Hawaiian Airlines scraps paper tickets HONOLULU (AP) =97 Hawaiian Airlines will end use of paper tickets =97 and= its=20 popular interisland flight coupons =97 to cope with an economic crisis it=20 calls the worst in the industry's history, the company announced Wednesday.= =20 The elimination of the coupon program =97 which has been around for about 20= =20 years =97 takes effect on Monday, but existing tickets will continue to be= =20 honored. And travel agents and other resellers will continue to offer the=20 tickets until supplies run out. Calls placed to officials at Aloha Airlines= =20 were not immediately returned. But a spokesman for Aloha told local=20 television stations that the company was reviewing its coupon system. The=20 effect of Hawaiian's changes on fares will be mixed. Coupons typically sold= =20 for $72. Published interisland fares on most of the airline's routes start= =20 at $66 if bought at least one week prior to departure; $70 if bought at=20 least three days before take off; and $75 without any advance purchase=20 requirement. But for two-segment trips =97 such as from Kauai to Maui, which= =20 require a stop on Oahu =97 and for trips to Lanai and Molokai, the changes= =20 will mean steeper fees. Coupons could be used on any of the airline's routes, allowing consumers to= =20 travel anywhere within the islands for about $72 each way. Now, trips to=20 Lanai and Molokai and two-segment trips will start at $81 and go as high as= =20 $90 each way. For some travelers, the end of coupons could mean a $36, or=20 25 percent, increase for a round-trip. "Coupons are the legacy of another=20 era in Hawaii," said John W. Adams, Hawaiian's chairman and CEO. "They've=20 outlived their purpose. The trouble is, that system has never produced=20 profits in the interisland market and, in everyone's best interest, the=20 time has come for us to change that." Interisland coupons allowed customers to escape fees for skipping scheduled= =20 flights. Keoni Wagner, a spokesman for Hawaiian Airlines, said customers'=20 abuse of this contributed to problems on some routes. Wagner said some=20 customers double-booked flights on Hawaiian and on Aloha Airlines, its main= =20 competitor, but would only show up for one. Other customers, Wagner said, simply were no-shows for their reservations. Now such=20 travelers face a $15 fee for each segment of travel that requires a=20 schedule change. Customers who insist on paper tickets will pay a $25 fee.= =20 For years, the airline industry has been shifting to nonpaper ticketing.=20 Northwest and American now charge a fee for the traditional,=20 magnetic-striped tickets. Some upstarts like JetBlue only offer electronic= =20 ticketing. Adams said the overhaul of Hawaiian's ticketing system is=20 necessary as the airline faces major financial problems. "The problem of=20 financial sustainability in the interisland air transportation system has=20 become urgent," Adams said. "In the middle of the worst economic crisis our= =20 industry has ever seen, we are working to achieve a delicate balance=20 between providing the services our island communities need and protecting=20 our financial stability." Officials at Hawaiian Airlines said a conversion= =20 to ticketless operations is nearly complete in its mainland and South=20 Pacific operations. Similar changes were planned for interisland routes=20 later this year, but economic troubles motivated the airline to expand the= =20 system sooner. The new system will reduce costs related to the purchase, handling,=20 processing, distribution and storage of paper tickets, Wagner said. He said= =20 the new system better allows the airline to control its inventory,=20 motivating customers to book earlier and allowing Hawaiian to change prices= =20 depending on the number of bookings a flight has. It was not immediately=20 clear what impact Hawaiian's new system would have on travel agents.=20 Monday's announcement could spur a rush of customers looking to stock up on= =20 the last of available coupons. Coupons were provided at a reduced rate to=20 resellers, including travel agents. Some agents charge a fee for booking=20 travel arrangements. Whether an end to the coupons could prompt more=20 travelers to book flights directly through the airline remains to be seen.= =20 Hawaiian Airlines also announced on Wednesday that it would introduce new=20 technology later this year that allows customers to check in for flights=20 from their home or office. There are already self-service check-in kiosks=20 for the airline at Honolulu International Airport, and Hawaiian plans to=20 install such kiosks at all its airport locations in the next six months. *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) : escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Site of the Week: http://www.hilofoodstores.com TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************