After Filing for Bankruptcy, Aloha Airlines to Halt Flights
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Monday, March 31, 2008
HONOLULU, March 30 -- Aloha Airlines said Sunday that it will halt all passenger service after Monday, signaling the end of an airline that has served Hawaii for more than 60 years.
Aloha, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on March 21, was a casualty of fierce competition and rising fuel prices. The airline said it will stop taking reservations for flights after Monday.
"We simply ran out of time to find a qualified buyer or secure continued financing for our passenger business," David A. Banmiller, Aloha's president and chief executive, said in a statement. "We had no choice but to take this action."
Aloha has suffered since Phoenix-based Mesa Air Group launched an inter-island carrier called Go airlines in 2006, triggering a local airfare war.
Banmiller didn't mention Go by name in his statement, but did blame the company's demise on rival companies.
"Unfortunately, unfair competition has succeeded in driving us out of business," he said.
The company's Web site, http:/
Rising fuel prices, which have forced other airlines to raise fares and look for ways to cut expenses, also made it difficult for Aloha to operate. Aloha, the second-largest Hawaii carrier, has operated a fleet of 26 Boeing 737s to serve five airports statewide and six mainland U.S. destinations.
Aloha Airgroup was forced to file for Chapter 11 protection just over two years after it emerged from a previous trip through bankruptcy court.
Aloha said tickets for flights after Monday will not be honored. It said it is working to have UAL's United Airlines accommodate passengers with tickets for Aloha's mainland-to-Hawaii flights. It hopes to seat those with inter-island tickets on Hawaiian Airlines.
Aloha has canceled Monday flights from Hawaii to the West Coast and between several cities in California and Nevada. Its last day for inter-island travel will be Monday.
Aloha advised passengers who do not want to fly another airline and who want a refund to contact their travel agents or credit card companies. Those who paid by cash or check may file a claim in bankruptcy court.
The shutdown will affect about 1,900 employees. The company said air cargo services are to continue.
A Seattle company on Thursday offered to buy Aloha's cargo operations for an undisclosed amount. But Saltchuk Resources said it wasn't interested in taking over Aloha's passenger business.
Aloha Airlines was founded in 1946.
