Swanson, Brian (OST) 

From: 

Sent: 

Cc: 

Subject: 

Julie sigler [julie60klp@yahoo.com] 

Thursday, January 12, 2012 5:10 PM 

EAS (OST) 

"ANSWERS TO PACIFIC WINGS' PETITION FOR 

RECONSIDERATION" 

g^6^C^'C.T^-5 

^ 

••• • r-..r[.Dr . 11'- '•'•'• 

{••l" ^ 

ALOHA, 

FOR ALMOST 5 YEARS THE RESIDENTS & PATffiNTS HAVE BEEN 

PRACTICALLY PRISIONERS HERE @ KALAUPAPA. BECAUSE OF OUR 

ISOLATION HERE ON THE KALAUPAPA PENINSULA PACIFIC WINGS HAS 

BEEN TAKING ADVANTAGE & CHARGING THE PEOPLE EXORBITANT 

FARES. IT COSTS $485.00 FOR A 10 MINUTE FLIGHT TO TOPSIDE MOLOKAI 

ROUND TRIP & 502.00 ROUND TRIP TO HONOLULU. I FLEW TO LAS VEGAS 

LAST LAST SPRING ROUND TRIP FOR $564.00.ALSO WHEN THE NATIONAL 

PARKS PERSONNEL FLY OUT OF HERE ON BUISNESS THEY ONLY PAY 

$288.00 ROUND TRIP TO HONOLULU, WHICH MEANS IF I AM ON THE SAME 

FLIGHT AS NPS I PAY $250.00 FOR MY SEAT & NPS PAYS $144.00 FOR THE 

SAME FLIGHT. THIS SEEMS VERY WRONG TO ME.I KNOW THAT PACIFIC 

WINGS HAS HAD SOME DIFFICULTY WITH THE DOT IN THE PAST & IT 

APPEARS THAT THEY FEEL THAT BECAUSE OF OUR ISOLATION THAT THEY 

CAN PUNISH THE PEOPLE HERE . IN THE PAST THEY HAVE ALSO 

THREATENED THAT IF WE GO TO THE MEDIA OR NEWSPAPERS THAT THEY 

WOULD RAISE THE FARES AGAIN. I KNOW SEVERAL RESIDENTS WHO 

COMPLAINED & WHEN THEY TRIED TO BOOK FLIGHTS ON PW THEY WERE 

TOLD THE FLIGHTS WERE FULL, BUT WHEN OTHERS CHECKED THERE 

WERE SEATS AVAILABLE. RESIDENTS TOPSIDE ONLY PAY ABOUT $150.00 

ROUND TRIP TO HONOLULU. 

THE WORST PART ABOUT THE WHOLE SITUATION IS THAT THEY CAME 

HERE STATING THE WANTED TO SERVICE THIS COMMUNITY WHICH HAS 

MANY HANDICAPPED & DISABLED PEOPLE. AS AN RN I FIND IT APPALLING 

THAT THEY CAME & TOOK THE WALKING & WHEELCHAIR RAMPS AWAY 

WITHOUT PROPER NOTICE & HAVE REFUSED TO ALLOW SEVERAL OF THE 

KALAUPAPA PATIENT TO BOARD THERE PLANES BECAUSE THEY COULD 

NOT WALK FROM THE TERMINAL TO THE AIRPLANE WHICH IS A LONG 

WALK. 

FOR A TIME THEY WERE CHARGING US $25.00 PER BAG, BUT WERE NOT 

CHARGING THE PEOPLE TOPSIDE WHO WE PICKED UP ON THE WAY TO 

HONOLULU. 

SINCE MAKANI KAI STARTED SERVICING KALAUPAPA THERE FLIGHTS 

SCHEDULES HAVE BEEN VERY CONVENIENT & WE NOW HAVE 2 DIRECT 
FLIGHTS TO HONOLULU DAILY, INSTEAD OF HAVING TO STOP TOPSIDE TO 

PICK UP OTHER PASSENGERS. MAKANI KAI OFFERS KALAUPAPA 

RESIDENT'S SPECIAL FARES 

WHICH MAKES IT MORE ACCESSIBLE FOR US TO GO TO SEE OUR DOCTORS, 

DENTISTS & FAMILY. WE CANNOT HAVE OUR CHILDREN & 

GRANDCHILDREN AS THEY MUST BE 16 YEARS OR OLDER TO VISIT 

KALAUPAPA.I T ALS O MAKE S IT MOR E AVAILABL E FO R PATIENT'S 

RELATIVES & FRIENDS TO VISIT. MANY RELATIVES WERE ONLY ABLE SEE 

THEIR LOVED ONES ONCE A YEAR BECAUSE OF PACIFIC WINGS HIGH 

FARES.IT ALSO IS GREAT FOR THE WORKERS HERE AS THEY CAN GO 

TOPSIDE MORE OFTEN TO BE WITH THEIR FAMILIES. MOST TIMES THEY 

HIKE DOWN THE TRAIL ON MONDAY & HIKE UP ON FRIDAYS BUT NOW 

THEY CAN GO UP MIDWEEK. I HAVE FLOWN MAKANI KAI 2 TIMES & THE 

HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY COURTEOUS & HELPFUL IN PROVIDING 

TRANSPORT TO PLACES & ANYTHING WE NEED HELP WITH. I HOPE THAT 

OUR GOOD FORTUNE CONTINUES AS WE HAVE BEEN TRAPPED TOO LONG. 

WE UNDERSTAND THAT LIVING IN AN ISOLATED PLACE HAS ITS 

HARDSHIPS BUT WE ARE HERE TO PROVIDE SERVICE TO PEOPLE WHO 

WERE MISTREATED FOR A LONG TIME & WHO DESERVE BETTER. MY 

HUSBAND & I HAVE LIVED & WORKED HERE FOR 18 YEARS & WE LOVE IT 

BUT HAVING TO PAY $1,000 TO GO OUT TO SEE OUR DOCTORS & 

RELATIVES HAS BEEN EXTREMELY HARD. THANK YOU FOR YOUR 

CONSIDERATION 

SINCERELY & MAHALO, 

JULIE SIGLER R.N. & 

JOHN SIGLER 

P.O. BOX 82 

KALAUPAPA, HAWAII 

96742 

(808)567-9219