Kalaupapa Airfares to Drop
Kalaupapa airfares should drop significantly in the coming month, according to a news release from the office of Senator Daniel Inouye. Makani Kai Air Charters was designated last week to provide federally subsidized service to and from the settlement for two years.
Patients and residents had been distraught over inconsistent service and high costs – averaging slightly more than $500 per round trip from the settlement – provided by Pacific Wings in recent years. Although the details of the upcoming schedule and cost per trip to Honolulu or topside Molokai are still in the works, Department of Health Kalaupapa Administrator Mark Miller said the change should take effect within two to three weeks.
There has been “quite the buzz” about the news in the settlement, he said.