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Yes, distance can be a problem for times like that.
It is a bit different from Hawaii to mainland than East coast to West coast... the difference is the availability of flights. With the loss of Aloha and ATA airlines, the choices in flight schedules and prices changed dramatically.
When I was in California, we had innumerable choices to fly to the East coast. And the airline we selected would had several flights. But here each airline usually only has a couple of flights a day, so if you miss one, you can't just hop on the next one.
I'm going to meet some friends in SF, for a trip up to Tahoe. They can all drive back from Tahoe on a Wednesday and fly out that evening to go back home. But I have to wait until the next day. Not a big problem, but it means staying with a friend and getting a ride to the airport.
Just more things to deal with, and if someone is trying to get an emergency trip somewhere, they may not be able to find a same-day flight to the mainland. That happened to me recently. I had to fly the next day, which worked out, but drove me a little nuts in wanting to get somewhere as quickly as possible.
OP you bring up a great point, and one that many struggle with once they get there. It's been part of my cautionary notes on this forum every time someone asks. When 9/11 hit, I had 30 years in the islands. So many friends, all my kids, my clients - all lived in Hawaii. But family was on the mainland. After 9/11 lanes couldn't fly for more than a week, boats weren't sailing, mail wasn't coming in, grocery stores were running out, and I heard recently (not sure) that even the fishing boats couldn't go out! Bad news.
I finally decided that I never wanted to live someplace where you couldn't drive outta there if you needed to. I have so many air miles now between Phx and HNL that I'm used to the flight. But those are commutes to work for me, so I can write them off. For a family of 4 to return to the mainland for a funeral -or to visit grandma... that runs into the thousands. (Of course you can always transit through Vegas. I hear they are building a bridge from Honolulu to Vegas -- LOL)
Sorry you are going through this right now, Calico Salsa. And so good of you to point this out, as many people considering moving to the islands might not think of that. I moved to the States from Switzerland almost 15 years ago, so I've figured out the long distance thing a long time ago, but many people might not realize how much missing things like births, funerals and weddings might affect them.
Actually, it does. As has been cogently demonstrated upstream, being scattered on the mainland in re travel options is an entirely different matter than being on Hawai`i and needing to travel to the mainland to visit family.
There are usually choke options for most mainland routes. And while airfare prices go up at holiday time, they don't quadruple like I've seen them do at Christmastime. Moreover, the seat inventory is just much more limited; if one of the two United flights, e.g., from HNL to SFO is canceled on a given day at Christmastime it just isn't often terribly easy to spread those folks onto other flights in a reasonable amount of time.
And while summertime isn't as high as Christmas, it still can be daunting. We had to do a 3 day notice ticket from the Big Island to Texas for a family medical emergency, and the cheapest tickets were $1400 per person round trip.
The choice a lot people have to make -- which can make you despair -- is between not going at such times or putting more debt on a credit card.
And, when all is said and done, if folks are scattered on the mainland, you can always drive there, and often you can take a bus or train. It may not be fast, but it is possible. So, out of four modes of cross-country travel on the mainland, Hawai`i has only one of them.
There are usually choke options for most mainland routes...
And, when all is said and done, if folks are scattered on the mainland, you can always drive there, and often you can take a bus or train. It may not be fast, but it is possible. So, out of four modes of cross-country travel on the mainland, Hawai`i has only one of them.
Yes, it's different.
I still have to disagree. If you're in a big mainland city, yeah maybe there are more airline routes. But I know plenty of people who have a 2+ hour drive before they even get to the nearest airport. Imagine that during the high holiday season when car travel times nearly double. Plus, a lot of the smaller markets get way fewer flights to fewer destinations than HNL has.
If you live on the East Coast, and your family on the West, the bus is really not an option. And the train isn't any cheaper than flying... just a lot slower and maybe a tad more comfortable. But no one uses it to go thousands of miles. Nor can you, realistically, pick up and drive that as a round trip on a moment's notice. At a breakneck pace, it takes 3+ days to get across (with two people splitting the driving, and essentially never stopping). A reasonable pace takes about a week each way. That's not a thing you do at the drop of a hat.
The travel issues are different *for some people*, who have family all in one place, or are used to living in major metro areas with lots of flights to lots of places. But neither of those are the case "on the mainland" as a whole.
It's a good thing to be aware of, for folks considering a move here. But for me, my astronomical monthly expenses are way more of a difficulty than this. It has really not been a problem since I've been here. (And, yeah, it has come up. We've done two short-notice trips... one wedding and one funeral... with no problem. And not for anywhere near $1400, even to the East Cost.)
I have lived many places, and none have presented the traveling problems with little to no notice that Hawaii has. So it's from experience that I post this. And it's my 2nd time living here.
When we lived far away from home, but still on the Mainland, I could hop on flights on Southwest for 99 bucks one way, and be at my Grandfather's hospital bed in a matter of hours. And back at work the next day for another 99 bucks.
That is simply not the case from Hawaii - no way, no how.
That is simply not the case from Hawaii - no way, no how.
Exactly.
Folks who haven't experienced the difficulties peculiar to Hawai`i are either fortunate or rich.
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