Kauai County resolution to induce competition as officials aims for a cheaper Interisland travel in Hawaiian

Kauai County has recently asked the state to incentivize their opposition. In addition, Kauia official also wants help in making the interisland travel cost less.

The Garden Island claimed that their council members collectively approved a resolution last month asking the Legislature to step in. Councilman Ross Kagawa stated that he's discussed this matter with officials on other islands. He also believes that they will pass similar resolutions. "I think it's an important issue," he said. He continued by saying, "We need to speak up already. Right now this is a serious problem."

The resolution talks about the benefits of having two airlines operating from 1946 to 2008. Hawaiian Airlines was given a monopoly on interisland travel when Aloha Airlines ceased operations. "I think it's a statewide no-brainer that people are upset with airfares on the islands," Kagawa added.

According to Washington Times, the senior vice president of communications for Hawaiian Airlines, Ann Botticelli, also mentioned that the prices are fair and based on a variety of factors. " ... there has been no average fare inflation over the last three years," Botticelli admitted via an email. She added, "We offer several flights every day that run on time with exceptional service, and we are very proud of that. We also very much value our Neighbor Island commuters."

In addition, Sen. Mike Gabbard, the vice chair of Hawaii's Transportation and Energy Committee, also claimed that it's worth having a conversation about possible action. His representative, Derek Kawakami revealed through an email via Seattle Pi, claiming that the market may not support the two airlines.

"That is one of the reasons why Aloha Airlines went out of business, and that is why companies like the Superferry wanted to enter the market," Kawakami stated in his email. The representative went on by mentioning, "Another challenge is that we can incentivize industries to promote growth but we can't incentivize any one particular company."

Meanwhile, recent reports are circulating that Hawaiian could take advantage, too, of incentives given the industry. But for now, one thing's for sure, Hawaiian Airlines didn't address the resolution specifically and directly. And Kauia officials pointed our that the resolution still needs more discussions before the final ruling is released.