Sad Day for Hawaiians Everywhere

Aloha Airlines has announced they will be ceasing operations as of midnight tonight. I admit, I was surprised when they filed for bankruptcy last week for the second time in the last eight years. Mesa owned Go! came into the Hawaii market a couple of years ago flying regional jets and pushing interisland fares down to the $30-50 range one way. Hawaiian and Aloha had always kept the competition to a minimum because they both realized they relied on revenue from the interisland market to keep them flying. Go!'s move really cut into both of the traditional Hawaiian airline's profits. In the last few years, Hawaiian began aiming its sights beyond west coat U.S. flying as a way to bring in more revenue. They now have daily flights to American Samoa as well as service to Manila and Sydney. With its fleet of smaller 737s, this was not an option for Aloha unless they bought bigger planes. Apparently Aloha did not have the money to sink into bigger planes considering today's news.

I was never a huge fan of Aloha's to be honest. I flew them from Oakland to Honolulu one way last year and they were ok, not earth shattering. The locals will be sad to see them go though and I will too. It will be strange to see a Honolulu International Airport without Aloha anchoring the interisland terminal. As one gets older, it seems natural to cling to familiar memories and places even if they are markedly different from what you remember. My first airline job was with American Airlines in Honolulu. With each airline I worked for (American, Northwest, and United), I always enjoyed traveling through HNL and I still do. I love exploring the airport and seeing familiar faces as well as new changes that have been made since my local days.

Best of luck to all of you loyal Aloha employees in the coming days. You worked for a classy airline and represented your home with pride. Aloha no ka ko.

Cuidate.