Hawaii tourists are canceling their trips as flights are cut

As tourists question whether to cancel their trips to Hawaii, the Hawaii Department of Transportation has yet to receive a response from the Federal Aviation Administration regarding its request to be exempt from the mandate to drop up to 10% of flights at major airports.

The FAA ordered U.S. airlines to begin cutting flights on Nov. 7 to ease pressure on air traffic controllers, who are not being paid during the government shutdown. Daniel Inouye International Airport in Honolulu was included on the list of airports required to cut flights. On Nov. 6, the Hawaii Department of Transportation penned a letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy asking for an exemption, citing concerns that it’s the “nation’s most isolated population center” and that the island has a unique relationship with air travel — including supporting tourism.

“Tourism and related industries account for over 20 percent of Hawaii’s economy and employ 1 in 4 residents. A 10 percent cut in flights would devastate small businesses, cancel bookings, and trigger layoffs across the state at a time when families are already struggling with high living costs,” Hawaii’s Director of Transportation Edwin Sniffen said in the letter. 

However, the agency told SFGATE it has not received a response. 

Hawaii has struggled to attract the same number of tourists it did before the pandemic, including during this year’s summer season. So far, airlines serving the island have made do by canceling only interisland travel, but antsy tourists have still been rescheduling their trips.

“Some visitors decided to cancel entirely, while others we were able to reassure and keep on track. Honestly, this kind of disruption is the last thing Hawaii tourism needs right now. October was one of the slowest months I’ve ever seen, and November isn’t looking much better,” Bruce Fisher, Hawaii travel adviser and owner of Hawaii Aloha Travel, told SFGATE in an email. “It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what’s driving it, but the steady stream of negative travel headlines from FAA cuts to general uncertainty seems to make people more hesitant to book. We’re hopeful things will turn around soon, but it’s definitely been a challenging stretch.”

On Tuesday, airlines at Daniel Inouye International Airport canceled 18 flights, according to FlightAware, predominantly interisland flights, in an effort to keep flights to and from the continental U.S. intact.

“So far, the airlines serving Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) have met FAA requirements by canceling inter-island flights. We are hopeful that everything will continue to go smoothly as the requirement increases to 10 percent this Friday,” Caroline Anderson, interim president and CEO of Hawaii Tourism Authority, told SFGATE in an email. 

Although the shutdown appears to be nearing an end, experts and airlines have cautioned that travelers should prepare for potential further flight disruptions throughout the week.

“The pace of recovery is likely to vary across airports and carriers, often unfolding on a case-by-case basis over several days following the formal resolution,” Ahmed Abdelghany, associate dean for research at the David B. O’Maley College of Business at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, told USA Today.