Hawaii’s three largest airlines have extended to mid-December the travel-by date what is being called their lowest fare sale ever — $9 tickets on interisland flights — after consumers sucked up nearly all of the carriers’ cheapest seats for summer travel within one day of the initial offerings.
Mesa initiated the Web-only sale, which Hawaiian and Aloha quickly matched seat-for-seat, as well as the travel-by extension from Sept. 30 to Dec. 15. The offer is valid on a limited number of seats on daily flights through Sept. 30 and flights on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from Oct. 1 to Dec. 15; some blackout dates apply. Travel must be booked by June 1.
The dog-eat-dog fare war began a year ago when Go went into service with fares as low as $19. The newcomer has since made $39 tickets the norm, and the legacy airlines have matched. A study commissioned by Aloha Airlines concluded that airlines lose money when they charge less than $50 a seat.
Hawaiian lost nearly $12 million during its first quarter, which ended March 31; Go’s parent, Mesa, lost $24 million during its second quarter, also ending March 31. Meanwhile, Aloha lost $8.5 million during fourth quarter 2006.
By Margaret Myre
Courtesy of www.travelweekly.com
