On Aug. 22 Island Air extended its $45 standby airfare for students presently enrolled in Chaminade University, Hawaii Pacific University, and Brigham Young Hawaii. This extension will provide a service that no other airline have available.

According to Island Air’s news release on August 22, island it is hoping this opportunity will help Hawaii’s college students to pursue their goals for higher education.

“We understand that the cost for higher education can be burdensome for many students, in addition to the overall cost of living in Hawaii,” said Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Richard Oshiro. “We are aware of these challenges and want our Hawaii students to be able to enjoy the privileges of traveling without inheriting any financial burden. We hope that students are able to take advantage of this rate while also pursuing their educational goals.”

Island Air first released this deal to University of Hawaii and community colleges in October 2015 in hopes to gain a new clientele as well as to provide an opportunity for college students on a tight budget. University of Hawaii at Manoa junior Lauren Chuck didn’t know this new fare was available to her but was enthusiastic about taking advantage of it.

“I am from California, and I have always wanted to fly to the other Hawaiian islands but it seemed too expensive so I love this and I will definitely take advantage of this soon, maybe this Christmas break,” said Chuck.

A one-way ticket from Honolulu to Kahului ranges anywhere from $69-$104. Island Air’s new fare on average will save a student anywhere from $53-$93 round trip.

Many Chaminade students are excited to take advantage of this opportunity. Chaminade students that are from outer islands seem to be one of the most affected by this new fare. Brittain Komoda, a senior at Chaminade University is looking forward to taking Island Air up on its offer.

“I fly home a lot to Maui so obviously who wouldn’t be able to pass down $45 flights, it’s cheap and convenient,” said Komoda. “I doubt my family knows about the deal with Chaminade now, but I’m sure my parents would be extremely happy because they could save a lot of money, which means I can go home more.”

To take advantage of this deal, students must have a valid ID of their current college and a federal ID or passport. The best part is there is no limit on how many times a student can take advantage of this offer. Students must purchase these tickets in person at an Island Air counter; unfortunately, online ordering is not available at this time.

“I like it a lot actually cause I’ve been to Big Island and some of the other islands and I really like going there,” said Thomas Collins, a senior at Chaminade from Missouri. “It’s always money has always been an issue, and now I can go snorkeling and see the giant underwater aloha on Big Island, or I don’t know, do a bike ride on Maui or something.”

Island Air is providing seats on standby, so students are not guaranteed to be on the flight they desire. This may be a possible reason for students to not take up this offer.

“Because the rate is for standby seats, there is never a guarantee that an individual will obtain a confirmed seat, said Oshiro.”  Typically, weekday flights are less crowded than weekends, which may allow them a greater chance to confirm a seat.”  

Whether or not students will actually take advantage of this deal is uncertain, but surely Island Air is starting a trend that hopefully other airlines will follow.

For any further information, visit islandair.com.