Hawaiian Airlines CEO Peter Ingram remains optimistic that tourists will flock back to Hawaii when the lockdowns and quarantines are lifted.
"I think people are tired of being cooped up,'' he said on the airline's earnings conference call Tuesday, as reported by USA Today."To the extent that they've got the flexibility and the economic wherewithal to do it, they're going to want to travel, and Hawaii is going to be an appealing place, like it always is.''
According to the newspaper, Ingram said Hawaiian Airlines' late summer and early fall flights are currently booked about a quarter full. That's down from about 40 percent full at this time in a normal year, but it is what it is at a time when the coronavirus has made air travel virtually non-existent with demand down overall almost 90 percent compared to a year ago.
When all this happens remains to be seen. Hawaii has a mandatory two-week quarantine for arriving passengers to help stem the tide of the virus, but that doesn't end until May 31-and even that is tenuous given that the deadline has been extended before.
That's one thing holding up bookings.
Another thing has been Hawaii's insistence on taking it slow in terms of reopening the state to the economy-chief among that being tourism.
"When the quarantine is removed and we start having more economic activity, we'd like it to stay removed and not have to toggle back and forth in restrictions,'' Ingram said.
On the flip side, Ingram noted that Hawaii "is a place where the effects of this horrible disease haven't ravaged it as much. By acting quickly and aggressively, we are as close to COVID free as any place in the country.''
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