More than 1,700 Allegiant Air passengers traveling between Honolulu and the mainland were delayed as much as two days due to airplane mechanical problems that began Friday and continued through Monday.
The low-cost carrier, which connects travelers primarily from secondary cities to leisure markets, said the last of the affected nine flights was scheduled to arrive at 3:21 a.m. today in Las Vegas.
Other flights delayed from Honolulu were bound for Fresno, Calif; Phoenix/Mesa; Boise, Idaho; and Stockton, Calif. Inbound flights affected were from Spokane, Wash.; Stockton; Boise; and Phoenix/Mesa.
Allegiant spokesman Brian Davis said Monday the delays were due to unrelated mechanical problems involving three 223-seat Boeing 757s.
Inconvenienced passengers who live more than 50 miles from the airport were provided hotel rooms, meal vouchers and discounts ranging from $50 to $200 off of future flights, Davis said.
"To the best of our knowledge, all the mechanical issues have been resolved at this point," Davis said Monday afternoon. "We anticipate a normal schedule moving forward."
The longest delay — nearly 52 hours — involved the Honolulu-Las Vegas flight carrying 173 passengers that was supposed to depart Honolulu Airport at 2:45 p.m. Saturday. It finally departed Honolulu at 6:35 p.m. Monday.
In November, Allegiant was plagued by similar problems when three planes were grounded overnight due to mechanical problems, and 662 passengers’ trips were delayed by as much as 26 hours. One of the routes was from Stockton to Honolulu, while the other two were from Bellingham, Wash. — one to Honolulu and the other to Maui.
Allegiant’s latest travel woes began Friday when a Honolulu-Fresno flight carrying 167 passengers was delayed nearly 11 hours. It was scheduled to depart Friday at 12:20 p.m. but didn’t leave Honolulu until 11:15 p.m. Saturday.
Besides the Las Vegas and Fresno flights, other affected outbound flights from Hawaii were:
» Honolulu-Stockton (210 passengers), scheduled to depart Saturday at 1:45 p.m.; departed Sunday at 12:45 a.m. Total delay: 11 hours.
» Honolulu-Boise (201 passengers), scheduled to depart Saturday at 12:45 p.m.; departed Sunday at 2:54 p.m. Total delay: 26 hours, 9 minutes.
» Honolulu-Phoenix/Mesa (178 passengers), scheduled to depart Sunday at 1:20 p.m.; departed Monday at 8 a.m. Total delay: 18 hours, 40 minutes.
Inbound flights affected were:
» Spokane-Honolulu (217 passengers), scheduled to depart Saturday at 8 a.m.; departed Saturday at 5:45 p.m. Total delay: 9 hours, 45 minutes.
» Stockton-Honolulu (191 passengers), scheduled to depart Sunday at 9:30 a.m.; departed Sunday at 8:20 p.m. Total delay: 10 hours, 50 minutes.
» Boise-Honolulu (160 passengers), scheduled to depart Sunday at 11:45 a.m.; departed Monday at 1:50 p.m. Total delay: 26 hours, 5 minutes.
» Phoenix/Mesa-Honolulu (207 passengers), scheduled to depart Monday at 11:50 a.m.; departed Monday at 6:27 p.m. Total delay: 6 hours, 37 minutes.
Las Vegas-based Allegiant said all affected passengers were given the option to reschedule or cancel their ticket at no additional cost. Passengers with questions are asked to call 702-505-8888.
"We never want to delay or inconvenience our customers, but the safety of our passengers and crew is our No. 1 priority," Allegiant said in a statement.
