Maui Log

Island Air Expands to Nebraska - Hawaii Island Air has been selected by the Department of Transportation to provide essential air service between Kearney Nebraska and Kansas City. They’ll replace Mesa Airlines. (As our savvy readers know, that’s the parent of Hawaii’s Go! Airline) The service will be subsidised by the federal government for two years. Photo credit: Island Air

Aloha Cargo Flying Again - Pacific Business News reports that Aloha Cargo is back in business after being purchased by Seattle based Saltchuk Resources for 10.5 million. GMAC, Aloha’s current lender, had rejected a bid of over 13 million just last week which in turn forced the airline to shutdown. Sounds like somebody got their wires crossed. By the way Saltchuk Resources also owns Young Brothers and Hawaii Tug and Barge, the major players in Hawaii’s interisland shipping market. The word “monopoly” comes to mind.

VOG Casts Haze Over Islands - The Associated Press is reporting that a new vent has opened up on the Big Islands Kilaue volcano and is spewing twice the normal amount of toxic sulfer dioxide into the air. The volcanic smog has even clouded the air over Honolulu.

Superferry’s Second Oahu to Maui Trip Still on Schedule - Hawaii Superferry’s website still shows a second Oahu to Maui trip beginning on May 9th and operating on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I know, this is not new, but the way these folks flip flop it seemed worth mentioning.

NCL’s Pride of Aloha Leaving Hawaii this Week - Pacific Business News reports that NCL’s Pride of Aloha is headed for Miami this week and will be re-flagged, once again, as Norwegian Sky. Pride of Aloha joins Pride of Hawaii in departing the Islands. This leaves Pride of America as NCL’s only remaining Hawaii cruise ship. Looks like NCL’s experiment of using US flagged vessels has just about come to an end.

This ship has quite an interesting history. She started life as the Costa Olympia… well click on the link and read it for yourself.

and finally….

Sizzling Elisha Hots Up Hawaii - At least that’s the headline in Britain’s Sun newspaper. Evidently “24″ star Elisha Cuthbert has been seen splashing in the waves off Wailea and anyone with a camera is tripping over themselves to get a picture.