HONOLULU (KHON2) — After an internet outage on Friday, many would-be flyers were left grounded.
“They were trying to rebook all the flights and give our hotel accommodations, but it was a mess. We were here almost 12 hours yesterday,” said California resident Jaime McMorris alongside her husband Jay at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.
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“Waited in guest service line for, like, two or three hours, and the luggage is, just trying to get our luggage and stuff. And it was just. It was just a terrible experience,” said Jay.
Even those trying to fly out today felt some trickle-down effects.
Staff told a kupuna to use the kiosk, something he’s never seen before.
“Well, I try to check in, my wife’s handicap,” said Oʻahu resident Dave Zevenbergen.
“So I don’t know what’s going on. Nobody’s here too, I can get some help from. I’ve got a dog I have to get on board,” said Zevenbergen. “We have to catch a 2:45 flight to Portland and the way things are looking, it doesn’t look great.”
Wisconsin resident Terry Sater sent pictures from Friday night, he said, he had a 4:30 p.m. flight that was delayed several times, then he was rebooked to another flight which was then canceled around 11 o’clock.
“But we had already sacrificed one evening at a very expensive hotel over on the Big Island,” said Sater. “So that cost us $700 when Hawaiian Airlines could have told us early on in this process, your flight is not going to take off and you need to cancel all your reservations.”
Hawaiian Airlines said most guests whose flights were canceled on Friday have been reaccommodated and travel credits were issued to those affected.
In a statement, Hawaiian Airlines said:
“We acknowledge that this was an unacceptable situation for those guests who were stranded overnight by this operational issue. We are doing our best to get people where they need to go and make things right with the guests and community members we have let down.”
Passengers agree their experience was unsatisfactory.
“It was my first experience with them, and it will be my last. And now I’m going to be trying to get the $700 that they owe me for a hotel back,” said Sater.
“Canceling my Hawaiian credit card,” said Jaime.
“And it’s just hard because we have the kids with us. So if it was just me and her, it maybe wouldn’t be so bad. But with the kids getting antsy and it’s really tough,” said Jay.
Hawaiian Airlines added they’re continuing to work with guests to address specific circumstances and rolling delays forced them to play catch up into today.
Over on Kauaʻi, the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation announced guidance for travelers regarding the Līhuʻe Airport.
According to HDOT, Līhuʻe Airport’s parking lot is full on Saturday, May 13.
Officials are working on a one-out, one-in solution for the exceptional number of vehicles parked there.
HDOT said that travelers who are leaving Kauaʻi via air travel need to consider being dropped off in order to avoid the extended delay for parking.
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HDOT said that they will continue to update travelers on the status of parking at the airport; but for now, it is advised to avoid an attempt to park at the airport’s parking lot.
