Lost in Kalaeloa

Mokulele Airlines’ high hopes for the first-ever commercial service out of Kalaeloa Airport have soured because of an issue beyond the company’s control: Passengers can’t find the airport.

Chief Executive Officer Ron Hansen said the state Department of Transportation has failed to live up to its promise to install freeway and road signs that would direct passengers to the airport.

"Bookings are not what we expected," Hansen said last week. "We’ve had a lot of no-shows because people miss the flight because they can’t find the airport."

Mokulele began offering three round-trip flights a day to Kahului on July 1 out of the former Barbers Point Naval Air Station.

Hansen said the biggest complaint he’s received from passengers is that they can’t find the airport.

"We’ve asked the DOT to put up the normal airport signs that occur all over the 50 states and they’ve yet to do that," Hansen said. "We’ve asked and asked and asked. We’ve even put up little signs ourselves — like campaign signs — but the community takes them down because they’re not approved."

There’s no airport sign on H-1 instructing drivers to turn off Exit 2 and head toward Kalaeloa. And even if drivers negotiate that exit, the road to the airport constitutes a series of merges and turns through some unpopulated areas before reaching the facility.

"I’m not very happy with the way the state supports this operation," Hansen said. "When people miss their flights because they don’t know where the airport is, it doesn’t help us at all. I just wish the state would do what it’s supposed to do. Unless you’re in the military, you don’t know where it’s at."

In spite of the difficulty finding the airport, Mokulele has decided to add more flights from Kalaeloa. On Oct. 20 Mokulele plans to begin three daily round trips between Kalaeloa and Hoolehua, Molokai, and two daily round trips between Kalaeloa and Kapalua, Maui.

Ross Higashi, deputy director of airports for the state Department of Transportation, said Friday that the DOT plans to post directional signage to Kalaeloa Airport and is coordinating with the City & County of Honolulu and other state agencies on exact installation locations.

"Jurisdiction over five main roads approaching the airport from the west side, including Boxer Road and Midway Street, belongs to the city," Higashi said via email. "The main approach from the east side, Enterprise Avenue, belongs to the state, and other smaller roads in the same area are split among the city and various state departments. A signage plan is being developed, along with a timetable for installation."

In the meantime, Hansen said, Mokulele’s Kalaeloa operation is suffering.

"We’re somewhere in the 50 percent or above (level for filling seats)," he said. "We have to be in the 70 percent to 80 percent range. To keep the fares low, you’ve got to be up in that level."

One-way fares range from $68 to $112.50 between Kalaeloa and Kahului. Introductory rates between Kalaeloa and Molokai are $44 each way, and Kalaeloa-Kapalua flights are $64 one way.

Hansen cautioned that if the state doesn’t follow through with the highway and road signs, Mokulele, which worked for a year to inaugurate service at Kalaeloa Airport, might need to pull out.

"If it doesn’t get any better, I would say it’s a good possibility," Hansen said. "Nobody wants to lose money. You can only lose money for so long. It’s a small part of our business, and so far we’ve been successful with all of our other routes, and this is disappointing. There’s no airport in the state unmarked. Even in Hana, everyone knows where the airport is at."

Kona-based Mokulele, which has nine nine-seat Cessna Grand Caravan turboprops, is planning to bring in an additional Caravan later this month and another one in November to increase the fleet size to 11 planes. The airline, which has about 4 percent of the interisland market, operates out of nine airports to five islands and has about 115 flights a day.

Mike McCartney, president and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority, said flights out of Kalaeloa Airport fill an important void.

"It provides an alternative to Honolulu and it helps to diversify the options for our visitors and residents — especially neighbor island lifts," he said. "It also helps for the long-term development of the west side and Ko Olina. For example, somebody could fly to Maui and spend a few days there and fly back to Kalaeloa and go back home. So it provides options for neighbor island diversification. For those individuals who live in the second city, it’s a positive alternative than to drive all the way to Honolulu International Airport."

Higashi, the state DOT official, said the agency also is happy to see service out of Kalaeloa.

"DOT is pleased that the interisland service at Kalaeloa Airport provides an alternative for West Oahu residents to the traditional commute required to reach Honolulu International," he said. "The service will generate additional revenues for the airports system and help it to remain financially self-sufficient."

Hansen suggests the plaudits can go only so far without action, and said he’s frustrated about the state’s lack of support for Mokulele at Kalaeloa Airport.

"We invest a lot of money in these flights — a considerable amount of money — and it’s like we’re playing with one hand tied behind our back," he said. "When people can’t find the airport, how do you expect an airline to survive? We just hope the state does its part.

"We can’t live with this cooperation. Here’s an airport worth hundreds of millions of dollars in assets that the state owns and they’re not promoting it. They’re dooming us to failure if passengers don’t know where it’s located."