Hawaii Transportation Gets Free-Market Boost

When it comes to getting around under the sun, private enterprise has the answers

Hawaii is a US state but also due to its distance and history remains somewhat foreign at the same time. Last week I wrote about my observations of today's Marine Corps, having been given an exclusive tour of the Third Marine Regiment and its unique base on the northern shore of Oahu. There are two other observations of mine regarding transportation policy worth sharing with you.

First, I flew on my favorite carrier, Hawaiian Airlines. Browsing their in-flight magazine I discovered they are aggressively adding new Asia/Pacific destinations. As I wrote about last fall, there is absolutely no reason for the Port of Portland to be subsidizing international flights to Asia when we have always had a premier gateway across the Pacific with Hawaiian Airlines via its Honolulu hub. With a brief stop along the way, Hawaiian offers Portland travelers comfortable service on wide bodied aircraft to Honolulu every morning 7 days a week, which connects Portland travelers to a number of Pacific destinations.