Go! airlines, blamed by Aloha Airlines for its demise, said Sunday night it would increase the number of interisland flights in Hawaii from 54 to 94 a day starting Tuesday.
In a news release, go! said it would carry ticketed Aloha passengers at no charge this week, but otherwise made no mention of the airline or its planned shutdown. Go! also said it would hold one-way fares at $49 through April 7.
"In response to demand, we have significantly increased the number of flights in all markets providing high-frequency service throughout the business day. We will continue to adjust our schedule to satisfy demand and work hard to provide the highest quality, lowest cost service to the people of Hawaii," said Jonathan Ornstein, chairman and CEO of go’s parent company, Mesa Air Group of Phoenix.
In its announcement that Aloha was shutting down, CEO David Banmiller said "unfair competition has succeeded in driving us out of business." He was referring to go!, which began operations in June 2006 and started a fare war, first at $39 and now at $49, that undercut both Aloha and Hawaiian.
Both Aloha and Hawaiian have sued Mesa (Nasdaq: MESA) for illegally using confidential financial information about their operations to try to drive them out of business. Hawaiian won a major ruling in its case against Mesa last fall when a federal judge ordered Mesa to pay $80 million in damages.

sanantonio.bizjournals.com

HONOLULU, March 30 /PRNewswire/ — The Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) is saddened to learn that Aloha Airlines will shut down its interisland and transpacific passenger operations after Monday, March 31, 2008. Aloha Airlines and its generations of employees have had a long and noble history of serving Hawaii’s residents and visitors, and its many contributions to our community will be missed. Our hearts go out to the company’s employees and their family members who are affected by the closure.
According to Aloha’s announcement, on March 31, 2008, 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. Aloha’s code-share partner United Airlines and other airlines are prepared to assist and accommodate passengers who have been inconvenienced. 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.
Given concerns over the potential of Aloha’s closing following its March 20 bankruptcy filing, the State Legislature, Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau (HVCB), Governor’s Tourism Liaison, HTA and the Hawaii Hotel and Lodging Association (HHLA), have been coordinating with airlines and hotels who have been hard at work on contingency plans to minimize the impact of the shut down on visitors and residents.
Hawaii’s primary interisland carriers have informed HTA that they are ready to increase their capacity to compensate for the loss of seats resulting from Aloha’s closure. This will be achieved by expanded daily schedules and the addition of aircraft. It is anticipated that transpacific carriers serving Aloha’s regional markets on the U.S. mainland will be able to absorb the void left by Aloha.
Aloha Airlines’ ticket holders with departures after March 31, can check HVCB’s Web site http://www.gohawaii.com/alohaairlines for information on how to contact other airlines serving Aloha’s markets. It is recommended that passengers get in touch with these airlines to determine seat availability and booking instructions before going to the airport. Aloha Airlines updates are also linked to HTA’s Web site http://www.hawaiitourismauthority.org/ and all of HVCB’s island chapters’ Web sites (Oahu Visitors Bureau, Kauai Visitors Bureau, Maui Visitors Bureau, and Big Island Visitors Bureau).

sys-con.com