Aloha Airlines - Mahalo Nui Loa.
ALOHA AIRLINES TO SHUT DOWN PASSENGER OPERATIONS AFTER MARCH 31, 2008, ENDING A 61-YEAR TRADITION OF SERVICE TO HAWAII
HONOLULU Aloha Airlines announced today that
it will be shutting down its inter-island and transpacific passenger
flight operations. Aloha's last day of operations will be Monday, March
31, 2008. On that day, Aloha will operate its schedule with the
exception of flights from Hawaii to the West Coast and flights from
Orange County to Reno and Sacramento, and Oakland to Las Vegas.
Code-share partner United Airlines and other airlines are prepared to
assist and accommodate Aloha's passengers who have been inconvenienced.
For more information on United's accommodation options, contact United
at 1-800-UNITED1 or www.united.com. Passengers who do not wish to be
re-accommodated by another airline should contact their travel agent or
credit card company to request a refund. Effective immediately, Aloha
will stop selling tickets for travel beyond March 31, 2008.
The shutdown of Aloha's passenger operations will affect about 1,900
employees. Aloha also announced that its air cargo and aviation
services units will continue to operate as usual while the U.S.
Bankruptcy Court seeks bids from potential buyers. On March 27, 2008,
Saltchuk Resources, Inc., announced its intention to buy Aloha's air
cargo business.
This is an incredibly dark day for Hawaii, said David A. Banmiller,
Aloha's president and chief executive officer. Despite the groundswell
of support from the community and our elected officials, we simply ran
out of time to find a qualified buyer or secure continued financing for
our passenger business. We had no choice but to take this action.
We deeply regret the impact this will have on our dedicated employees
who have made Aloha one of the best operating airlines in the country.
Aloha Airlines was founded in 1946 to give Hawaii's people a choice in
inter-island air transportation.
Unfortunately, unfair competition has succeeded in driving us out of
business, bringing to an end a 61-year-old company with a proud legacy
of serving millions of travelers in the true spirit of Aloha. We
realize that this comes as a devastating disappointment to our frequent
flyers and our loyal business partners who have supported this company
for many, many years.
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