Stranded in Hawaii, no joke, help/ideas?

[sanddrag]

This afternoon we received word that Aloha Airlines folded and the flight our students/teacher were supposed to take back home tomorrow is canceled. The district is requiring they fly together on the same flight so we aren't too hopeful about getting in by standby on Hawaiian. We can't get through to United (waited on hold over an hour) and we have zero dollars. Any ideas?

[Kyle]

Wow, I just read about that airline going bankrupt and I thought about all the people that was going to screw. I wish there was some way I could help. Try pleading your case to other airlines see what can come out of it.

But if I was stuck somewhere Hawaii would be my #1 choice

[danshaffer]

enjoy an extended spring break?
but seriously... good luck getting back. hopefully your district can waive their regulations and allow you to fly back in smaller groups, perhaps with a mentor each?

[Lavapicker]

You're not going to get much sympathy from the Mainland!!! Seriously though, don't forget that there are direct flights to the mainland from Maui, Kauai and the Big Island. See if Hawaiian can fly you interisland and then put you on one of those flights. It happened to us a few years back, now you see what we Hawaii teams have to go through, and we flew to Maui from the Big Island to catch a direct flight to the Mainland. The airlines picked up all the costs and did the arranging. Don't forget to mention to whomever is helping you to check the flights out of our Neighbor Islands as well!!! Good luck!

[Matt H.]

I would push your school district to ease up on regulations. Hit them with the idea that the team may not get back for several days and that everyone is running low on money and they might be more willing to cooperate. Now would be the time to pull all the district connections you can think of. Perhaps you could contact some of the local teams and see about getting temporary help?

[Woody1458]

Honestly Id say do what you mst to get home. Most likely your district will never find out, not like they have a task force patroling this stuff. And If they do, then I'm sure with enough sweet talk and convincing language you could make them understand you had no other choice.

[Nawaid Ladak]

Originally Posted by Woody1458

Honestly Id say do what you mst to get home. Most likely your district will never find out, not like they have a task force patroling this stuff. And If they do, then I'm sure with enough sweet talk and convincing language you could make them understand you had no other choice.

i second that

our mentor drove 120mph across SC on our way to the Philadelphia Regional a couple of years ago. doesn't mean the district knows

[dtengineering]

I had to check and make sure this wasn't April 1... but dang... it IS real.

While I don't have any helpful ideas (building a raft won't work all that well... the currents take you up past the Aleutians before bringing you back down the coast) I can sympathsize somewhat. It may be possible that one of the local FRC teams can take you in as billets for a couple days until this all gets sorted out.

If an airline is particularly helpful in getting you back home, please make mention of their efforts here. It might influence other teams in a positive way when selecting who they want to fly with.

We came VERY close to having a similar situation in our first year... we flew back from Toronto on Canada 3000 (an absolutely miserable flight... cheap in every way) and when I got off the plane I observed that the airline wouldn't be around for much longer because people would fly with them exactly once. A month or so later, they folded. We only missed your situation by a couple of weeks.

Mind you, we would have been stranded in Toronto...

Jason

P.S. Maybe the school board needs to be a bit more flexible in this situation, too... perhaps the parents back home need to get on the board's case a bit.

[Aces]

A buddy of mine got stranded in Hawaii 3 or 4 years ago. He managed to get a ride on a ferry that takes new cars from Los Angeles Harbor to Hawaii, and goes back empty. Either LA or Long Beach.

It a long shot,
but if all else fails, cram a bunch of kids on a boat, then hitchhike to West Corvina?

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Woody1458

Honestly Id say do what you mst to get home. Most likely your district will never find out, not like they have a task force patroling this stuff. And If they do, then I'm sure with enough sweet talk and convincing language you could make them understand you had no other choice.

If it's on the school's bill, they will find out pretty quickly.

I would suggest the following:
Look at the airport's website. That might tell you who flies out of there.
Find the cheapest of those airlines that has a flight to the mainland. LAX or Long Beach Airport, pick one.
Call them and talk to them about your situation.
Repeat as necessary.

Meanwhile, talk to the school about what is going on (if you haven't yet). This is a "special circumstance" that couldn't have been foreseen. Request formal permission to travel as smaller groups to save money/time. Also arrange for extra time off of school...this is not your fault, unforeseen circumstances, etc.

[Michelle Celio]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

This afternoon we received word that Aloha Airlines folded and the flight our students/teacher were supposed to take back home tomorrow is canceled. The district is requiring they fly together on the same flight so we aren't too hopeful about getting in by standby on Hawaiian. We can't get through to United (waited on hold over an hour) and we have zero dollars. Any ideas?

Have you tried talking to other teams who flew to hawaii from the west coast? Using the idea below and any possible extra tickets might help with the situation.

Originally Posted by Matt H.

I would push your school district to ease up on regulations. Hit them with the idea that the team may not get back for several days and that everyone is running low on money and they might be more willing to cooperate. Now would be the time to pull all the district connections you can think of. Perhaps you could contact some of the local teams and see about getting temporary help?

I second this.

Originally Posted by Woody1458

Honestly Id say do what you mst to get home. Most likely your district will never find out, not like they have a task force patroling this stuff. And If they do, then I'm sure with enough sweet talk and convincing language you could make them understand you had no other choice.

Lying to the school district is never a good thing to do, if anyone ever did find out the team/teachers would be in big trouble and there would be a risk of the district not letting them travel too far out side of their zone. You might not see this as a serious issues - just lie and hope you get away with it, but when you're talking to liability of the school for the students to the parents it's very important that policy is followed.

Originally Posted by Nawaid Ladak

i second that

our mentor drove 120mph across SC on our way to the Philadelphia Regional a couple of years ago. doesn't mean the district knows

I'm thinking they might now.

[artdutra04]

Public relations and the news media can be powerful.

If the local television news channels are doing stories on Aloha Airlines, contact them. Get on the news, and make sure your situation is known and seen by hundreds of thousands of eyes.

Your situation definitely meets the drama value that news stations die for.

Originally Posted by Nawaid Ladak

our mentor ...

Those are the kinds of stories that require rule number one and two, no exceptions.

[Rick TYler]

There are two or three problems jammed together here:

1. Getting home. Another airline (looks like it will be United for flights to the mainland, and Hawaiian for inter-island flights) will honor the tickets. It's actually SOP when an airline goes toes up. The problem is not buying tickets, it's waiting for United to have enough seats during spring break season. No suggestions, but you will get off the island. Check with Aloha to confirm that it is United, or if they don't answer, call United.

2. A place to stay until you can get a flight. The idea of contacting local FIRST teams is a good one. I'd pursue that.

3. School regulations. Even the most stiff-necked school district is going to be flexible when the alternative is having students stuck somewhere for a week or two. (I'm dreaming of course, schools can be stunningly dedicated to their rules in the face of reasonable exceptions. They can also make exceptions -- there's no way to generalize.) (One of the reasons we moved Exothermic to an Explorer Post is so that we don't have to deal with these sorts of school rules. I generally follow the Boy Scout youth protection rules which are just about as strict as the school district, except that they admit the possibility that some adult other than a teacher can be a responsible party. But I digress.)(Actually, the Boy Scout rules are stricter than local school districts when it comes to youth protection, and I'm all good with that.)(But I'm digressing again.)

Good luck. Think of what a great story this will be to tell next year's rookies!

[waialua359]

Sorry to hear about your situation.
Let us know via PM if we can be of help!
My sister works, or I should say worked at the airlines for the past 16 years. Its sad to have heard that she has to look for another job now.

Maybe I can ask her what the options are for you folks.

[115inventorsam]

Get home by whatever means you can, put your guys on separate flights, you guys are already low on money. Probably should contact the district about this, so they don't go "Why didn't you tell us?" if they were to find out(I think they will). The way you're describing the situation, the district shouldn't give you guys a hard time, especially if you guys can make them understand the circumstances.

If for some extremely crazy reason they stand by their policy, I would defy them, this is an emergency, and the chances of getting everyone on one flight are extremely low.

Good luck getting home, and be safe.