It’s hard to fathom just how vital air service is to some of the more remote communities in the US, and possibly none have suffered quite as much as Molokai and Lānaʻi in the Hawaiian Islands. Last week, the islands were cut off from the rest of the world for the second time in a year when flights operated by Mokulele (actually Southern Airways Express under the Mokulele name) 9-seat Cessna Grand Caravans were suspended due to maintenance concerns. This is no mere inconvenience in an place like this.
While those of you who have been to the rest of the Hawaiian islands that are open to the public know that there are plentiful flights on multiple airlines both to other islands and to the mainland, it is a completely different world on Molokai and Lānaʻi which lie between Oʻahu and Maui. Despite being in a similar predicament, the islands couldn’t be more different from each other.
Lānaʻi is a rich personʻs island. Literally. Nearly all of it is owned by Oracle founder Larry Ellison. It is also the home of two very fancy Four Seasons resorts. A little more than 3,000 people live on the island, and itʻs those resorts that have powered the islandʻs small economy ever since pineapple dried up and went to cheaper countries.
Molokai is the opposite with almost no reliance on tourism. As youʻve seen in my various trip reports here, Molokai is remote. It has one independent hotel, some condos, and thatʻs about it. This is an island thatʻs meant for the locals, and itʻs one of the only places that really supports a more traditional way of life for those who want it. Itʻs also much bigger than Lānaʻi with about 8,000 people.
When it comes to transport, neither place has many options. Lānaʻi has three daily flights to Kahului with another 7 to 8 over to Honolulu, all flown by Mokulele. This is Essential Air Service (EAS), but no subsidy had been required… until last year Now the feds have agreed to provide Mokulele with about $4 million a year to keep it going. Lānaʻi also has service from Lānaʻi Air on Pilatus PC-12s and Cessna SkyCouriers, but those are meant to transport resort guests in style from Honolulu. They arenʻt there for serving the local community.
On Molokai, there are actually two airports. The primary airport in Hoʻolehua has 10 or 11 daily to Kahului and 19 or 20 a day to Honolulu, all unsubsidized. Mokulele is the only game in town at this airport, and no other airline has flown in since Hawaiian shut down its regional operation during the pandemic. There are another 12x weekly down to Kalaupapa which is an isolated area on the northern side of the island where those with Hansenʻs Disease (leprosy) were forced to relocate for decades before there was a cure. Thatʻs a whole different issue down in Kalaupapa, so Iʻll ignore that for today.
Back in August and then again last week, Mokulele suspended service due to some vague maintenance inspection concern, putting the islands out of reach despite being easily visible from Oʻahu and Maui, less than 50 miles away. The people who live there rely on Mokulele to get to doctor appointments, go shopping, get to high school sporting events, you name it. Even while other neighbor islands have received more resources directly, Molokai and Lānaʻi remain just as dependent if not more on connections with the other islands.
So what happens when Mokulele shuts down? Not much. There is a twice weekly Young Brothers barge which brings in materials to Molokai from Honolulu. (Lānaʻi has one weekly barge.) Thereʻs also Kamaka Air which does run air cargo to the islands. Looks like you can ship 45 pounds for $33.28 right now. And yes, Lānaʻi still does have a ferry that goes over to Māʻalaea on Maui. Molokai lost its ferry link to Maui in 2016. That is really the extent of things.
Cancellations arenʻt the only problem here. There are also big delay issues, but itʻs hard to get exact numbers on that for such a small carrier. All you need to do is search online and youʻll find stories like this one talking about how grave a threat it is to the residents for service to be so unreliable.
How bad is this situation? The state of Hawaiʻi says that it will issue a “tender” for a never-ending charter contract to act as backup if Mokulele canʻt get its act together. Yes, it has such little trust that it is willing to pay a charter carrier to be a backup. Just let that sink in.
In the meantime, the people of Molokai and Lānaʻi just continue to try to live their lives the best they can despite all the disruptions. Itʻs not easy, and they deserve better than what theyʻre getting today.
