State to consider online hike reservations for Maui trail
WAILUKU, Maui — The state will consider a proposal to establish an online reservation system for guided hikes in a national park on Maui.
The Sierra Club Maui Group and Haleakala Ranch are partnering to build the reservation system for hikes on Haleakala Trail. The state Board of Land and Natural Resources is expected to consider the proposal during a meeting Friday in Honolulu.
The state Division of Forestry and Wildlife is working on a new agreement to allow public access to the trail while addressing concerns about safety and ranch operations.
The reservation system would set up scheduled hikes of up to 20 people conducted by trained, certified guides from the Sierra Club and the ranch, officials said.
The trail inside Haleakala National Park was the main access to the summit of Haleakala before a road system was completed in 1935.
Honolulu airport ranked third worst in North America
HONOLULU — Honolulu’s airport ranked the third worst in North America for customer satisfaction and second worst among large airports in an annual survey of air passengers.
Daniel K. Inouye International Airport received the ranking in the J.D. Power 2019 North America Airport Satisfaction Study.
The Honolulu airport ranked behind New York’s LaGuardia Airport and New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport as the worst among 62 airports. The airport moved two spots in the wrong direction in the large-airport category, where it was fourth worst the previous year.
Honolulu’s satisfaction score was 719 out of a possible 1,000, or 17 points lower than its score last year.
The annual study conducted from October 2018 through September was based on responses from 32,276 U.S. or Canadian residents who passed through at least one North American airport. The survey scored airports on terminal facilities, airport accessibility, baggage claim, security check, check-in and baggage check, food, beverage and retail.
In the midsize-airport category, Kahului Airport remained at the bottom of the list, although its satisfaction score of 754 out of a possible 1,000 was only two points worse than last year.
The study found that after several years of growth, customer satisfaction stagnated as North American airports struggled to handle surges in passenger volume amid construction delays.