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Makani Kai Air, which has only about 0.5 percent of the state’s interisland market, is expanding its service to Molokai beginning June 1 by adding flights out of two airports on Maui.
The Honolulu-based carrier said Tuesday it will offer six daily round-trip flights between Kahului and Hoolehua and also will fly twice a week between Kapalua on Maui and Kalaupapa on Molokai. The company is offering an introductory $39 one-way fare between Maui and Molokai for tickets booked before July 1 that will be used for travel before Sept. 1. The introductory fare flights must be booked online at MakaniKaiAir.com. The regular price will be $50 each way.
Makani Kai Air, which flies nine-seat Cessna Grand Caravan single-engine turboprops, began offering flights between Oahu and Molokai in June 2013 for $50 each way. The airline offers eight daily round trips to Hoolehua and flies twice daily to Kalaupapa.
The local commuter had a 19 percent share of the Molokai market as of Aug. 31, the latest available data from the state Department of Transportation’s Airports Division. Mokulele Airlines had 43 percent, and ‘Ohana by Hawaiian had 38 percent.
"Ours is a customer-driven business," Makani Kai President Richard Schuman said in a statement. "We are responding to our Molokai customers who want to fly with Makani Kai Air to Maui. They want that same level of superior customer service. Plus, our one-rate fixed airfare has proven popular with the people of Molokai. There’s no guessing or hunting for lower fares. … It’s always the same $50 rate, no matter what day of the week or the time of the flight."
‘Ohana by Hawaiian currently flies to Molokai from Honolulu, while Mokulele Airlines services Molokai from Oahu, Maui and Hawaii island. Island Air dropped service to Molokai in April 2014.
In December 2013 state Health Department Director Loretta Fuddy was killed when a Makani Kai Grand Caravan carrying eight passengers and the pilot lost power and crash-landed in the ocean about a half-mile off Molokai’s north shore after taking off from Kalaupapa. The other seven passengers and the pilot survived.
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COURTESY MAKANI KAI AIR