Medicaid flight will operate evening hours with shorter ground time

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Tomorrow’s medical charter will operate in the evening hours with the Hawaiian Airlines aircraft on the ground for two-hours only and the same will be true moving forward as the Honolulu-based carrier prepares to resume — as planned at this point — commercial flights next month between Honolulu and Pago Pago.

This is according to local Hawaiian Airlines station manager Tuli Fruean in an email early this week to Port Administration and other ASG agencies involved, regarding the Aug. 19th Medicaid Charter. She indicated “we will return to our normal schedule as noted.” 

During the repatriation flights, along with the outgoing medical charter to Honolulu, flight arrivals and departures at the Tafuna airport were during daytime hours. It was noted during a cabinet meeting last month that when commercial air service resumes, arrivals and departures will return to night hours.

According to the Aug. 16th, Hawaiian Airlines’ Travel Advisory for the Aug. 19th Medicaid Charter, the incoming flight HA 927 — a ferry only with no passengers — will arrive at 9:10p.m with the new departure time of 11:10p.m for flight HA 928.

Check-in at the ticket counter will open from 6:30p.m to 9:30p.m and security check point from 8p.m to 10p.m.

The advisory said these times “will be strictly enforced with no exceptions whatsoever, we will close promptly as scheduled so we may prepare for the arrival of HA927. We encourage and advise all passengers to please arrive early and have all proper travel documents ready.”

In the email to Port Administration and others concerned Fruean pointed out the “ground time” for the aircraft is “two hours only for flights moving forward”.

He explained that the strict enforcement of counter and security check-point closure times are “due to the limited ground time for this aircraft and the flight crew.”

“We no longer have the flexibility on aircraft ground time due to crew rest requirements and work duty time, any help with this communication is greatly appreciated,” Fruean said and requested Port Administration director Christoper King to have the Airport Police assist with this enforcement.

Fruean also said that the check-in counter closure is as scheduled because “we are required to weigh each checked baggage and report final weight” to the airline’s dispatcher in Honolulu — which is a US Federal Aviation Administration “requirement we must abide by and the cut-off will allow time for baggage to clear from TSA and be manually reported into our system.”

Hawaiian Airlines along with ASG officials hope that travelers will not wait until the last minute to show up to go through the security check-point as in the past out-bound medical charters. Last minute check-in has congested and bombarded the security check-point about 30 to 45 minutes before the closing time.

Hawaiian hopes that Port Administration can continue to enforce the “Passenger ONLY rule at the departure area, as we have been during the last several flights,” said Fruean.

“Airport Police presence has greatly improved but not without challenges and criticism from the public, thank you to the Airport Police for their continued support and patience,” Fruean added.

Port Administration imposed restrictions for the Pago Pago International Airport terminal, effective Aug. 5th.

According to the department’s mandate, the airport terminal will be restricted to: ticketed passengers only; a family member assisting their loved ones with check-in formalities for Medicaid referral patients/ passengers; and adults who are accompanying minors traveling on a scheduled flight.

“Airport Law Enforcement officers will be enforcing this mandate” and “all unauthorized person(s),” will be asked to leave the Airport terminal, according to the directive.