Runway Lights Disabled, Flights Cancelled

About a thousand travelers were stranded at Maui's Kahului Airport on Christmas Eve when an electrical short disabled the lights on the airport's longest runway.

All outbound domestic and international flights were cancelled due to the blackout, and inbound flights were diverted to Honolulu, MSNBC reported.

Security officials said they did not know why the lights went out, but technicians working on the problem had things back in working order Friday. Lights on a shorter runway were not affected.

While many lamented missing the Christmas holiday with friends and family due to the interruption in air travel, passenger Jim Kalmenson missed something else. "I have two tickets to the Celtics-Lakers game in my hands, here at the pool bar in Maui," he said.

Although watching the game on TV poolside was a letdown compared to actually being at the game, Kalmenson waxed philosophical. "We're happy we're not stuck in the snow in Cleveland," he said.

Many of the travelers were provided with hotel accommodations on Maui by the airlines, although some were flown to Honolulu for the night - because, due to heavy holiday booking, there was no room left at the inn...

Honolulu was not without its own power problems, as electricity for the entire island of Oahu was knocked out Friday evening by a thunderstorm. Ninety-four percent of the island's customers were back online by Saturday afternoon.

Honolulu Airport managed to stay open, thanks to emergency generators; but many flights were delayed several hours, and passengers were kept on some planes for "extended periods," the Associated Press reported.

FMI: www.state.hi.us/dot/airports/maui/ogg/index.htm, www.honoluluairport.com