Okay, so it's expensive and there is no way for Southwest itself to do the Hawaii haul, but why not start talks with Mark Dunkerley, CEO of Hawaiian Airlines about this. Hawaiian already services the west coast and some mid-Atlantic states as well. They have the routes, the planes, and of course being Hawaii's #1 airline for decades, the knowledge of the Hawaii market as well as the aloha. HTA (Hawaii Tourism Authority) is looking for creative ways to bring tourists back to the islands during this major downturn in the economy. Hawaii has never seen things this bad even during the Gulf war and post 9/11. Hawaii's Governor Lingle has already earmarked 12 million dollars to HTA for marketing for 2009. Work with HTA and Hawaiian Airlines to see if some of these funds could be diverted to help subsidize passengers who have a choice between the Caribbean or Mexico, but choose Hawaii instead. Hawaii is like no other place on earth. Some Hawaii lovers will come to the islands no matter how much the fares are. Others who have only dreamed now find their dreams lost. It has no problem selling itself, but there simply needs to be a major effort help offset fares. I think it's well worth the effort.
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