Re: Hawai'i Superferry - Chapter 4
So the Hawaii Superferry is BYOW, eh? And while there are ramps, you're on your own wheeling your way along? Good to know.
I'm pretty sure these services are courtesies, and not required, and at this point pre-launch it sounds like they've opted not to provide them. I suppose if their primary competition is air travel and airport services, it's certainly a competitive concern. But, well, airports come with a mountain of additional headaches (for those without special needs, at least!), and frankly I'm not sure the Superferry is going for the same market as Aloha, Hawaiian, and go!
Until such time as one or two of the airlines are driven or sued out of business, the Superferry ain't gonna be able to compete on cost. I did an imaginary booking to Kauai, and would be out a huge chunk of change versus the same trip on Hawaiian and a rental car. People who will travel by sea and bring vehicles with 'em are not gonna be bargain hunters. I thought it was funny that the secretary reportedly said, "We're not a cruise ship!" When I'd put 'em closer to that end of the spectrum than an airline.
It's a new but tough market for 'em, that's for sure. They're going to have to balance the additional "courtesies" against their costs. They may decide, or may have already decided, that people who need more than access ramps and other ADA requirements are customers they can live without.
Fran, if they provided a wheelchair and a porter to get you on the Superferry, would you have still taken the tour? I mean, to see all the nooks and crannies on board? Presuming if, like the airport, you only got to borrow their chair and staffmember for that first fifty yards. A tour is considerably more trying than actually taking a trip on this thing, wherein you'd just find a comfy chair near the bar and relax for several hours!
So the Hawaii Superferry is BYOW, eh? And while there are ramps, you're on your own wheeling your way along? Good to know.
I'm pretty sure these services are courtesies, and not required, and at this point pre-launch it sounds like they've opted not to provide them. I suppose if their primary competition is air travel and airport services, it's certainly a competitive concern. But, well, airports come with a mountain of additional headaches (for those without special needs, at least!), and frankly I'm not sure the Superferry is going for the same market as Aloha, Hawaiian, and go!
Until such time as one or two of the airlines are driven or sued out of business, the Superferry ain't gonna be able to compete on cost. I did an imaginary booking to Kauai, and would be out a huge chunk of change versus the same trip on Hawaiian and a rental car. People who will travel by sea and bring vehicles with 'em are not gonna be bargain hunters. I thought it was funny that the secretary reportedly said, "We're not a cruise ship!" When I'd put 'em closer to that end of the spectrum than an airline.
It's a new but tough market for 'em, that's for sure. They're going to have to balance the additional "courtesies" against their costs. They may decide, or may have already decided, that people who need more than access ramps and other ADA requirements are customers they can live without.
Fran, if they provided a wheelchair and a porter to get you on the Superferry, would you have still taken the tour? I mean, to see all the nooks and crannies on board? Presuming if, like the airport, you only got to borrow their chair and staffmember for that first fifty yards. A tour is considerably more trying than actually taking a trip on this thing, wherein you'd just find a comfy chair near the bar and relax for several hours!
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