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.

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is demanding a seat at the table as Gov. Josh Green works to negotiate new military training land leases with the federal government.

OHA Chair Kai Kahele said there is time to bring the public and Native Hawaiians into the process, despite the governor’s concerns about federal condemnation of the properties.

The Army secretary said he wanted to settle new training leases in Hawaii by the end of the year. Green has interpreted this as a threat that the federal government might take the properties unilaterally.

OHA calls for meaningful participation

“Native Hawaiians want a seat at the table, and it’s very important that Native Hawaiian voices are part of, not just discussion in an advisory capacity,” Kahele said Tuesday morning on Hawaii News Now Sunrise.

Green returned from meetings with the Trump administration in October with plans to have a negotiating team in place by now. He has already outlined a $10 billion list of demands in return for new leases.

“I don’t want the federal government to act unilaterally and doing a taking,” he said on Oct. 21. “I don’t want them to condemn our lands, I want them to go through the regular process, but I have heard from them directly that they intend to take the opportunity because of national security concerns.”

Timeline concerns

Kahele questioned the short timeline, noting the current leases don’t expire until 2029.

“It seems that this fear and notion that condemnation is not only possible but inevitable is what seems to be the driving all of these decisions, which are rushed,” Kahele said.

In a letter, Kahele said the “compressed timeline sidelines both the OHA and the general public—who have rights to notice and participation … and the Legislature.”

Kahele pointed out the U.S. Senate has already drafted a negotiating process in the in National Defense Authorization Act that would last until 2031. Congressman Ed Case is involved in drafting that legislation in the U.S. House.

“I’ve been involved in this myself in terms of trying to fund out of appropriations, a process by which people would at least discuss it with each other,” Case said. “But it’s absolutely critical that everybody feel that they had a say in it.”

Governor’s response

The governor’s office issued a statement saying “The Governor will be convening an advisory group made up of key community members and Native Hawaiian leaders, including OHA, over the next two weeks.”

Kahele said OHA wants more than an advisory role.

“We do not want to be a token advisory group that does not have a seat at the table and is not taken seriously and does not have a vote,” Kahele said.

Native Hawaiians and OHA have leverage in the situation because the state constitution requires they be considered, consulted and compensated for any use of lands that were part of the overthrown kingdom.

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