Air carriers have added more than 490,000 new scheduled nonstop domestic air seats to Hawai‘i in 2003, reaching an estimated record high of 5,951,644 total seats, according to an HVCB analysis of Official Airlines Guides flight schedules. Air seats from
Air carriers have added more than 490,000 new scheduled nonstop domestic air seats to Hawai‘i in 2003, reaching an estimated record high of 5,951,644 total seats, according to an HVCB analysis of Official Airlines Guides flight schedules.
Air seats from the U.S. Mainland to Hawai‘i will surpass last year’s levels by 9 percent, and eclipse the previous record high seen in 2000 by 4.6 percent.
This performance will boost total nonstop air seats to the Islands to 8.6 million, 3.7 percent above 2002 levels.
Taking into consideration all flights reported on Official Airline Guides (OAG) schedules as of December 2003:
While nonstop domestic service increased to all of Hawai‘i’s major airports in 2003, gains in air seat capacity to the Neighbor Islands outpaced increases to Honolulu.
Honolulu accounts for 65.5 percent of all air seats from the mainland to Hawai‘i in 2003, totaling 3.9 million seats (+5.5 percent over 2002).
Kahului increased its share from 18.1 percent in 2000 to 23.3 percent in 2003. This year, total domestic air seats to Maui‘i will reach 1.4 million (+12.4 percent over 2002).
Air seats from the mainland to Kona will reach a share of 6.5 percent in 2003 (compared to 5.1 percent in 2000), for a total of 385,011 seats (+11.5 percent percent over 2002).
Lihu‘e will record a 4.7 percent share of all domestic air seats to the state (compared to 1.7 percent in 2000), totaling 281,930 seats (+49.7 percent over 2002) in 2003.
The trend in increasing domestic air seats is projected to continue into 2004
OAG schedules as of December 2003 show a first quarter 2004 increase of 14.3 percent, and a second quarter 2004 increase of 10.4 percent (resulting in a 12.3 percent rise in domestic capacity for the first half of 2004).
Hawai‘i
CONSUMER TRAVEL BEHAVIORS
Honolulu Marathon Helps Boost This Week’s Japan Passenger Volume to Hawai‘i
For the seven-day period ending December 18, nonstop passengers from Japan arriving in Hawai‘i rose to 107 percent of last year’s figures, due largely to the Honolulu Marathon held on December 14.
Domestic passenger volume was up 14 percent over last year’s figures, and total domestic and international (excluding Canada) passenger volume rose 15 percent above 2002 levels, for the seven-day period according to the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.
Hawai‘i among top destinations for Japanese holiday season travel
The latest Japan Travel Bureau (JTB) forecast for outbound traffic from Japan for the upcoming New Year’s travel period (December 23, 2003 – January 3, 2004) projects arrivals to Hawai‘i to total 73,000, outpacing all other destinations except Europe, according to Travel Journal International.
Hawai‘i, which is projected to receive 13 percent of all overseas travelers from Japan this holiday season, will top last season’s totals by 4.3 percent.
JTB’s forecast for New Year’s travel is based on a survey of 2,200 respondents who plan to spend at least one day away from home during the holiday period.
Honolulu Marathon: 59.9 percent of runners from Japan; 15.0 percent from Mainland
Final results for the 31st Annual Honolulu Marathon, run on December 14, 2003, reveal that of the 25,283 total entrants, more than 19,824 participants were visitors to the Islands.
Despite a 16.9 percent drop in marathon entrants compared to the 30th Anniversary of the Honolulu Marathon (run in 2002), this year’s event drew 15,149 runners from Japan, 59.9 percent of all entrants versus 56.7 percent in 2002.
Fifteen percent (15.0 percent), or 3,792 runners, were from the U.S. mainland. There were 43 countries represented at this year’s marathon.
The breakdown of entrants by country:
Japan — 15,149 entrants
U.S. Mainland — 3,792 entrants
Canada — 305 entrants
Germany — 183 entrants
The Netherlands — 74 entrants
National and International
CONSUMER TRAVEL BEHAVIORS
AAA National Travel Barometer: November Travel Bookings Up Three Percent
The latest monthly AAA National Travel Barometer indicates that overall travel bookings in November were up three percent, compared to November 2002.
Cruise and tour bookings surged for the sixth consecutive month.
The AAA barometer, which is based on a sample of 13 clubs representing more than half of the association’s 46 million members, was established to gauge the domestic leisure travel market. When comparing November 2003 to November 2002:
Cruise bookings — up 10 percent (to 24,500)
Tour packages — up 10 percent (to 30,500)
Car rental reservations — down two percent (to 15,800)
Hotel bookings — down four percent (to 32,800).
