Per to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Australia was the fastest growing major market for the Hawaiian Islands in 2011, with an 32 percent increase in visitor arrivals. However, yesterday Air Australia made an announcement that they were in huge financial trouble and were forced to cancel all their flights on all their routes, including their twice a week flight from Melbourne and Brisbane to Honolulu. Chief Executive Officer for the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Mike McCartney, stated, “Australia continues to be an important market to Hawaii’s tourism economy, and we will continue to support carriers servicing this region. We will also continue to work with our airline partners to look at ways to restore the loss of airlift (airline seats) to the Hawaiian Islands.”
According to the company’s press release, “It currently appears that there are no funds available to meet operational expenses so flights will be suspended immediately.” Company administrator Mark Korda stated that the airline even ran out of money to refuel its planes. Approximately 500 to 600 passengers from Air Australia were stranded in Honolulu. Hawaiian Airlines, Quantas and Jetstar have all offered discounted tickets for these passengers. Several Waikiki hotels have offered discounted nightly rates.
Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 2-17-2012, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Broker-in-Charge, Realtor
Global Executive Realty, LLC
www.myhawaiihomesearch.com
www.myhawaiicondo.com
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