Many of you have seen pricing increase especially around the holidays. For some this is going to be a time for overall increases. With higher fuel and operation costs, airlines have been slowly increasing airfare. Southwest was the latest airline to do this; however, theirs wasn’t as bad as what we typically see from the major airlines. This latest increase was only $2-$5 each way only domestic flights only. But is this a sign of things to come for international travel or when they finally being service to Hawaii.
Mandatory Evacuations on Big Island
Hawaii's Mt. Kilauea volcano has erupted on the Big Island of Hawaii. It was also reported that earthquakes could be felt proir to the eruption. One of the subdivisions has been ordered to evacuate, affecting over 1,800 people. In these areas, it has also been noted that there is very high levels of sulfur dioxide gas causing even more concern. Even one of the other nearby craters has colapsed causing even more earthquakes. Kilauea located at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park has shut off this part of the park but the rest of the park is still open to the public, but is giving warning to those entering the park in case of the immediate need to evacuate.
Southwest Receives Landing Permit...in Hawaii
Last week Southwest received from the Hawaiian Department of Transport the permission to land in Honolulu. This is the first step to bring service to the Hawaiian Islands. The airlines is working on clearance to flying the Trans-Pacific route. It is still anticipated that service will begin sometime in 2018 but no other details have been released. We do know that the flight will originate somewhere on the West Coast, and if I had to take an educated guess, i would say service would be from Los Angeles, given the fact that we have seen expanded service to/from the LA area in recent months.
New Terminal and Ship for Carnival in Los Angeles
Growing up in Los Angeles most of my childhood, there were lots of things to do. One of those things was taking a quick trip on #Carnival out of #LongBeach (Los Angeles) for a 3 or 4 night cruise. We've seen lots of new ships and renovations to many of the Florida ports but never for Los Angeles. Well that has changed! Carnival has updated and renovated it's terminal at the Port of Long Beach and now for the first time in 20 years, there will be a new ship coming to make its new home - #CarnivalPanorama. It is scheduled to arrive in November 2019 with a tentative itinerary to the Pacific side of the Mexican Riviera.
With the news of Southwest now going offer year round nonstop flights to Los Angeles, to complete with #AmericanAirlines you may have easier access to these cruises.
Omaha to Angels
It was announced last week that #Southwest Airlines will expand it's nonstop service from #Omaha to #LosAngeles from a seasonal basis to year round. The schedule will vary upon season but now you have more access to the West Coast. I wonder if this is going to help coincide with the new service to #Hawaii later this year?? Hmm....
Passport "Fees" set to increase
The State Department has reviewed the costs involved to create and maintain Passports so effective April 2nd, it will cost $10 more to get and renew your Passport. With the issues involving the REAL ID Act, many more people are opting to get a Passport for both domestic and international travel. (Mind you, a Passport is required to fly internationally). If you have been considering getting your Passport or needing to renew it, you will want to get on it sooner than later, or it will cost you more in the end.
City of Brotherly Love is a nonstop flight away
American Airlines recently announced that it will begin new nonstop service to 6 cities starting June 7th. Two of those cities are Omaha and Des Moines. I have already seen how this will benefit us in getting to international destinations like Cancun and London. There could be either some short or long layover times but in the end it does keep a few more dollars in your pocket. In the case of one client, they could meet in Philadelphia and fly over to Europe together and not have to find a common connecting city. In certain cases, I've seen Des Moines offer slightly lower pricing because they are closer to the East which means less time and fuel lost/used.
Cruises & Tourism comes back to San Juan
Unless you have been under a rock or in living off the grid, you know that #PuertoRico got hit not once but twice but hurricanes in the month of September. At one point, 95% of the island was without power. Progress is being made but many of the rural areas of the island are still struggling without power, clean water and basic supplies.
Not taking into account all the things being said in the media, Puerto Rico has done a lot to bring back one of it's main sources of income - tourism. Today, December 20th, was the official "Grand Re-Opening" of the island to tourists after Irma & Maria. One cruise line, #RoyalCaribbean, did start sailing again on a limited basis back in October, most of the major cruise lines that have San Juan as it's home port, began normal service back in November and saw over 7000 cruisers on the 30th alone. There are and were great deals for those who are willing to sail from San Juan through the end of December to the first week of January.
As of now, there are close to 100 hotels now open in the San Juan area taking reservations for those who still want to come in or stay after their cruise. After all these people have gone through, they are standing strong together with a lot of help from celebrities and those who see them as equals and US Citizens. Please consider sailing from San Juan on your next cruise - it isn't just for your entertainment or relaxation but to help a culture rebuild. #PuertoRicoRelief
New service to Milwaukee
Earlier in November, very quietly, new nonstop service began to Milwaukee with a company called OneJet. Now, this isn't your typical commercial flight. You can't find this on any public site or any travel site. The service is called first class service for the price of coach. You are on a private plane with 7 seats between Omaha and Milwaukee. There are only two flights per day and from what I have seen, it cost around $400 roundtrip. Also, the service is only Monday -Friday to serve primarily the business traveler. OneJet was founded by the former CEO of Midwest Express and many of the board members were once a part of Midwest Express. They hope that this is just the beginning for OneJet out of Omaha. I guess time will tell.
Twice a day nonstop service to Milwaukee