Thankfully, these have not been delivered to airlines yet, and the defect wouldn’t have been as severe as the door fiasco according to the local airspace folks. But it is yet another sign of the decline in quality… Boeing needs to get their crap together! 
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I’m in So Cal - my flight to Maui this morning was cancelled - I was able to rebook for tomorrow and I’m grateful my buddy was able to fly out this morning (also So Cal, different airport) and I quickly pivoted and contacted the car rental to switch so they could get the car. He’s getting groceries and will open the condo & get it ready for my arrival tomorrow (
) - we have a whale watch scheduled for late afternoon! No more delays please universe!
Happy to report I made it to Maui - my home away from home. First time back since the fires - it’s bittersweet.
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If you haven’t watched any of the documentaries on Boeing and the demise of engineering/quality since the McDonnel Douglas merger, I’d suggest watching one or two. It’s mind blowing (to me) that the bad guys are still going strong with not much more oversight and profit still driving the company over what made it successful to start with, their engineering quality. Netflix has a good one: Downfall The Case Against Boeing
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Thanks! I’ve watched quite a few… also, our local paper covers Boeing very well.
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I saw your post about your toe on the “no reply thread”. I hope it’s ok.
I would like to hear about your trip when you have the time. How has it been compared to other visits? Are you staying in Kaanapali, Kihei, Wailea or somewhere else? We usually travel to Maui and spend several weeks in Kapalua.
We wrestled with the idea of returning this year, but pivoted to the Big Island…maybe next year.
Happy to report not broken but I did get the Maui bacterial infection (boo!) - just started antibiotics -
The island is as quiet as it was when I came 6 months after the travel issue from Covid was lifted. The aloha spirit lives on but you can feel the weight on the local’s shoulders. I was supposed to come in Sept, but also pivoted to BI (my old home).
Everyone is working extra hard, things move slower than usual but I don’t mind that at all! Hardly any traffic to speak of. We are in no rush to get anywhere!
We have friends that lost their sources of income, and one that lost his home as well. We are helping them as much as we can (they are leasing equipment to be able to keep working, whale watch rafting tours). We stopped at the Humane Society and made a donation and chatted with the animals - I support them monthly, with a 1.5x match from my boss.
We are being very generous with gratuities, when we go to food trucks and only shopping local (except groceries). We made a generous donation to Ululani (shave ice) after reading what they’ve gone through. I’m handing out $25 Target and Safeway gift cards, as well as cash.
Today we went to a food truck garden oasis in Kihei (South Maui Garden) and an ukulele club was playing under the trees. When they were done they sit together and enjoy a family meal from one of the trucks. I picked up the tab. It feels like the least I can do.
We stay in Ma’alaea - same condo (we love it!) for the past 12 years, usually 2x a year. It’s owned by a mother/daughter and it’s the only unit they own (Makani a Kai, unit B7, you can Google it).
Happy to answer and share any information I can (feel free to PM if you like). I love Maui, and that’s coming from someone who lived on Big Island before my (very adult) D was born! Hawaii truly has my 
.
I would encourage visiting but do plan on a more gentle, slower, kinder, experience. As you drive the bypass to get past Lahaina the memorials were overwhelming for me. We even turned off the radio and drove through in silence.
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Thank you so much for that heartfelt, informative reply. Your aloha spirit shines brightly.
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Not something I wanted to hear about air travel risks:
Good morning @88jm19 - I wanted to add a note to you. This situation did not affect us, as we only went up that area 2 quick times to catch whale watching rafts, but could affect where on Maui you might stay.
Along the Lahaina bypass are now 2 newly erected traffic signals (they’re temporary with someone manually changing the go/stop) - the toxic debris cleanup from the Lahaina fire has begun, and there are 18 wheel dump trucks now picking up and dumping the debris in a controlled area along the bypass. I’ve learned that once a full truck begins its route to the dumping site, they stop the traffic in one direction and do a contra-flow (so only one direction flows at a time), and keeps that happening until the truck empties and has made its way back to the Lahaina devastation to pick up more debris. The other day there was over a 2 hour wait for those leaving the Lahaina area (Kapalua, Kaanapali, etc.) towards the airport, Kihei, etc. - many visitors missed flights as they couldn’t get to the airport, to say nothing of locals having issues getting to/from work, etc.
Knowing this I would say, absolutely consider staying in the Kihei area (or Ma’alaea), and if you do venture to the areas north of Lahaina, only do so if/when you are on your own time, not pressed to having to “be somewhere”.
There are a couple of wonderful FB pages you might want to follow as you make plans, Maui Bound is one, and Maui 24/7 another. 24/7 posts accidents, traffic delays etc., while Bound is more general q & a stuff.
I’m home now (the trip was wonderful), and will happily answer any questions you (or others) may have.
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Oh my! While I’m very glad we decided to go to the Big Island, I feel for all the people, locals and tourists, affected by the fire and now the cleanup.
We read Mala (one of our favorite places) had reopened, but we’re so sad about the many wonderful places we frequented that no longer exist. The owner of Lahaina Grill gave me a signed matted drawing of the establishment last year when we celebrated my birthday. It’s at home on our mantle and I’ll always cherish it. We took the Ultimate Whaling tour twice last year and it looks like their business survived…but the situation as a whole is heartbreaking. I’m praying the area’s recovery.
Thanks again for sharing your experience. Mahalo and Warm Aloha wishes! Hope your toe heals quickly!
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Any experiences or thoughts on Breeze or Avelo airlines?
I flew Breeze once because it offered a direct flight for very cheap, but I had a 1-stop Southwest Airlines flight that left a bit afterwards that I could cancel (bought on points that could be redeposited ) as a backup. They have a very limited fleet and staff, so if something gets cancelled/ delayed, I am not sure what their “backup” is . I have read horror stories online about lost luggage - I would not check luggage. They are one of these budget airlines with no one to call / hardly any support staff at the airport.
The plane was new, seats were nice, if you pay enough you can get “first class” sized seating. The flight attendants were nice enough, though not overly professional. If the price is right, and the flight is direct, I would fly again, but would probably have a Southwest backup flight.
Avelo I have not personally flown but know several people who fly it in/out of New Haven, and they have been pleased with it.
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DS used Breeze on his last trip here. He paid a little extra for a carry on bag, and to choose his seat. Round trip was $200 which is less than half of what any other airline cost. It was not a time sensitive trip.
We will be trying them at the end of April. It’s the only airline that offers a non-stop between here and where DS lives. Worth trying just for that.
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American Airlines travelers, FYI:
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Geez. They’re going to push us to use Southwest Airlines more often.
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I’m still wondering why the airlines don’t just build a checked luggage fee into their fare. Isn’t that how SW does it? Fees are ridiculous. Just charge me. If I don’t like your fare I’ll look further. Is it rocket science?
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I think a lot of flying angst and travelers getting into flights are due to storing of carry on luggages. In a way they are penalizing elderlies because they are the ones that can’t lift carryons or walking with them.
It’s kind of like tipping. Just add it to price and pay the servers a reasonable wage.
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So they can have lower fares show up in flight searches and free up hold space for cargo revenue.
Southwest is different because their business model is based on quick turnaround (which is why they have open seating, which gets passengers boarded faster because passengers do not need to get into an exact seat). Getting passengers to check bags reduces delays due to competition for overhead bin space and gate checking.
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Sidebar - but this is cool!
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