By Jon Meyer
jmeyer@idahopress.com
TREASURE VALLEY — Local travel providers saw a rise in bookings to Hawaii, despite the peak season, after the Broncos announced Sunday their Dec. 23 face-off with East Carolina in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl.
Kevin Loveless, president of Boise’s Global Travel — which refers to itself as the official travel partner of the Broncos— said they’d been booking custom itineraries for people all day Monday. Average airline prices were hovering around $900 round-trip, with mid-range hotel accommodations lingering around $200 to $300 a night in the Waikiki area, he said.
“I don’t think there’s any unique challenge besides it’s Hawaii at Christmas. That’s always a challenge ... Peak season just means everything’s at its most expensive,” Loveless said. “There’s not a lot of group space left. We’ve been getting people there at different routes and even staying different periods of time.”
Loveless said for large groups of people, chartering planes was an option, although expensive.
Officials at Boise’s Harmon Travel agreed. They said it was so unlikely that clients could find commercial flights for the Christmas and bowl season that they had arranged for two charter packages specifically for the game— with about 300 available seats total.
Harmon Travel’s marketing director, Tammy Selee, said packages include a two-night option for $1,995 per person that includes airfare, hotel accommodations and transportation to and from the airport and to and from Aloha Stadium. A three-night package that featured the same amenities was running $2,295 a person.
The first flight leaves on Dec. 21, and the second on Dec. 22. Both options will get fans back home in time for Christmas, with return flights on Dec. 24 — but tickets are going fast.
Week of events
Selee said that tickets around game day, on Dec. 20 and 21, were nearing impossible to get due to full planes on the major airlines serving Hawaii. However, the festivities leading up to the game begin Dec. 17, with rallies, team practices, luaus and dinners running every day and night until kickoff. If people choose to move their trip a little earlier, Loveless said some commercial flights might still be available— though prices were still high.
“Airline space is there, just with different routes and different schedules,” Loveless said.
He also added that staying in Hawaii until after Christmas made prices and scheduling easier due to the annual rush. He advised anyone traveling during the holidays to arrive at least halfan-hour earlier than usual to the airport.
Online rates:
For flights to Honolulu, Hawaii, beginning on Dec. 17, Expedia.com listed United, ATA, Alaska, Northwest and Hawaiian Airlines to still have various itineraries available Sunday. US Airways was also still booking seats. Rates for flights returning both Christmas Eve and the day after the holiday were in the $600-$800 range for planes leaving Dec. 17-19. Rates for flights leaving Dec. 20 and 22 jumped to around $2,000. Flights leaving Dec. 21 were completely sold out.
Sponsor hotels:
Several Hawaii Sheraton hotels are serving as Host Hotels for the bowl and serving as headquarters for the teams, media and alumni. A list of them was obtained from the bowl’s informational Web site, where you can also find other information and buy tickets, at http:// www.sheratonhawaiibowl.com/.
Sheraton Waikiki (Conference USA)
Westin Moana Surfrider (Western Athletic Conference)
Sheraton Royal Hawaiian (ESPN, VIP)
Sheraton Princess Kaiulani (Bands, Cheerleaders and Alumni)
Sheraton Kauai Resort
Sheraton Maui in Kaanapali
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