Inouye’s aid to Aloha set an example

THE ISSUE The senator's initiative aided in bringing around a buyer for Aloha Airlines' shuttered cargo service.

While much remains to be resolved in reviving Aloha Airlines' cargo operations, its planes are flying, goods are being delivered and about 300 workers are back on the job.

For the thousands of businesses that relied on the airline, resumption of the transport service Thursday, tentative as it might be, must be a great relief.

In addition, approval of the sale of Aloha's ground services division - which handles ticketing, baggage, aircraft cleaning and other tasks for virtually all of the major domestic and international carriers flying into the state - assures little disruption of Hawaii's tourism industry.

Although the situation involving the services division that held contracts with American, United, China and Japan airlines did not seem as distressed as the air cargo sector's, the state could have taken another hit in the wake of Aloha and ATA's passenger shutdowns.

Financial wrangling among creditors, potential buyers, pilots and bankruptcy officials ended with Monday's termination of the cargo service that had provided 85 percent of interisland air transport in the state. Aloha's customers were left scrambling to find other ways to ship their food and other products.

U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye should be commended for getting involved in what seemed to be an intractable affair. His calls to an Alaska company that had withdrawn its bid for the cargo service and to the airline's main lender set off renewed discussions, resulting in a provisional deal for the company to buy the operation.

Inouye said he could not sit by and watch as a vital operation went under. His initiative should serve as an example for other state leaders.