Environment

With Mokulele Grounded Again, Molokai Rallies Around Local Boat Captains

Thursday, January 23rd, 2025

When news of Mokulele’s shutdown spread on Wednesday, Jan. 15 Molokai residents were alarmed, but somewhat prepared. After years of inconsistent flight service, suffuse with frustrating delays and surprise cancellations, residents have become unfortunately familiar with this sort of transportation crisis. Mokulele went through a similar shutdown period just this past August when issues found in routine maintenance inspection led to a company enforced grounding for several days.

Following Wednesday’s shutdown, the need to travel for critical medical appointments, work, student sports and more sent Molokai residents scrambling. Like a well-oiled machine, residents took to Facebook to organize transportation via boat.…

Mokulele Looks to ‘Turn the Corner’

Thursday, October 31st, 2024

“What we’re doing right now is unacceptable,” explained Louis Saint-Cyr, president of Hawaii operations for Surf Air Mobility, which operates Mokulele Airlines. For flight-weary Molokai, residents have faced years of prolonged delays and last-minute cancellations from the sole airline provider. Now, explained Saint-Cyr, Mokulele is “out of chances.”

Saint-Cyr is the newest head of operations for Mokulele, which was acquired by Surf Air Mobility earlier this year. With new management comes a new plan for success.

Saint-Cyr laid out a straight-forward two-part strategy before a group of Molokai residents at a small meeting on Oct. 22: add more planes and fix the budget.…

Ferry Talks Continue 

Friday, October 25th, 2024

Molokai residents had a final chance to voice ideas and feedback on bringing back the Molokai ferry. The Maui County Ferry Feasibility Study began over the summer, with the idea of creating a publicly run ferry system for Maui County like the MEO bus. The Maui Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), which helps plan transportation projects for Maui County, will put forward the proposal to the county council early next year.

Following a community meeting and survey back in July, the Maui MPO was back on Molokai to share results and attain feedback on potential proposals. 

“What we heard is that ferry service is vital,” said Kaunoe Batangan, executive director of Maui MPO.…

Alaska-Hawaiian Airlines Merge, Will Molokai Benefit?

Thursday, September 26th, 2024

Alaska Airlines completed the purchase of Hawaiian Airlines with a $1.9 billion deal on Sept. 18. The merger was proposed last December and approved by the U.S. Dept. of Transportation on Sept. 17 with certain stipulations including continued neighbor island flights and support for Essential Air Service (EAS). While the deal will affect many travel options in and out of Hawaii, it will not change the transportation reality for Molokai.

Incoming CEO of Hawaiian, Joe Sprague, explained in an interview with the Dispatch that he is “feeling the heavy responsibility associated with bringing these two companies together…and is hopeful about the future.”…

Mokulele Temporarily Grounded, Wins Lanai EAS Bid

Thursday, August 29th, 2024

Last weekend, Mokulele Airlines grounded most of its fleet of planes, canceling flights for up to four days and stranding passengers across Hawaii. On Aug. 17, a letter to customers from Louis Saint-Cyr, president of Hawaii operations for Mokulele’s new managing company Surf Air Mobility, explained the cause of the service disruption as due to “potential discrepancies in the documentation of a recent landing gear servicing on one of our aircraft.”

A precautionary decision was made on Aug. 17 to halt most of its flights across the state while Mokulele conducted “thorough inspections” of its fleet. As the flights slowed, Molokai social media buzzed with residents desperately looking for flights and seeking boat rides to or from Maui – an increasingly popular method of transportation for increasingly frustrated Molokai residents.…