Discount Airfares to Oahu - Two thirds of the 98 million travelers who are online used the Internet to make travel plans in 2004, according to the Travel Industry Association of America. These numbers continue to increase with 40 percent of Net surfers now booking activities, car rentals and airfare online, up 29 percent from 2003.
As you may have guessed, airfare, along with lodging, is where most Hawaiian vacation dollars are spent. This chapter will show you how to cut your costs significantly in airfare to Oahu, enough that when combined with reduced lodging expenses you can spend most of your vacation dollars on fun in the sun and ocean activities, island cuisine, cultural activities, sightseeing and shopping local style. It’s a win-win for you and local business.
The $750 Hawaii Vacation Budget is based on airfare from the West Coast, which is where most U.S. visitors to Hawaii fly from and where you will find the lowest fares.
According to the Hawaii Visitors Bureau, 1.6 million U.S. vacationing Mainlanders are expected to fly from the West Coast to Hawaii from the West Coast this summer, up 15 percent from last summer. The figure for East Coast visitors is expected to rise 9 percent to 360,000 this summer.
If you’re not on the West Coast, don’t despair. Most of the online ticket venues listed in this chapter will help you cuts your costs as well. For example at the time I’m editing this chapter (June, 2005) you can fly from Houston to LA roundtrip for $200 and then from LA to Honolulu roundtrip for $340. The secret, or what most don’t do, is to shop around and use the discount sites. If you have the time and the budget for it, you might plan a camping/road trip to LA or the Bay Area. And of course all of the other savings tips in this book will still apply and cut costs immensely.
This is an excerpt from the 2005 edition of my Hawaii Budget Vacation and Eco Guide to Oahu For the complete chapter and the rest of the 132 pages of the latest, 2007edition:
