Aloha tickets good for standby rides

Hawaiian Airlines is offering free standby coach seating to Aloha Airlines ticket holders for interisland and trans-Pacific travel from today through Thursday for the ticketed day of departure only.

United Airlines also is offering special rates for Aloha ticket holders.

Hawaiian is adding 6,000 interisland seats on early-morning and late-night flights and a Boeing 767 for travel between Honolulu and Kahului during the day. The seating is offered on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 4 a.m. today.

The following are requirements for free standby travel:

» Standby will be offered to Aloha ticket holders on the date on their Aloha ticket confirmation.

» An Aloha paper ticket or electronic ticket confirmation must be presented on the day of departure only.

» Passengers must waive their rights to future refunds or credit card "chargebacks."

» Standby will be a one-way trip.

» Aloha interisland ticket holders can stand by for any Hawaiian interisland flight.

» Aloha trans-Pacific ticket holders can stand by for any of Hawaiian's flights to or from any of the West Coast destinations Hawaiian serves, including Orange County, Oakland, San Diego, Seattle, Portland, Phoenix and Las Vegas.

Hawaiian recommends its own customers with confirmed tickets use Web check-in to speed up things at the airport.

Mayor sees city hiring Aloha staff

Mayor Mufi Hannemann offered his sympathies to the 1,900 Aloha Airlines employees but lost no time in encouraging them to apply for city positions.

"This is a very troubling development that will have far-reaching consequences," Hannemann said yesterday in a release.

While state lawmakers and Gov. Linda Lingle evaluate ways to save Aloha, Hannemann said the city has openings, including positions for skilled tradesman, clerical workers and construction professionals.

"We'll do our part to step up recruitment of vacancies that are open to all comers but which Aloha employees may find attractive," Hannemann said. "Perhaps the Aloha employees may help us fill jobs that have been difficult to fill in recent years."

Changing plans can be a journey

Hilo construction project manager Charles Aina spent nearly six hours yesterday trying to cancel three reservations on Aloha Airlines.

He started the night before with a call to Kobayashi Travel Service agent Amy Aoyagi at home. Then he spent 7:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. trying to fix things, much of it calling Aloha and being put on hold.

Aoyagi was finally able to rebook his two flights in May and another in July on Hawaiian Air.

But he will lose a mass of frequent-flier miles that would have allowed his wife and three children to fly free with him to Japan.

At the Aloha counter at Hilo Airport, agents were clearing items from under the counter. Incoming phone lines had been shut off.

But agent Kehau Racpac, a 12-year veteran with Aloha Airlines, said business throughout the day was orderly.

"It's been sad but it's been nice," she said.