Mokulele Not in the Clear Yet

By Jack Kiyonaga, Editor

While Mokulele has resumed commercial flights to Molokai, residents are still dealing with prolonged delays, flight cancellations and a frustrating lack of communication from the airline. In a recent interview with KHON news, Ed Sniffen from the Hawaii Dept. of Transportation explained that Mokulele is only at about 50 percent flight capacity right now and that it will take approximately six weeks before Mokulele flights are back to normal.

Currently, Molokai community members and representatives are heading efforts to try to bring better flight service to the island. Molokai’s Tylor Tanaka is helping lead this process by collecting hard data on flight delays and cancellations experienced by residents.

“We’re gathering tangible data that we can use to plead our case not just at the county level, but at the federal level as well,” explained Tanaka.

Tanaka is circulating a survey intended for anyone who has been affected by Mokulele’s flight service since Jan. 15. He is asking for specific dates, costs, reason for travel as well as what additional routes and travel options people had to find.

Tanaka plans on presenting the data to Molokai representatives like U.S. Senators Brian Schatz and Mazie Hirono, U.S. Representatives Ed Case and Jill Tokuda, and Hawaii State Senator Lynn DeCoite and Hawaii State Representative Mahina Poepoe.

“We want to be able to say ‘hey look at this, look at what is happening here,” said Tanaka. “We want to show them also that we are resilient, and we find solutions on our own, but of course we could use their help.”

Tokuda has been engaging in conversations with the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), specifically looking at leveraging Mokulele’s Essential Air Service (EAS) contracts.

“I have been in conversation with multiple federal agencies about any and all remedies we have to prevent these lapses in service and explore alternative options to keep our neighbor island communities connected,” said Tokuda.

“In conversations with the USDOT, I have asked them to consider a delay of award or shorten their upcoming EAS contracts for Kalaupapa and Kamuela in order to give them the most flexibility and options in selecting a carrier. I also requested that they consider going out earlier to solicit new contracts for existing EAS routes if carriers have not been able to live up to the terms of their agreements. At my request, USDOT included reporting requirements in their most recent EAS contract for Lanai in order for there to be accountability on the consistency and reliability of their routes,” explained Tokuda.

“We will continue to work with USDOT on requiring contingency plans to prevent lapses in services as a part of future EAS contracts. This is a complicated and challenging issue that will require collaboration between state, federal, and private stakeholders, but our residents deserve nothing less than the ability to get safely to and from their island home.”

One potential competitor for Mokulele could be Pacific Air Charters, which filed to begin commercial flights to Molokai back in June 2024, according to Sniffen. However, flights from Pacific Air Charters won’t be operational for at least one to two years while they complete FAA certification requirements.

Find Tanaka’s survey at forms.gle/yDQ2Hpw9Adma1WW79. The deadline for the survey is Jan. 28.