text: A small airline delivering low budget service at big boy prices but always with a smile, until something goes wrong.\n\nA flying bus.  No frills.  No food service menu.  No wine list.  No toothbrushes or personal mouthwash in the lavatories.  Just horrible airline food and a very limited selection of drinks.  They even charge you for a blanket (but you can keep it).\n\nWhat they lack in amenities, they usually make up for in service with some of the friendliest and warmest employees bar none.  It usually equates to a willingness to pay the 10-20 percent higher prices for domestic travel than UAL or Delta.  Usually.\n\nThen something goes wrong (sorry this is so long)...\n\nDeparting LAS via Terminal 3 (Delta's gates).  Announcements from all other airlines can be clearly heard including those of Delta.  All good.  Hawaiian announces a delay of 30 minutes and promises an update at 5:30pm.\n\n5:30pm:  Hawaiian agents tell people gathered around the podium that there is a mechanical issue.  Word trickles out.   NO PA ANNOUNCEMENT.\n\n5:45pm:  Text message received from Hawaiian announcing further delay but promises update at 6:30pm.\n\n6:30pm: ..........\n\n7:15pm:  Flight attendants wandering around the terminal talking to groups who look like they are from Hawaii. People start to gather at the podium.  NO PA ANNOUNCEMENT.\n\n7:30pm:  Everyone on their phone at the podium.  Better see what is happening.  Told the flight has been grounded.  Passengers must pickup luggage by a grouchy agent (\"stop making me repeat myself, just follow everyone else and get your bags\").  Take a shuttle to a hotel that will leave in 15 minutes (it takes that long to get to baggage claim).  Flight rescheduled to 7am next day.  Everyone must be back at the airport by 5am.  The supervisor says they are some seats available on the midnight flight so those with high mileage status should wait.\n\n8:00pm:  Finally speak to an agent.  No seats on any flight for three days. I know because she just told the person in front of me but still she types stuff into the computer when I'm standing in front of her just to give me the same information.  Better still \"the shuttle has left.  You need to go to XXX hotel, find a Hawaiian agent so they can get you checked in then get your meal vouchers\"  Sorry, I don't play Where's Waldo.   Opt to get my own room at Mandalay Bay.\n\n5:00am:  At the airport.  No Hawaiian agents at the counter.  No 7:00am flight listed on the departure board.\n\n5:30am:  Still no agents.  Call 800 number.  Between the \"your flight was rescheduled?\"  and the \"your last name begins with the letter U as in ...\"  Hang up.\n\n6:00am:  Agent arrives.  Flight has been rescheduled to 12:45pm. \"If you went to the hotel with everyone else you would have known that\".   When I ask why the didn't text us like they did the night before, I get told \"We don't do that\".  I show him my phone.  \"You must have sent that to yourself\".\n\n6:15am: Agent logged in and ready to deliver excellent customer service.  I ask if the rescheduled flight is really leaving at 12:45.  \"Doubtful, the mechanic is being flown in from Hawaii and has not even landed yet.\"  \n\nEnough is enough.  Rebooked flight days later.  But there is a happy ending...\n\n8:00am:  In taxi back to Mandalay Bay on phone with VIP host.  Within five minutes, second room booked, and upgraded to suites, immediate check in assured, and requested fresh juices and fruits to be in suite by the time we open the door.\n\n\nHuge props to Hawaiian's providing generous $300 per person compensation for the problems when they are under NO obligation to do so (Department of Transportation:  http://www.usa.gov/topics/travel/air/resolve-problems/flight.shtml ).  \n\nShamefully poor customer service handling the problems.