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New airline selling point: We avoid the US!

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  • New airline selling point: We avoid the US!

    This doesn't bode well for Hawaii:

    Link

    "For the past several years, fliers bound from Australia and New Zealand to Europe by way of U.S. stopovers have been raising a ruckus about security policies that require all passengers, even those merely in transit to other countries, to clear U.S. immigration formalities — a process that includes fingerprinting, photographing and baggage rechecking. .... Air Canada is following suit with a nonstop Vancouver-Sydney flight, bypassing its traditional layover in Hawaii, which, in the words of the magazine, “will enable global travelers to avoid the United States.”



    No idea how much of a impact it has, but if stop overs aren't stopping over here anymore, wouldn't it affect how many seats are available in/out of Hawaii? It would also suggest the possibility that Hawaii is no longer as attractive a destination for International travelers if they don't like our security. Not a huge difference right away, but we wouldn't want other issues compounding it and starting a snowball.
    Last edited by GeckoGeek; August 10, 2007, 11:52 PM.

  • #2
    Re: New airline selling point: We avoid the US!

    I think there is part truth to that article, i.e. airlines/travelers avoiding the US due to security rules, having to deplane and clear security when you are in a technically "sterile" area of an airport and are not "entering" the US officially, but the other truth is that airlines have been dropping Hawaii as a technical stop since the late 80's/early 90's anyway with the advent of the Boeing 747-400 which allowed nonstop SF or LA to Sydney/Auckland flights with a full passenger and cargo load.

    Airlines focus really has been on the business traveller. Hawaii is pretty much considered a leisure destination and you wont find on many airlines the same business/first service that you will on more business oriented destinations. Both Qantas and Air New Zealand only fly HNL to SYD or AKL 3-4 times a week and do not use their latest/greatest aircraft. ANZ uses their 767's and not their newer 777's or 744's. Qantas flies either the 747-300 or the 767 with the older biz/first class seats. Hawaii is no longer needed as a stop either. If you look at Air New Zealand service today from HNL, you will only see 3 or 4 flights a week to Auckland. 10 years ago you would have seen LAX to HNL then to either Rarotonga, Nadi, Apia or Tongatapu. They've severely cut their presence here.

    Air Canada (I dont' believe) is completely cutting service to Honolulu. They are merely cutting the stop-over on their Vancouver to Sydney route. I believe they still will have their Toronto or Vancouver to Honolulu flight. There are already enough flights from HNL to Sydney as it is with Hawaiian, Qantas and JetStar. They probably want to offer premium service on a lucrative Vancouver to Sydney route and save pax a few hours of unnecessary transit. They recently acquired brand new 777's with the latest biz and firs class suites and probably feel they have much more to offer their pax on a nonstop flight and probably feel they aren't getting the lucrative business traveller on the Honolulu to Sydney portion.

    But the first point does have a lot of truth to it. Varig Airlines from Brazil recently changed their Sao Paulo to Los Angeles to Tokyo route to a Sao Paulo to "somewhere in Europe" to Tokyo route avoiding LAX. AeroMexico recently inaugurated a Mexico City to Tijuana (!) to Tokyo route. Iberiia Airlines of Spain used to have a large hub in Miami that allowed their Madrid flights to transfer to varous Latin American countries. They now route those flights thru Costa Rica I belive. The still fly to Miami but only as an origin/destination flight. Air France still flies their Paris originating pax to Los Angeles and continuing on to Papeete, Tahiti, although there are rumors of them wanting to fly nonstop Paris to Papeete, but Tahiti does not get the biz travelers and Air France picks up a lot of Los Angeles originating pax flying to Tahiti so that may never happen.

    With the new Boeing 787, it will be easier for airlines to fly cheaper from smaller cities to major cities nonstop again bypassing the major hubs. You may remember Richard Branson hinting of a London to Honolulu flight in the future...
    n'importe

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    • #3
      Re: New airline selling point: We avoid the US!

      Everyone can say one big mahalo to the Muslims and their extremists.

      I always do everytime I travel nowadayz.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: New airline selling point: We avoid the US!

        Out loud?

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: New airline selling point: We avoid the US!

          I always remember the damn terrorists everytime I am subjected to the airport security tax... or as I call it, the terrorist tax.

          Airliners bypassing Hawaii is not new. Several long range jets can now fly from LA to Asia /Australia without making a stop in the middle of the Pacific. Some from even farther away... Airbus A380, Airbus A340 and Boeing 747-400.
          I'm still here. Are you?

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          • #6
            Re: New airline selling point: We avoid the US!

            Originally posted by mel View Post
            I always remember the damn terrorists everytime I am subjected to the airport security tax... or as I call it, the terrorist tax.

            Airliners bypassing Hawaii is not new. Several long range jets can now fly from LA to Asia /Australia without making a stop in the middle of the Pacific. Some from even farther away... Airbus A380, Airbus A340 and Boeing 747-400.

            I believe the record right now is the A340-500 flying from NYC to Singapore at ~18 hours.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: New airline selling point: We avoid the US!

              Originally posted by joshuatree View Post
              I believe the record right now is the A340-500 flying from NYC to Singapore at ~18 hours.
              Here is a fascinating Wiki article on this.
              http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-stop_flight
              Check out my blog on Kona issues :
              The Kona Blog

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