Aloha Airlines announced that its last day of operations will be today, as a result of the company going out of business. Already flights from Oakland to Las Vegas have been cancelled. The company said that United Airlines and other airlines will assist and accommodate passengers who have been impacted by the cancellation. The shut down of the passenger operations will affect about 1,900 employees. Also, AlohaPass miles will no longer be honored. Those who paid for a flight with a credit card should contact their travel agent to see about a refund, or a bankruptcy court if they paid cash, the airline said.
March 2008 Archives
Molokai Properties Ltd. said Monday it will shut down Molokai Ranch by the end of March.
The closure will result in the laying off of 120 staff over the next two months.
CEO Peter Nicholas said the decision was "purely a business one" related to delays in approving a master plan for the 60,000-acre ranch.
Nicholas said Molokai Properties Ltd. would "mothball" the company's assets on the ranch and close access to the property indefinitely.
Operations being closed include the Molokai Lodge, Kaluakoi Golf Course, Kaupoa Beach Village, Maunaloa Tri-Plex theater and gas station, and cattle-rearing and maintenance.
It was unclear whether Molokai Ranch's proposed plans to build 200 luxury homes around Laau Point, opposed by many residents, will be affected by the ranch's closure. The master plan stipulates that Laau Point would be the last development on ranch lands outside the resort area.
Aloha Airlines has told the United States Bankruptcy Court that it is in discussions to sell all or some of its company.
The airline filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Thursday, a little more than two years after emerging from bankruptcy.
Aloha's attorneys said on Friday the firm's passenger services, air cargo and contract services, which include US mail shipments, were for sale.
The carrier said it would continue to fly as long as the court accepts the airline's financial plan to keep operating. The company told the court it had US$3.5 million remaining in cash, but expenses over the next 10 days would take US$2.3 million of that. Judge Lloyd King granted Aloha permission to pay its daily operating costs, such as wages, fuel and utilities.
Yucaipa Cos, led by billionaire investor Ron Burkle, has invested more than US$110 million in Aloha since it emerged from bankruptcy.
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An explosion atop the long-erupting Kilauea volcano rained gravel-size rocks onto a tourist lookout, road and trail before dawn Wednesday, injuring no one but forcing parts of a national park to close.
It was the first explosion in Kilauea's main Halemaumau Crater since 1924, scattering debris over about 75 acres, said Jim Kauahikaua, scientist-in-charge at Hawaiian Volcano Observatory on the Big Island.
The 4,190-foot volcano has been erupting from fissures along its side steadily for more than a quarter-century. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park draws thousands of people daily, with a visitors center and lodge near the crater rim.
Scientists monitoring the summit say that there's a "remote possibility" of an eruption inside the half-mile-wide crater, but that it's unlikely because other indicators of an eruption aren't present.
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There is no evidence to suggest that Hawai'i's smoke-free workplace law, in effect since November 2006, has harmed the hospitality or tourism industries, according to a study released today by the state Department of Health.
The report, which looked at economic indicators from the visitor industry, concluded there are 212 more people working in the industry after the law went into effect compared to the year before the law.
Visitor spending in all visitor markets, including Japan, was comparable before and after the law, according to the report.
The Hawaii Superferry will be out of service even longer than expected, extending its dry dock for a second time.
The interisland ferry Alakai was taken out of service Feb. 13. The ship was originally set to be put back in service March 3, but was extended to March 25. The dry dock has now been extended to April 22.
The company said Saturday the extension is needed to repair damage to the ship that occurred during the dry-docking process.
The Superferry said it is accepting reservations for sailings between Oahu and Maui after April 22 and that it would issue further updates as they become available.
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Kauai dog owners are upset at the county's plan to ban dogs along the new $50 million, 16-mile coastal path set to link Lihue and Anahola.
When the second segment of the bike path, the 2.5-mile stretch from Lihi Park to Kealia Beach Park, opened on Feb. 15, county officials announced that they would be enforcing a county ordinance that dogs, regardless of whether they are on leashes, are not allowed in any county parks.
This week, members of the Kauai Police Department and the county parks department began enforcing the ban, first with a warning and then, starting next week, with a ticket and a trip to court.
Fines can range from $15 to $500, according to the ordinance.
Dog owners say discussion of the ban started months ago. But with the 30-plus person shortage at the Kauai Police Department and a limited number of park rangers, few thought that the county would actually enforce the ban.
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Hawaiian Airlines and Aloha Airlines had the best on-time arrival rates in the nation in January.
Hawaiian, owned by Hawaiian Holdings, had the highest arrival rate at 94.1 percent. Privately owned Aloha ranked second at 93.1 percent.
The air travel consumer report was released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Phoenix-based Mesa Air Group, which operates go! in Hawaii, ranked 16th out of the 20 U.S. carriers surveyed by the D.O.T. Mesa's on-time arrival rate was 68.7 percent.
Hawaiian also ranked first for the fewest number of mishandled baggage reports in January. Aloha was fourth, after Airtran Airways and JetBlue Airways. Mesa finished 17th.
Aloha placed second behind Frontier Airlines for the lowest percentage of flight cancellations. Hawaiian was fourth, just behind Continental Airlines, while Mesa had the highest percent of flight cancellations.
Aloha also reported the fewest passenger complaints of any U.S. airline in January, followed by Southwest Airlines, ExpressJet Airlines, Hawaiian, Alaska Airlines and Mesa.
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