Aloha Airlines Ending Flights

[roteague]

A sad day for those of us who live in Hawaii. Aloha Airlines, which has served the islands for 61 years, is ceasing all flight operations effective Monday. This is due to extensive competition from mainland Mesa Airlines (operating as go!) and high fuel costs. The shutdown of Aloha's passenger operations will also affect about 1,900 employees.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23872335

Followup: "Gov. Linda Lingle today announced that the state, through its bankruptcy counsel, will ask the bankruptcy court not to allow the shutdown of Aloha Airlines' inter-island and transpacific flight operations until Aloha has shown it has exhausted all possible avenues for continuing its operations.

The state will also ask the court that Aloha Airlines be required to provide sufficient time and proper notification to employees of the shutdown and that all additional steps be taken to protect the interests and rights of Aloha employees given Aloha's notice today that it will cease airline passenger operations at end of business, March 31, 2008."

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080330/BREAKING01/80330070

[Pat Kearns]

That is bad news for the employees and airtravelers. The Hawaii Super Ferry might be looked at in a more favorable light. I was able to look out my office window at the Super Ferry across the Mobile River before she left and that was a beautiful ship. Austal Shipbuilding is working on the second ferry now and I can't wait to see it launched.

[roteague]

That is bad news for the employees and airtravelers. The Hawaii Super Ferry might be looked at in a more favorable light. I was able to look out my office window at the Super Ferry across the Mobile River before she left and that was a beautiful ship. Austal Shipbuilding is working on the second ferry now and I can't wait to see it launched.

We will see. People in Hawaii tend to shoot themselves in the foot alot. I mentioned in another thread about Molokai where the Molokai Ranch was shutting down - it is doing so, because it needed to develop some single family homes to survive and the people on the island wouldn't let that development go forward. So, now many of them are out of work.

Superferry has been in dry dock for the past 1 1/2 months - partially normal maintenance and partially dry dock damage. It should be going out this week to be re-certified by the Coast Guard. I still expect a lot of opposition, however, with calmer seas and Aloha shutting down, it should do much better than it has. You are right, it is one beautiful ship.

[roteague]

It is nice to see the state of Hawaii stepping in to help:

"Several hundred tourists stranded by airline woes in Hawai'i flew home to the Mainland today, and charter flights scheduled for next week were filling up quickly, tourism officials said.

The extra flights were part of an emergency effort, funded by a $5 million grant from the Hawai'i Tourism Authority, to deal with the double whammy of ATA and Aloha Airlines shutting down service last week, leaving an estimated 9,000 passengers stranded."

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080405/BREAKING01/80405057