Mar 022014
 

Got up early. Way early. Early enough that if it had been a city hotel instead of Maui, people would have just started to stagger in from the night before. But this is Maui, and nobody is awake at 4am. Not even the front desk of the hotel, apparently, because I had to wait 10 minutes for someone to come check me out. Then, there was a problem with the bill, and when I called it to his attention in return I got “there’s nothing I can do about it.” I asked for a manager. “There’s no manager.” What are my options? “Pay it now, or we will autocheck you out and you can call and dispute it later.” Wow, that’s pretty poor customer service. So, I left the bill open because I wasn’t anticipating 20 minutes to check out and was running late for my flight.

Actually, it was my Starbucks. More important. Starbucks by the airport opened at 4am…it was Heaven! Now, on to the airport. Dropped off the car, Alamo was quick and friendly even at oh’dark’thirty, and they were more than willing to drive us over to the commuter terminal

Check-in was no different than our previous flight with Makani Kai. $15 per bag to be checked, and stand on the scale and get weighed with your carry on. The waiting area was just a few chairs covered by a roof, and soon we were still being escorted out to our plane in the early morning light.

Mokulele Airlines flight 1193
Kahului, Maui, Hawaii (OGG) to Moloka’i Hawaii (MKK)
Depart 6:25, Arrive 6:49, Flight Time 24 minutes
Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, Registration N840MA, Manufactured ???, Seat: 2rd row, Starbord side

Pre-flight beverages were served at check-in, since there was no service on this short flight:

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We were informed that we’d been, um, weighed-in to the second row on this flight, and the most notable fact was…we were on the exact same plane we’d come into Maui on! The flight itself, well, nothing really different than the previous one. After about 15 minutes we were approaching Moloka’i which was interesting. See, the south coast of the island is pretty much a 1,500+ foot sheer cliff. I was watching the altimeter, and we were coming in right around 1,800 feet. I thought I’d read the cliffs were 3,000 feet, so I was freaking out mildly.

Yes, the altimeter. From the second row I could clearly see most of the instruments, so it was as good as being right up front. I was in aviation geek Heaven. We flew just past the airport, made a 180, and made a smooth landing, although the approach was a bit bumpy.

Walked into the small terminal, and stood around a bit….and first thing we did was try and get a rental car.  We had about 2.5 hrs before our next flight, and would have 4 hours later in the day.  Unfortunately, Alamo had absolutely no cars, even for a couple of hours, and they’re the only rental car company on property.  We were flying Makani Kai later to Kalaupapa, and that’s when we got the big shock.  The woman working the Makani Kai counter, right next to the Alamo counter, was like “here’s my keys…just take my car!  Just put 5 gallons of gas in it on the way back.”  Yes, she was just going to give us her car in exchange for putting a little gas in it.  There’s the aloha spirit!

We opted to hang around in the morning since we didn’t have too  long until the next flight.  Island Air (our flight to Honolulu that evening) let us check our bags early, so we were set with just our carry ons.  Makani Kai had their flight schedule posted:

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The Makani Kai check-in counter:

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Took one last look at N840MA, the Mokulele plane that had served us well on our last two segments:

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Feb 242014
 

After breakfast at Island Lava Java, we had a quick trip to the airport, and dropped off the rental car with Alamo.  Now, Kailua-Kona isn’t a very big airport to begin with, but our airline, Mokulele Airlines, didn’t even leave from the main terminal.  It left from the “commuter terminal” which was a bit apart from it.

Check in was interesting.  Give them your ID, step on a scale to be weighed along with your carry-on, pay $15 per checked bag, and then have a seat and wait for departure.  You can see the gentleman in the yellow vest in the pic below – he was the check-in agent…right next to the waiting area where there were about 20 seats….enough to hold two full planes worth, which was good, because there were two flights to Maui leaving 10 minutes apart, to different parts of the island.

Notice, I didn’t mention TSA.  That’s because there was absolutely no security at the commuter terminal.  I don’t know if this is because it’s considered a private flight, or doesn’t have enough passengers to warrant it, but it was such a refreshing way to fly.  The waiting area:

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The other flight to Maui showed up before ours, so I walked the whole 20 feet or so past the check-in desk to snap a shot.  Yes, the plane just pulls up along side the check-in area and out you walk!

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Soon, our plane arrived as well.  As we approached the fence, the ramp agent gave us details…and assigned seats based on our weight.  As two big guys, we were assigned row 3 of 4.  Walking to our plane:

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Walking around the other side to board:

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Pre-flight safety briefing…yes, the captain just turned around and talked to us.  This is the view from row 3…the cessnas are comfy little planes!

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…and with that, a very short taxi and we’re off!

Mokulele Airlines flight 1533
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii (KOA) to Kahului, Maui, Hawaii (OGG)
Depart 10:53, Arrive 11:35, Flight Time 42 minutes
Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, Registration N840MA, Manufactured ???, Seat: 3rd row, Port side

View during taxi:

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…and we’re airborne and making a 180:

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Passing Kaho’olawe, the smallest of the eight main Hawaiian Islands, with no permanent population:

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Soon, we began our turn towards Maui – at this point you could see tons of whales in the ocean, breeching and going back under. It was an absolutely amazing treat to see from the air:

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Maui was incredibly green from above, with an amazing valley between the two volcanic ends:

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Nice smooth landing, and we were on Maui!  A shot after getting off the plane:

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…and with that, one of the most pleasant flights I’ve had.  My only previous experience on such a small plane was in Guyana a couple years ago, and I loved it.  Both of these flights really made me want to get a pilot’s license some day…just what I need…another expensive hobby.  Mokulele was a true pleasure to fly, and it was really neat to have a flight that felt like more than just a generic cattle car from place to place.  I just wish I had somewhere to look up more data on Cessna tail numbers!

Off to Alamo again to pick up our rental car, and it was off to the Sheraton Maui, our home for the next three days.