(Hagåtña, Guam) – In a letter emailed to Samuel Shinohara, the Managing Director of Operations for United Airlines, Senator Jesse Lujan inquired about a new travel policy that Guam passengers must now endure while traveling to the mainland by transiting through Honolulu, Hawaii. In his letter, Lujan details the new steps below:
“To summarize, upon arrival in Honolulu, transiting Guam passengers must now:
1. First claim their bags in the baggage claim area even if ticketed to their final destination;
2. Clear the bags with Customs and Border Patrol;
3. Haul their bags upstairs across the terminal to the departure area;
4. Have them inspected and processed by an Agricultural Agent even though they have never left the Terminal,
5. Carry the bags to a United Airlines ticket counter to recheck them to their final destination in the U.S. Mainland;
6. Go through TSA screening; and
7. Then try to catch their connecting flight.”
The Senator writes about the concerns that his constituents have brought to him regarding the inconvenience and hassle these new protocols put them through. But Lujan states that these protocols don’t only inconvenience Guam travelers, it also discriminates against them.
“As the Managing Director for United Operations at the A.B. Won Pat International Airport Guam, I’m sure you understand how crucial it is for passenger transits to be streamlined, fluid, and efficient. But with the current procedures in place, many of our people find themselves in stressful situations, both physically and mentally. As many constituents have mentioned to me, these new additional steps to passenger travels seem not only cumbersome but discriminatory as well,” Lujan writes in his letter.
“While many consider flights to Guam as an international destination, we are classified as a domestic destination, but we have yet to hear of other domestic destinations within the U.S. having these protocols in place. Why are our people singled out this way?” Lujan voiced.
While the returning Senator does not attribute these new policies to be implemented solely under United Airlines, Lujan hopes to receive some answers or related information from Shinohara on a procedural level.
“While I am not blaming United Airlines, I am writing to Director Shinohara to find out why these new measures were implemented. Who is responsible and what can be done to eliminate or mitigate the discriminatory and burdensome effects on Guam travelers? With many constituents raising questions, complaints, and inquiring about the new procedures, I hope to receive an explanation for my questions. Why are supplementary steps added for Guam passengers to endure when transiting through Hawaii from Guam on the way to the U.S. Mainland?” Lujan stated.
In support of his argument, Lujan references Guam’s outstanding number of military enlistments per capita, as well as the increasing activity of the military buildup occurring on the island.
“These new protocols add to a list of discriminatory actions towards our people. But with our geostrategic importance, our rising significance to military operations in the Indo-Pacific, our high volume of enlistments to the armed forces itself, and the fact that we are U.S. citizens, we should not be treated this way.” Lujan concluded.
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