A plan by a Las Vegas-based transportation company to run ferries between the neighbor islands should be explored as a way to reduce travel costs in Hawai’i, some Kauaians say. “I would take the ferry rather than fly, if the
A plan by a Las Vegas-based transportation company to run ferries between the neighbor islands should be explored as a way to reduce travel costs in Hawai’i, some Kauaians say.
“I would take the ferry rather than fly, if the cost is right,” said Sheila Calcano of Kilauea.
Other Kauaians said they would take the ferry as long as ticket prices were reasonable and service was convenient and as long as they could bring their own cars to another island.
Rainbow Transportation Group, a Las Vegas, Nev.-based company wants to start a passenger ferry service connecting O’ahu, Maui and Molokai later this year.
Interest in the inter-island ferries has been sparked by the pending merger of Aloha Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines which requires approval by the state attorney general and federal agencies.
Consumers see the merger as a potential reduction in flight service and possible increase in air fares.
Malcolmn Oyama of ‘Ele’ele says he would rather fly, but would consider using the ferry because it is an alternative to air travel and could help keep air fare prices.
Bob Tripp, a writing consultant and a test pilot from Kekaha, said he would take the ferry only if it were convenient.
For one-or-two-day trips to O’ahu or other neighbor islands, Tripp said he would rather fly to save time.
For two-week trips to another island, Tripp said he would rather take the ferry so that he would have use of his own vehicle and not have to pay for a rental car.
Donna Rivera of Lawa’i said she would only consider taking the ferry to other islands for extended vacations and “if the price was right.”
Rivera said the ferry system probably would not work for her daughter, a University of Hawai’i student who flies frequently between Oahu and Kaua’i.
Nelson Rita, 61, said he would like to “see the ferry come back again.”
A longshoreman at Nawiliwili Harbor, Rita said he can remember ferry boats operating between Oahu and Kaua’i in the 1980s and how successful they had been before shutting down, due in part to high maintenance to the boats caused by rough ocean conditions.
Ferry boats are a throwback to another time when the pace of life in Hawaii was slower, he said.
Taking the ferry would be longer than traveling by air, but “people will get a chance to enjoy an ocean trip they would never have taken,” Rita said.
“For local folks, it would be worth it if they could bring their cars to another island. They could save money on long trips,” Rita said.
Calcano said ferry service was offered from O’ahu to other islands when she came to Hawai’i from California 25 years ago, and is happy such a service might be available.
“I was on the plane to Honolulu a few days again and I thought ‘why should I be on this plane,'” Calcano said . “There ought to be an option, especially since (the) Sept. 11 (terrorist attacks).”
With uncertainty over the cost of air travel in the future, people should opt for the ferry system because “you can take your car to another place, have a good time and save money,” said James Napohaku of Hanapepe.
