I am very pleased to present to your attention my short notes on flights with exotic airlines between the islands of the most remote archipelago in the world. This, of course, plays into the hands of those who like to fly, and even on different planes by different airlines.
There will be 4 reports in total.
See Report No. 1 here
See Report No. 2 here
This note #3 is about a flight between Maui (Kahului City) and Hawaii, Big Island (Kailua-Kona City) with Mokulele Airlines.
I repeat, that, as with other islands, flights are operated by several airlines. My choice fell on this tiny airline only because I wanted to fly with another new airline for myself, and besides, from Maui (Kahului), it mainly flies to the Big Island on its east coast, which made me very happy.
Mokulele Airlines is a small airline in the Hawaiian Islands (state of Hawaii) with a fleet of Cessna aircraft, flying between the five Hawaiian Islands. Moreover, flights are served in separate mini-terminals located near the main airport buildings.
The ticket cost me $ 91 for a direct 45-minute flight. As I said, the average price for an hour flight here is $100 (plus or minus this price depends on the time of departure, working days, holidays and weekends).
Looking ahead, I will say that it was the most amazing, colorful and interesting flight from 4 intra-Hawaiian segments, however, as well as all my flights on small planes.
Departure date: April 17, 2016
Departure time: 10:20.
Travel time: 45 minutes.
Airline: Mokulele Airlines.
Plane: Cessna Caravan tail number N847MA.
I spent the last evening and night before departure at the beach campsite 5 minutes by bike to the airport. The same evening, I drove around the airport and took some evening photos of the life of Kahului Airport.
The airport is located in a kind of lowland between the Western Mountains and the huge, dormant shield volcano Kaleahala, towering over 3,000 meters above the ocean surface and occupying almost 75% of the entire territory of the island of Maui.
B717 Hawaiians approaching to land against the backdrop of the dormant Haleakala volcano.
Evening situation on the platform.
A330 Hawaiians taxiing to the runway.
Because Since my flight with a mini-airline will be made from a mini-terminal, I took several photos of the main terminal of Kahului Airport especially for you.
One of the check-in halls.
Hawaiian Airlines check-in area.
Here you can see that there is a self-check-in kiosk next to the check-in counter. I described this unusual check-in process in note #2.
Entrance to the security screening area.
The airport area is green , clean with a variety of areas.
For example, a small park with a sculpture of a man drinking sunlight.
There is also a mini-botanical garden, where endemic plants of the Hawaiian Islands are presented .
However, this garden is not in the best condition, so I only took a picture of a banana in it, which is far from endemic to Hawaii.
That's my story about I want to finish the main terminal and go to the mini terminal.
It is located near the main, within walking distance. If you look at note No. 2, then behind the car rental offices (at the end of the review), this terminal is located.
The front fa]Inside, there is only the check-in area of BR]
Because there were still 2 hours before departure, the staff at the check-in asked me if I would like to leave an hour earlier. I agreed.
I was checked in, checked in and paid for my luggage (bike for $35). I received only a baggage tag in my hands (without a boarding pass and a receipt for paying for baggage!). The employee, to my surprise about the lack of a ticket, told me to be here 20 minutes before departure.
There is no security checkpoint, no waiting rooms, nothing in the terminal.
Only paid parking opposite the front of the terminal.
There are a couple of planes of the above-mentioned airlines on the apron.
Nearby is the beginning of the runway from which the small fleet takes off.
My luggage was the only one on this flight.
The employees with luggage are waiting for our plane that has already landed.
And here is he.
The pilot himself opens the door and helps the passengers get off the plane.
After a couple of minutes, an employee came up with check-in and invited passengers by name to board, verbally designating their seats. In total, there were 2 passengers on this flight
Gate №1.
We go directly through this gate (without screening and checking passports!) to the plane. A female pilot meets at the gangway.....
.... and helps to board the plane.
I have never flown a cessna, so everything was very interesting.
Very nice and cozy cabin.
The seats are comfortable, very soft, just like in some business jet!
Even my backpack got a separate place near the window
There is a curtain between the cockpit and the passenger compartment, which was never closed.
The rear door through which passengers enter/exit.
Before starting the engines, the pilot, leaning out of the cockpit, spoke about safety on board. It was real, like a live conversation!
After we started taxiing to the runway.
Our gate number 1.
Western mountains, and in the middle is the beautiful Iao valley.
Very short takeoff....
... and a plane in the sky.
The ocean is everywhere!
The portholes in the cessna are huge, which pleases! View of the airport and the end of the runway from which they took off, next to the tiny terminal with a green roof.
The plane turns 360 and heads to SSE.
City of Kahului,
Due to the empty cabin, I had the opportunity to take pictures, both from the starboard and from the port side.
We flew around the Kaleahala volcano on the right.
With every minute more and more new views of both the volcano and the earth were opened.
Interesting formations, most likely of volcanic origin.
Maui's west coast beaches.
Cahoolawe Island and the small island-crater of Molokini - an amazing place for diving and snorkeling.
Southwest slope of the Kaleahala volcano.
Southern slope of Kaleahala volcano.
At the top of Kaleahala volcano there is a huge, badly destroyed caldera.
Leaving Maui.
There is no in-flight service.
The pocket contains a safety manual and a logbook.
Mokulele Airlines flight map.
Clouds for amateurs.
Soon we fly up to the easternmost, largest island of the archipelago, the island of Hawaii (or the Big Island), from which the name of the archipelago actually came. It is the youngest Hawaiian island at 1 million years old, while the westernmost island, Maui, is seven times older. The process of growth-expansion of the Big Island is still in full swing. Water excursions to the places where red lava rivers flow into the ocean are especially popular.
The first thing that catches your eye are two very gentle hills on the horizon.
These are the most massive mountains-volcanoes in the world!!! On the right is Mauna Loa, an active shield megavolcano, 4,169 meters above the ocean, and taking into account the underwater part, about 10,000 meters! And on the left - Mauna Kea, a dormant shield volcano, 4,205 meters above the ocean, and taking into account the underwater part, more than 10,000 meters!!! Between them, the saddle is more than 2,000 meters high. At the top of Mauna Kea are the world's most powerful ground-based telescopes for space exploration. The conditions for such research are the best in the world.
Further, as we descended and approached the island, unimaginable views opened up.
Frozen lava rivers from the Mauna Loa volcano. Eruptions of the 1800s.
Stunning coastal lava-beach-anthropogenic landscapes.
More basaltic lava rivers.
Expressways run right through lava flows.
Kailua Airport -Kony is unique in that it stands right on the lava!
Our plane seemed to make a good "excursion" detour around the airport, allowing us to enjoy these wonderful landscapes!
We have reached the finish line.
Touch.
Taxiing out to the terminal.
The building of the main terminal of Kailua-Kona Airport, ....
.... near which the B717 of Hawaiian Airlines landed.
We arrived at our parking lot near the main terminal.
Unloaded with the help of pilots and a farewell photo of our cozy aircraft.
The pilot personally escorts passengers to the exit. And I keep taking pictures and taking pictures, I can't stop
A little more exotic along the way.
This is the way out to the landing, through which we went to the terminal.
The terminal consists of several "containers" placed in 2 rows, and between them is a roof, under which is the check-in-waiting room. How much easier!?
Check-in counters and information stand.
General view of the interior of the terminal.
To the side of the terminal is an open-air waiting area with tables. This is where I assembled my bike.
There is a sightseeing helicopter terminal behind the terminal.
American soldiers were active while I I was collecting a bike.
It was one of the most interesting and colorful flights on a small plane in all my many flights!
I slowly packed my bike and rode it north of the island to the Kohala Mountains, then through the Hawaiian ranches and the city of Waimea to the east, and from there south to Hilo......
Thank you all for watching!
To be continued.....
P.S.
The landscapes of the island of Hawaii or the Big Island are extraordinarily diverse: frozen lava flows, snow-capped mountains, lush coastal valleys, high rocky shores, spacious meadows, deserts and rainforests. The island includes several climatic zones: from tropical to subarctic, and in terms of its diversity of geography, it resembles a mini-continent.
My temporary home in the sunset tones of the setting sun on the west coast - a dry, sun-scorched and lava-filled land.
Akaka Falls, 135 meters high , located on the humid eastern side of the island north of Hilo. Its waters rise from the summit of Mauna Kea.
20-year-old lava from one of the most active volcanoes in the world, Kilauea in the southeast of the island.
Kilauea volcano caldera (3x4 km, height 1200 m), and in it is the active Halemaumau crater.
Fire can be seen after dark , rising from this crater with bubbling lava inside.
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