Allegiant Air risks losing allegiance

When Allegiant Air first arrived in the Hawaii marketplace there was a lot of celebrating about the increase in "lift" — the capacity to bring tourists here.

Without a doubt, the discount carrier, whose business model is shuttling folks from smaller cities to vacation destinations, has achieved that.

Lately, though, mechanical problems in the fleet have meant that many of these additional visitors have been unhappy campers. Most recently this affected more than 1,700 visitors.

True, the airline gave the stranded travelers hotel rooms, meal vouchers and discounts off future flights. But that won’t neutralize all the bad feelings, some of which rub off on the whole Hawaii experience.

We hope that Allegiant solves its recurring maintenance issues, and not just for its own sake.

At least we don’t tax Social Security

Hawaii has long been known as a good place to retire, but U.S. News and World Report now rates Honolulu as the second-worst place in the nation to do that.

While recognizing "some tax perks for retirees," the magazine cites the long distance to fly and "lots of things that are more expensive." Also, citizens age 60 and older "spend $2,118 per month on housing if they have a mortgage and $539 in other monthly costs if they have paid off their house."

The median cost of living in an assisted living facility is $3,815 a month; for a semi-private room in a nursing home, $303 per day.

The only place worse for retirees is Bridgeport, Conn., the magazine says.

Unlike Hawaii, Connecticut is one of only 14 states that taxes Social Security income.