E. Hawaii needs more options for flights
I was disappointed to see that there was no talk of adding on later flights from Honolulu to Hilo or a direct flight from Hilo to the West Coast in (the Dec. 11) front-page article, “Hawaiian to take over Seattle-based routes, add airplanes and crews.”
The east side of Hawaii Island is significantly disenfranchised with the lack of travel options for residents to and from Honolulu in the evening.
A late-night route should be added to allow residents to enjoy a day in the city for shopping or visiting family and friends and be able to return home to Hilo after dinner.
Right now, the latest return flight leaves Honolulu at 7:35 p.m., which means you’d have to wrap up your plans and be heading to the airport before dinnertime. For those who have to commute to Oahu regularly for work or health care appointments, it is a significant challenge to battle the traffic at that time, and if you miss that last flight out, you are out of luck.
For those doing longer-distance travel, if your connecting return flight to Oahu arrives after 6 p.m. you are left searching for a hotel or frantically calling relatives and unable to fly home until the next day.
When the direct United Airlines flight to California ceased during the pandemic and was never reinstated, many of us hoped Hawaiian Airlines would step in to fill the gap. This merger with Alaska Airlines seems to be a good opportunity to reinstate an alternative for those of us on the east side whose only options now are driving to and from Kona and paying for parking or flying in and out of Honolulu and adding multiple hours and dollars onto our travel plans.
I’m urging all East Hawaii residents who feel similarly to reach out to Hawaiian/Alaska Airlines and encourage them to add on a late evening interisland option for Hilo and consider a direct flight to the West Coast out of Hilo.
Please contact Jacob.aki@alaskaair.com to share your ideas on how they could improve flight options for Hilo.
Jenn Kagiwada
County Council
member, District 2 (Hilo)
Nine points in response to letter to the editor
This is in response to Dave Chrisman’s letter in the Dec. 10 issue.
Dave, please review the following facts.
1. There hasn’t been an open border since the 1940s.
2. The transgender “issue” is purely a political weapon. Transgender population is about 1.6%, and transgender women competing in sports is less than 0.008%.
3. Donald Trump set up the circumstances in Afghanistan, then handed it off to Joe Biden.
4. The U.S. produced more crude oil in 2023 than any nation at any time ever.
5. Climate change is a fact, according to reputable scientists.
6. Division and hate are spoken by Trump on a regular basis. The only “hateful” thing Biden has said was his pre-election “garbage” comment in response to the offensive comments made by a “comedian” at the Trump Madison Square Garden rally.
7. Relatively few immigrants, legal or not, are criminals. A victim of violence in this country is far more likely to be the target of an American citizen than an immigrant.
8. As of 2024, according to the American Immigration Council, 46% of all Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children.
9. Trump won because the GOP planned well through voter suppression and willfully ignorant Americans.
The facts are there if you look for them in historically reputable sources.
Karen Cooper
Hilo