Hawaii news roundup: Superferry delays 2nd ship; Hawaiian Airlines’ low earnings; Chef Mavro makes Gayot list; Maui hotel deals

In Hawaii, declines in tourism and layoffs have made their way into too many headlines, yet this past week also saw significant airfare decreases that might get more tourists considering a Hawaiian vacation to take advantage of ubiquitous hotel deals.

Air news | Hawaiian Airlines reported Wednesday that company earnings dropped in the third quarter by 69.2%. Contributing factors were fuel-cost increases, as well as “a $9.2-million fuel-hedging charge and a higher-than-typical tax rate of 58%,” according to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

Ferry news | The Superferry has announced that it will be making do with its current services rather than starting up a second ship next year, as had been planned. The second ship was anticipated to start services between Honolulu, Oahu and Kawaihae Harbor on the Big Island in May 2009. But “given today’s economic uncertainties,” company officials expect the postponement to be about a year. [Associated Press]

Food news | When the news isn’t good, I like to think about food. Gayot has just released its list of top 40 restaurants in the United States. As Jen Leo posted Wednesday, Los Angeles claims five of them. But one restaurant in the Hawaiian capital of Honolulu — a city less than one-tenth the size of L.A. — made the top 40 culinary ranking too: The winner was Chef Mavro, which makes the list for the third time. The Gayot review states that the unique restaurant “brings the formidable skills of chef-owner George Mavrothalassitis into a sublime culinary marriage with the finest ingredients Hawaii has to offer, and the results are elegant, intriguing and never boring.” Ono Hawaiian Foods found a place on Gayot’s list of “Top 40 cheap eats in the U.S.”

Maui deals | Yesterday SFGate’s Hawaii Insider blog tipped us off to a great, family-friendly Maui hotel deal. For $499 (pre-tax), the “Family and Friends” package at the Kā‘anapali Beach Hotel offers a two-night stay for up to four people and includes a car rental, a $20 restaurant credit, $10 off “Kupanaha” tickets, free pizza and more. Blogger Jeanne Cooper also mentioned deals on Sheraton Maui Resort.

– Susan Derby, Special to the Los Angeles Times

[Photo: Maui's Haleakala National Park at sunset; Richard Derk / Los Angeles Times]

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This entry was posted on Thursday, October 30, 2008 at 10:12 am by Susan Derby and is filed under Hawaii, News, Tips & Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.