Borrelli said she continues to get bookings for Hawai'i travel but said people are waiting longer before they make reservations.
"In Hawai'i, normally, you are accustomed to people booking months in advance. No, those days are gone," Borrelli said.
Reach Kelly Yamanouchi at kyamanouchi@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2470.
