Direct flights that let you avoid Oahu

Hawaiian Airlines’ announcement that it’s going to double its weekly nonstop flights to Maui from the San Francisco area — and cut back some of its flights to Honolulu — is a vivid reminder that Hawaii is not all about Oahu. Yes, Oahu, known as "the gathering place," is the most populous of the islands, hosting the state Capitol, most of the state’s leading businesses, most of its federal military bases, and certainly its most famous visitor destination, Waikiki.

Nevertheless, it’s amazing how many mainlanders have visited the islands, some of them multiple times, without ever having been to Oahu. Honolulu’s increasingly crowded vibe has become less attractive to visitors looking for Hawaii experiences, and Hawaiian Airlines obviously has picked up on that.

Hawaii’s beauty, elegance and the law

In response to Republican criticism of a federally sponsored judicial conference on Maui, Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy came poetically to the defense of the conferees: "It’s important that this conference meet frequently in Hawaii. There is a loveliness, even a loneliness in the Pacific that make it fitting for us to search in quiet for the elegance and the beauty of the law."

Of course, judges and lawyers in Hawaii already know how our island home inspires us in both work and play. Perhaps certain Washington politicians should come see for themselves.