Frommer's Kauai - Jeanette Foster [39]
There are three interisland carriers: Hawaiian Airlines ( 80 0/367-5320, 80 8/245-1813, or 80 8/838-1555; www.hawaiianair.com); go! ( 888/IFLYGO2;www.iflygo.com), and Mokulele Airlines ( 86 6/260-7070; www.mokuleleairlines.com) where there is a flight at least every hour to Lihue.
Arriving at the Airport
Lihue Airport is a couple of miles from downtown Lihue. There is no public transportation, and there are no shuttle vans available at the airport, so you must either rent a car or hire a taxi.
Flying for Less: Tips for Getting the Best Airfare
• Passengers who can book their ticket either long in advance or at the last minute, or who fly midweek or at less-trafficked hours may pay a fraction of the full fare. If your schedule is flexible, say so, and ask if you can secure a cheaper fare by changing your flight plans.
• Search the Internet for cheap fares. The most popular online travel agencies are Travelocity.com (www.travelocity.co.uk); Expedia.com (www.expedia.co.uk and www.expedia.ca); and Orbitz.com. In the U.K., go to Travelsupermarket ( 084 5/345-5708;www.travelsupermarket.com), a flight search engine that offers flight comparisons for the budget airlines whose seats often end up in bucket-shop sales. Other websites for booking airline tickets online include Cheapflights.com, SmarterTravel.com, Priceline.com, and Opodo (www.opodo.co.uk). Meta search sites (which find and then direct you to airline and hotel websites for booking) include Sidestep.com and Kayak.com—the latter includes fares for budget carriers like Jet Blue and Spirit as well as the major airlines. Site59.com is a great source for last-minute flights and getaways. In addition, most airlines offer online-only fares that even their phone agents know nothing about. British travelers should check Flights International ( 080 0/0187050) for deals on flights all over the world.
• Watch local newspapers for promotional specials or fare wars, when airlines lower prices on their most popular routes. Also keep an eye on price fluctuations and deals at websites such as Airfarewatchdog.com and Farecast.com.
• Try to book a ticket in its country of origin. If you’re planning a one-way flight from Johannesburg to New York, a South Africa–based travel agent will probably have the lowest fares. For foreign travelers on multi-leg trips, book in the country of the first leg; for example, book New York–Chicago–Montreal–New York in the U.S.
• Consolidators, also known as bucket shops, are wholesale brokers in the airline-ticket game. Consolidators buy deeply discounted tickets (“distressed” inventories of unsold seats) from airlines and sell them to online ticket agencies, travel agents, tour operators, corporations, and, to a lesser degree, the general public. Consolidators advertise in Sunday newspaper travel sections (often in small ads with tiny type), both in the U.S. and the U.K. They can be great sources for cheap international tickets. On the downside, bucket-shop tickets are often rigged with restrictions, such as stiff cancellation penalties (as high as 50%–75% of the ticket price). And keep in mind that most of what you see advertised is of limited availability. Several reliable consolidators are worldwide and available online. STA Travel (www.statravel.com) has been the world’s leading consolidator for students since purchasing Council Travel, but their fares are competitive for travelers of all ages. Flights.com ( 800/TRAV-800;www.flights.com) has excellent fares worldwide, particularly to Europe. They also have “local” websites in 12 countries. FlyCheap ( 800/FLY-CHEAP;www.1800flycheap.com) has especially good fares to sunny destinations. Air Tickets Direct ( 80 0/778-3447;www.airticketsdirect.com) is based in Montreal and leverages the currently weak Canadian dollar for low fares; they also book trips to places that U.S. travel agents won’t touch, such as Cuba.
• Join frequent-flier