Hawaiian extends waivers to Big Island

Hawaiian Airlines has extended travel waivers for travel to and from Hilo and Kona airports on the Big Island due to the eruption of the Kīlauea Volcano. Passengers are allowed a one-time waiver of change fees if their ticket was issued May 4 or earlier for flights to May 13. Changes must be made for the same class of service, origin and destination for new flights no later than May 20. “For changes made to new flights after May 20, 2018, the change fee will be waived but applicable difference in fare will be collected,’’ the airline said in an update issued over the weekend. Th volcano erupted on May 3, spewing reddish-brown ash plume into the air and forcing the evacuation of about 1700 residents from the Leilana Estates subdivision in the island’s Puna region.. Lava erupting from fissures threatened houses — destroying several  — and blocked roads. Earthquakes and toxic gases added to the danger with a tremor on Friday hitting magnitude 6.9 to make it the biggest in four decades. The US Geological Survey reported that lava fountains reached as high as 70m (230ft) with seismic and deformation activity indicating a continued accumulation of magma across the rift zone. New fissures opened Saturday night but were not actively disgorging lava. WATCH Virgin Australia's volcanic ash assessment process. However, scientists have been unbale to say where new lava flows might occur and officials say it is not known how long the volcanic activity will last. Kilauea is the is the most active of the five volcanoes that form the island of Hawaii and destroyed the town of Kalapana in 1990. Volcanoes are an ongoing problem for airlines. In November of last year, thousands of passengers were stranded after Bali’s main airport was closed for several days due to the eruption of Mount Agung. The eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland in 2010 caused widespread disruptions to flights in Europe as well as to and from the continent.