CALLING go! airlines by any other name would not smell bitterly, unless it were to adopt the brand of Aloha. Selling the name of the defunct airline that had a storied history in Hawaii is an issue that can be categorized as merely a matter of money. But allowing the rival company blamed, in part, for Aloha's demise to wave its banner would add insult to injury, particularly for the 1,900 people who lost their jobs when Aloha folded.

It will be up to a bankruptcy judge to decide whether Mesa Air Group, the owner of go!, and Aloha's former owner, Yucaipa Co., can move ahead with settlement of a lawsuit, which will pave the way for the possible re-branding.

Whether sentiment will have a bearing on the decision isn't known, though the judge did remark angrily on the indelicate notion when he postponed a hearing last week to give supporters and opponents an opportunity to respond.

The matter arrived in a settlement of an anti-trust lawsuit alleging Mesa had used confidential business information, obtained as a potential investor, to start up go! airlines. The agreement includes licensing the Aloha name to Mesa for 10 years in exchange for profit-sharing and millions in payment to Yucaipa, which holds Aloha's intellectual property rights.

Yucaipa's attorney told the court that there were no restrictions on the use of the name, but the judge questioned if the issue is about “;just the money.”; For businesses trying to recoup losses, the answer would likely be “;yes,”; but, as an aviation historian said, having the Aloha name transferred to a rival “;would be heartbreaking.”;