Please bring us fewer visitors, at least for the time being

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – To combat over-tourism and congestion at airports, Maui Mayor Michael Victorino is calling on airlines to reduce passenger capacity to the island.

Last week, Maui County officials said Victorino met with airline executives “to determine their willingness to voluntarily reduce the airlift to Kahului Airport.”

“Maui County’s people don’t have enough time to prepare for the sudden, huge influx of tourism, even if health restrictions remain,” said Brian Perry, a spokesman for the mayor.

“Many of our hospitality businesses are still struggling to fill their operations to provide quality customer service.”

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He added that Maui welcomes visitors, “but we ask that you curb your enthusiasm for our island with respect, courtesy and aloha.”

Maui county member Kelly King said she supported the mayor’s approach.

“There are so many people, so many cars on the street, that people are parking along the road to Hana Highway and blocking possible emergency access,” King said.

“Going to the beach parks alone is a big problem for the locals. It really affects the quality of life of our residents. “

Airline expert Peter Forman said the mayor has no power to instruct airlines to reduce their passenger capacities.

He also thinks reducing capacity is a bad idea that won’t work.

“It’s a really tricky thing to do to confuse the market. The prices go up when you artificially restrict the supply, ”said Forman.

Forman said the reduced elevator and higher fares from mainland to Maui will force some tourists to book their flights through Honolulu Airport, increasing inter-island fares to Maui.

“Not just long-haul flights, but short-haul flights to and from Honolulu could go up by hundreds of dollars … making it more expensive for everyone, including Maui residents,” he said.

Victorino also met with state airport officials to find ways to reduce congestion at Kahului Airport.

However, Transportation Department officials said they have the capacity to handle the proposed airport traffic.

A spokesman said Victorino would speak more about his plan to reduce passenger traffic at a press conference Tuesday.

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