| Hawaii Diary 2001 | |
The International Terminal at Kennedy International Airport is, quite frankly, a dreary place. Devoid of windows in
the gate area as well as any other amenities other than a few snack and soda
machines. This is a sharp contrast to what is found in many other airports and
quite different from what the traveler will find when they arrive at Honolulu
International Airport with its open walkways, expansive windows and overall
brightness.
Kennedy is in desperate need of a major facelift. Much of the airport dates
back to the 1960's and the entire International Terminal very much still has
that 70's feel. Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays' "Air Cruise" to Hawaii departs from
this location. The service is operated by ATA (American Trans Air, Inc.) which is not
to be confused with AirTran Airways (formerly Value Jet). ATA has operated for 26 years
and is a major carrier operating over 60 aircraft with an exceptional customer
service and safety record. It is the major charter airline for military
transport, which is most likely why it departs from the International Terminal. The ATA Customer Service Representatives at check-in are exceptionally
friendly and helpful. Pleasant Holidays takes pride in the friendly
customer-service oriented presentation of their trips. The ATA personnel on
the ground and those in the flight crew are excellent representatives for both
their company and Pleasant Holidays. I found them to be much friendlier and
helpful than flight crews on the more well known domestic carriers. ATA's and Pleasant Holidays' literature recommends check-in at least two hour
prior to departure. I checked-in three hours prior to departure and failed to
heed the ATA customer service representative's advice not to go to the gate area
until about an hour before flight time. Having gone through very strict security
at the gate, however, where both of my carry-on bags were hand checked
thoroughly, I was not prepared to leave the passenger-only area and have to face
security for a second time. The prior evening's flight from Honolulu arrived on time at 8:00 am. Only
about 80 passengers made the trip from Honolulu. The L1011 seats in excess of
300 people. It's always interesting to watch the expressions on the faces of
folks returning from an Hawaiian vacation. Those who arrived in shorts and
t-shirts were in for a real shock when they faced the frigid New York weather. Passengers for the 10:00 am outgoing flight to Honolulu began to arrive
around 8:30 am. That is also about when the ATA and Pleasant Holidays
representatives arrived. A hula dancer and Hawaiian guitar player provided live
entertainment at the gate as travelers waiting to board. Today's outgoing flight had only 83 passengers, including a vice-president of Pleasant Holidays. This new "Air Cruise" service
began from Chicago and New York in December. I am told that the Chicago flights
are currently more heavily booked that the flights out of New York. This is not
surprising for a new venture, however. On the shuttle from the hotel to the
airport this morning I did hear a radio advertisement for this new
service. It appears clear that Pleasant Holidays is making a distinct effort to build
the service and fill the plane. For now, at least, you can book very
affordable round-trip airfare to Hawaii and as an added bonus have lots of room
to spread out on the plane. That, however, is surely not to last once word gets
out about the price and quality of the service. My best guess is that six months
from now these flights will be booked solid on a daily basis. Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays' "Air Cruise" to Hawaii is so named with
the thought that a flight to the islands should feature an exceptionally high
level of service, much like you would find on a cruise ship. The flight from New York to Honolulu covers 5006 miles in a little over 10
hours. The L1011 cruises at an altitude of 39,000 feet while using just over
26,000 gallons of jet fuel. The plane being utilized was purchased from Royal
Jordanian Airlines and refurbished by ATA specifically for Pleasant Hawaiian
Holidays. The only signs of the prior owner is the occasional Arabic that you
will find engraved on certain permanent metallic surfaces. In-flight amenities include a hot towel service, a hot breakfast and snack, multiple
water and drink services, live entertainment and continuous
sky-channel
service including two free movies and specific Hawaii related material. A ten hour flight, however, is hard on the body. It is highly recommended
that you wear loose fitted clothing (your body swells in the pressurized cabin),
drink plenty of non-alcoholic fluids, and get up, stretch and walk around the
cabin as much as possible. Is Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays' "Air Cruise" to Hawaii worthwhile?
Absolutely! It's economical and offers service equal or exceeding that offered
by the major air carriers. In Part 3 of our Hawaii Diary
2001 we'll introduce you to the Sheraton Hotels on O'ahu and we'll report on our
eco-tour of O'ahu with Mauka Makai Excursions.
