Two companies got lucky, bringing hundreds of travelers to the islands just before a Federal Aviation Administration order shut Rich down yesterday. Those travelers, on a new service from Frankfurt, Germany, and a two-year-old service from Anchorage, Alaska, aren't due to go home until later this week.

A big San Jose, Calif., firm, however, had booked most of the thousands who were stuck in Honolulu yesterday and had to scramble to get them home.

The weekly service from Germany, by a U.S.-German firm, SkyExpress, started in June with a weekly flight via Anchorage, sold as SkyExpress flights with aircraft and crews supplied by Rich.

Fortunately, its Honolulu turnaround is each Thursday. SkyExpress picked up people Thursday and dropped off nearly 300, said Earl Loo, president of Business & Leisure Holidays, the Honolulu firm that handles its local bookings and arrangements.

The next flight is due Thursday, leaving the company with less than 48 hours to make alternative arrangements, he said. "I haven't had any indication of what they plan to do," Loo said early today.

Hawaiian Vacations, an Alaska firm that runs weekly Hawaii tours from Anchorage aboard Rich International, made its Honolulu flight Saturday, before Rich got the shutdown order, and the next flight isn't due until Saturday. "We're trying to work with the rest of the industry for sub (substitute) service," said John Hardwick, president.

Meanwhile, it's a slow period with no flights fully booked for the next eight weeks, he said.

A sales staffer at San Jose-based Suntrips, who did not want to be named, said it was difficult yesterday because of the holiday, but arrangements were made for hotels and the customers were being taken back to the mainland today.

"Even today's flights (from the mainland) went out as scheduled," aboard other carriers, she said. Suntrips usually runs at least two daily flights from the West Coast aboard Rich International.

Bookings are lighter after Labor Day, she said.