What else can we do for ourselves?

With airlines ratcheting up fees on baggage and rolling out whatever new charge they can think up, it’s nice to see Hawaiian Air adding a time-saver to the mix.

Anyone who has taken advantage of online check-in by printing out tickets at home knows that this doesn’t shave off much time at check-in if you are also checking in bags. Now passengers will be able to do that themselves and move straight to security.

It’s all part of the self-service trend that technology has enabled, also evident at supermarket checkouts. And yes, this is a potential efficiency move for the airlines, which is probably why it’s happening. At least Hawaiian’s not tacking on a fee for this. Not yet, anyway.

Football is back; no, seriously

Are you ready for some football?

It’s back, though we’re talking here about arena football, the quick-paced game played on padded arena surfaces 50 yards long and 85 feet wide. Around since 1987, the Arena Football League this year has 14 teams playing a 20-week regular season being broadcast by the CBS Sports Network. Today’s featured game, at 1 p.m., is the Iowa Barnstormers at New Orleans VooDoo.

Hawaii athletes who have done well in the AFL include former University of Hawaii quarterback and assistant coach Nick Rolovich and former UH wide receiver Chad Owens, now a star in the Canadian Football League.

Hawaii even had its own arena football team once, the Hawaiian Islanders (in the af2), coached by Cal Lee, from 2002 to 2004, but tough finances put an end to that.