QUESTION: Is it possible to find out just how long a walk it is from United Airlines to baggage claim at Honolulu Airport? The website doesn’t really help; it just says follow the signs. I’m 73, travel alone and, because of arthritis, walk with a cane. By the way, the Wiki Wiki Shuttle is an embarrassment and useless for me. One has to be really agile to climb up and down out of it. Last year I managed to get into it but almost fell getting out. Nobody offered to assist me. Such a letdown. When I travel next month, I’d like better details.
ANSWER: Depending on which gate you arrive at, your walk will range from 100 to 1,200 feet, according to Caroline Sluyter, spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation.
United flights are normally parked at Gates 6 to 13 at the Diamond Head Concourse.
From Gates 12 and 13, the distance is about 100 feet to the nearest baggage claim area; from Gate 6, the farthest gate, the distance is 1,200 feet.
Sluyter said the gate a plane is assigned to depends on arrival time and the number of gates already in use.
Based on your situation, the DOT recommends using your airline’s skycap (porter) services.
Upon request, airlines will provide assistance to passengers with special needs, including transport to and from a gate, Sluyter said.
“The skycaps are trained to provide assistance for all forms of disabilities and can provide wheelchairs, assist with luggage and other services as necessary,” she said.
For United, skycap assistance can be arranged by calling 800-228-2744. You’re advised to call well in advance of your trip.
We called the number and asked whether there was any charge for services and was told there is no charge but that tips are appreciated. Skycaps basically work for tips.
Meanwhile, “We sincerely apologize for your experience with the Wiki Wiki Shuttle,” Sluyter said. “Our drivers are trained to be as attentive to our passengers’ needs as possible, and we will continue working toward improving the system for our residents and visitors.”
In addition to Wiki Wiki trams, she said a free intra-airport shuttle bus system is available from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily to transport passengers between terminals. It stops at the main lobby area, outlying gates, baggage claim and the Interisland Terminal.
The majority of these smaller shuttle buses are accessible with lifts or ramps.
Arriving passengers will be met on the roadway outside their gates after deplaning. Sluyter said to make sure a shuttle bus is there when you arrive, call the Visitor Information Program at 836-6413 with your flight information.
QUESTION: Did the state Department of Land and Natural Resources recover the taxpayer money it used to remove the grounded sailboat from Maunalua Bay?
ANSWER: Not yet.
It cost DLNR’s Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation $19,800 to have the boat removed by Parker Marine. The boat’s owner was sent a “demand for payment” letter in April.
If there is no response or payment, the matter will be referred to the state attorney general’s office for collection, said DLNR spokeswoman Deborah Ward.
After the boat went aground, the owner was notified he had 72 hours to remove it. Because his insurance said his policy did not cover groundings, the owner was not able to remove the boat, forcing DLNR to step in (see is.gd/B2fKrG).
DLNR’s coral ecologist assessed the area after the boat was removed and found some damage to the “hard rock substrate” but otherwise “not a lot of coral damage.” The boat owner was not penalized for that.
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