$19 Hawai`i interisland airfare!!
 

Wow -- the "upstart" new island airline GO! just announced they'll be offering $19 inter-island fares. Tickets must be purchased by the end of September; travel must be done by end of February:
http://starbulletin.com/2006/09/22/news/story01.html

And according to this morning's TV news, Aloha Airlines has announced that they will match these fares. Wu-huuuu! We _love_ airfare wars here in Hawai`i!!! 8-)

Thanks so much for that tidbit!!

At that price, I might take a day trip to stock up at Big Island Candies when I'm out there....

I hate that place:-)

Too late to help us as we booked out flights in May.

However, just to torture myself, I checked out our flights to see what if and there were no seats available at $19 on either Aloha or Hawaiian so I don't feel too badly.
Debi

Everyone who booked an interisland at a higher fare, don't kick yourself too hard. Really low fares are offered all over the country from time to time, but they they're not that easy to actually get.

I just looked into the GO! fares. Here are some facts. The $19 doesn't include tax and there are black out dates:
Nov 9-12, 21-22, 25-27 and Dec 22-24, 29-30 2006. Book by Sept 30.
Once booked, fares are good thru Feb 28, 2007 to begin your travel, but travel has to be completed by Feb 28, 2007.
Changes are $20 plus the difference between the fare paid and the fare for the date that you are changing to. It's only avail on certain flights.

These deals pop up from time to time and sometimes the other airlines match.

I booked my Nov interisland flight in early Aug. for about $34 one way. I just checked it out and today it was $24. Yes a savings I would have liked, but not enough to cry over.

Aw rats! We booked our inter-island flights for February a couple months ago. I always debate with myself about waiting to book flights till closer to when we're leaving, but I eventually chicken out and book pretty early. Sigh . . .

What's the best way to go about booking inter-island airfare? We're traveling in May, so how far in advance would you recommend booking? I'd love to get your expert advice on this. Thanks!

Just beware flying the same day as your "mainland" flight. If you fly into HNL the same day you are flying to the mainland and the flight cancels or is delayed...you are not protected. If you miss your flight back to the mainland, you will be buying a new ticket home.

bwimmer~the best way to buy interisland air tickets is through the airlines webpages. if you join their ff club, you can save a few $$.
www.alohaairlines.com
www.hawaiianairlines.com
www.iflygo.com
contrary to what jal716 says, allow 2-3 hours for your interisland flight to HNL if leaving that same day. the flights are RARELY if ever cancelled, sometimes short delays and if coming from Maui or Kauai, there are flights almost every 1/2 hour and they will put you on the next flight IF there is a cancel/delay. Once you're in the interisland terminal, you just have to walk over to the main terminal or take the wiki-wiki shuttle and don't have to go through security again. there is NO need to overnight in HNL when flying home to the mainland.

Thanks for your advice. I was surprised to see that many of the inter-island flights are already sold out for travel in May. Is this uncommon? Do you know if more flights are added once the date gets closer, or should I hurry and book something to make sure I get a flight?

usually no more flights will be added., they are already at capacity with planes and gates. fridays and sundays are the busiest times as everyone who lives here is flying home or to visit another island also. i'd book now if you see that a lot of flights are already full. what islands are you going to?

We're flying from Maui to Kauai on a Tuesday, then back to Maui Sunday night.
Fares for those flights are around $75 each way; that seems high to me.

the reason it's more expensive is that it's 2 legs on most of the flights. maui to honolulu, short layover, then HNL to kauai and back. aloha does have a couple no layover flights but mostly with the layover. hawaiian is strictly with a layover in HNL. maybe the reason you are seeing it as sold out as it is the direct flights you are seeking. there seems to be one flight an hour from maui/hnl/kauai on both airlines and they shouldn't be all sold out this early. the layover is about 25 minutes and usually you won't even have to leave the plane. personally, i'd book now to play it safe, with two stops it's not going to go down to the $19.00 level.

bwimmer: Unfortunately, this fare offer has expired. You needed to book by Sept.30th.