I’ve been reporting on the deplorable state of travel to Molokai and Lanai for several months now, and there doesn’t seem to be a good solution in sight. In fact, things are so bad that officials must charter flights to Molokai when traveling there on official business.
As I’ve covered in the past, Molokai is served by just one airline today – Mokulele, a subsidiary of Southern Air. However, before the pandemic, residents of the island had three options to choose from – Mokulele, Ohana by Hawaiian, and Makani Kai Air. However, we all know the story. Makani Kai Air couldn’t survive and merged with Mokulele, while Hawaiian suspended and then dissolved its Ohana subsidiary. And that leaves us where we are today – with a monopoly that can’t maintain consistent, reliable service.
Officials Must Charter Flights to Molokai
The issue was highlighted recently when it was discovered that officials must charter flights to Molokai to keep from getting stranded. Those officials included Hawaii Congresswoman Jill Tokuda and a delegation from the Biden Administration, including Krystal Kaai, executive director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders; Nani Coloretti, deputy director of the White House Office of Management and Budget; and Marvin Figueroa, director of the Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
They were in Hawaii to discuss efforts to advance equity, justice, and opportunity for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, and traveled to Molokai specifically to understand the challenges faced by that community, especially when it comes to medical care. You see, Molokai has a federally funded clinic on the island. However, doctors don’t really like living there because of the isolation. That results in doctors that need to commute to serve their patients, along with patients that must commute to Honolulu for more specialized care.
The result is that doctors can’t reach their patients on Molokai, and patients often miss their appointments on Oahu. In one case, a Molokai patient seeking cancer treatment on Oahu ended up missing 14 appointments since the start of this year alone. That is unacceptable. And while Rep. Tokuda would’ve loved to have the delegation experience this pain point firsthand, that wasn’t practical, especially since Molokai has limited lodging options. Thus, officials must charter flights to Molokai.
Final Thoughts
That Mokulele served this charter makes me wonder how they could have done so even though they struggle to provide stable service to the island. Further, while Rep. Tokuda is hopeful that this visit will help find a resolution for the people of Molokai, she isn’t holding her breath, either. At any rate, I sincerely hope a workable solution is found. I cannot imagine not being able to access life-saving treatments and therapies because your only mode of transportation isn’t reliable enough. And, not, it’s not possible or feasible for the people to uproot their lives and move to Oahu, even on a temporary basis. Nor would they want to.