When my 3-year-old daughter and I boarded Aloha Airlines Flight 240 bound from Hilo to Honolulu just three weeks ago there’s no way I could have ever imagined it would be our last.
As I write this passengers are boarding the last flights Aloha Airlines will fly between the Hawaiian Islands. After 61 years in business the carrier says it is bankrupt and will end passenger service later tonight.
The news means nearly 2,000 of Aloha’s approximately 3,500 employees will be out of jobs by the end of today. It also means that travelers holding reservations on Aloha are out of luck. And it means an end of an era for residents of the 50th state, many of who experienced their first airplane rides ever on Aloha Airlines (including me and my three brothers).
As I mentioned in my previous blog Aloha Airlines has been an institution in Hawaii. The carrier has been around longer than Hawaii has been a state and has served as the airline of choice for my family for four generations. My grandparents were among Aloha Airlines’ first passengers and it is still shocking to me to know that my daughter and I were among its last.
Aloha’s announcement to end passenger service (the company’s air cargo operations will continue until further notice) came less than 48 hours ago and blindsided both employees and passengers holding existing reservations.
According to Aloha’s president, who filed for Chapter 11 on March 20th, the company “simply ran out of time to find a qualified buyer or secure continued financing for our passenger business” and had no choice but to cease operations.
Mind you now that Aloha is bowing out, Hawaii only has two existing carriers that fly interisland.
So what does Aloha’s devastating move mean for you?
If you are holding existing Aloha reservations you should know that code-share partner United, Hawaiian Airlines, and Mesa’s go! are offering to assist stranded passengers.
Officials at Hawaiian Airlines announced they will offer Aloha Airlines ticketholders free standby flights for the ticketed day of departure for interisland and trans-Pacific flights beginning tomorrow through Thursday. Go! has the same standby offer for interisland travel.
Hawaiian Airlines officials also said it is adding 6,000 seats to its interisland routes during the days it is allowing Aloha ticketholders to fly free. Go! officials said it will increase its number of daily seats to 4,700 from 2,700 beginning tomorrow. In addition, both Hawaiian and go! said all interisland seats will be priced at $49 per ticket for one-way travel through next Monday.
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