Hawaii's state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs is
revisiting the issue of Hawaiian Airlines' making interisland air
coupons available through the Bank of Hawaii's automated teller
machines. Last year, after a local travel agency complained that
the bank was acting as a travel agent unlawfully, the DCCA ruled in
the agency's favor, saying that there is no significant difference
between a travel agency and an ATM in that scenario. Not that it
has anything to do with why the case was reopened, but, c'mon,
there's a world of difference between an agency and an ATM. For
instance, an ATM is always open, and an agency never puts up a sign
in the window that says "This agency is temporarily out of order."
If demand is there, British Airways said it might extend its New
York-Barbados roundtrips via Concorde next winter. The flights get
type-A sun-worshipers to the Caribbean's easternmost island in two
hours and change. You know, I hope one day to be at a stage in life
when basking in the warmth and beauty of Barbados isn't satisfying
unless I can break the sound barrier getting there.