GREAT EATS HAWAII: mokulele airlines

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Saturday, January 9, 2016

MOKULELE AIRLINES - HONOLULU TO KAPALUA

MOKULELE AIRLINES

P.O. BOX 4409

KAILUA KONA, HI 96745

808-495-4188

866-260-7070

www.mokuleleairlines.com

No complaints flying from Honolulu to Kapalua Airport in West Maui via Mokulele. While I am not a fan of small planes, the flights were surprisingly smooth and comfortable. The only white knuckle moments are when you are on approach to Kapalua. The winds sometimes can make the plane do crazy things and the landing can be a bit bumpy. Our pilots did a fine job and the staff on the ground was friendly. I used Mokulele because they are one of the only airlines that has a direct flight from Honolulu to Kapalua. The alternative would be to fly into Kahului Airport on Hawaiian Air and then rent a car for the 45 minute drive to Kapalua. I like flying directly into Kapalua where you are minutes from the Ritz Carlton Hotel and Kapalua Golf Course where we were going to watch the Hyundai Tournament of Champions. Parking in Honolulu for Mokulele is great. There is a large lot directly in front of the terminal. The terminal is large and bright but very cold. For some crazy reason they set the thermostats in the sixties. The bar/restaurant in the commuter terminal does not open until 11:30 and there are no refreshments until then. The flight from Honolulu to Kapalua is about 45 minutes and the views from the airplane are amazing. Great way to see Hawaii. Cost was around $200 round trip. I used a single carryon bag so there was no additional fee for luggage.

I think this type of small airline has a place in Hawaii and is needed. They just need to improve the customer service experience.

MOKULELE AIRLINES - HONOLULU TO KAPALUA

MOKULELE IS LOCATED IN THE COMMUTER TERMINAL NEXT TO HONOLULU INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT. NICE SMALL TERMINAL WITH EASY ACCESS BUT THEY KEEP THE PLACE SO COLD.
BRING A JACKET IF YOU ARE STUCK IN THIS TERMINAL FOR A LAYOVER. SUCKS THAT THE STATE OF HAWAII WASTES SO MUCH ENERGY IN THE AIRPORTS BY SETTING THE THERMOSTATS SO LOW

SMALL NINE SEAT CESSNA AIRCRAFT WITH SINGLE ENGINE AND TWO PILOTS

EVERY SEAT HAS A WINDOW AND HEADPHONES WITH MUSIC

APPROACHING ISLAND OF MAUI NEAR KAANAPALI

KAPALUA IS NEAR

KAPALUA AIRPORT

KAPALUA AIRPORT HAS GREAT VIEW AND IS ONLY MINUTES FROM KAPALUA

VISITING KAPALUA TO WATCH THE HYUNDAI TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS GOLF TOURNAMENT

Sunday, January 11, 2015

MOKULELE AIRLINES - HONOLULU TO KAPALUA

MOKULELE AIRLINES

73-350 U'U STREET

KAILUA KONA, HI 96740

1-866-260-7070 Reservations

EMAIL: customercare@mokuleleairlines.com

www.mokuleleairlines.com

I normally fly Hawaiian Airlines to Kahului, Maui and then drive the 40 minute drive to Kapalua. With limited time on this trip I decided to book Mokulele Airlines because they have direct flights from Honolulu to Kapalua. Kapalua is on the West side of Maui North of Lahaina and Kaanapali.

When flying Mokulele out of Honolulu you check in at the Honolulu Airport Commuter Terminal which is adjacent to the Main Terminal. The Commuter Terminal has its own parking lot which is very convenient. Once you park your car, check in is a breeze as at the Commuter Terminal because there are usually little or no lines and security clearance while thorough is pretty quick. Once thing you need to do on Mokulele is declare your weight. In Kapalua they actually place you and your bags on a scale and get the actual weight in case you lied about a few extra pounds. There is little communication between the airline and the passengers while you wait for your flight. A quick PA announcement and then an airline representative appears and announces your name. Each passenger is assigned a row based on weight balance for the aircraft. Mokulele flies 9 seat Cessna Grand Caravan's which are small twin prop planes with a crew of two. The Co-Pilot greets you at the door and then pops his head out of the cockpit to give you safety instructions. The preflight check is quick and then you are in the air. We flew on a clear and sunny day so the flight was smooth both ways. The flight takes around 45 minutes and the views are amazing. Flying these small planes can make me feel uneasy when it gets bumpy but our flights and landings were really smooth. I took in the sights and enjoyed the ride on Mokulele.