A new year means new beginnings. But for many former Aloha Airlines workers, there has already been a new beginning. Nine months after the landmark shuttering of Aloha Airlines left more than 1,900 employees without work, some went on to other jobs, while others spent time with family, returned to school or found a new career.

There is life after Aloha, affirms Chris Opiopio, one of the longtime smiling faces behind the check-in counter, though she said memories of the 61-year-old, locally grown company will always remain in her heart.

At home, she has a room full of Aloha Airlines memorabilia - not for sale, but for personal memories. Her garden is also full of birds of paradise, Aloha's symbolic flower.

Opiopio likes to say the airline's former employees are now “;spreading a little Aloha everywhere.”;

They can be found working for the city and county of Honolulu, the Hawaii Tourism Authority, Hickam Air Force Base and Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard.

In the private sector, many went to work for other carriers, including Mokulele and Hawaiian airlines. Some pilots seeking to stay in their profession went to the mainland or abroad.

Target hired between 20 to 25 Aloha Airlines alumni during its four-day job fair in December to work at its two Oahu stores, which will open in March. Whole Foods Market and Hawaii Pacific Health also boast some former Aloha workers.

The face of Aloha

Opiopio greeted customers at the Aloha Airlines counter for 30 years. She was as much a part of Aloha as it was a part of her life's career.

The closure was like losing a family.

When she hears “;Spread a Little Aloha,”; the airline's trademark song, she still gets emotional. That song plays on the cell phones of friends who get a call from her today.

“;When Aloha shut down, I vowed never to work for another airline again,”; she said.

Then a friend called about Mokulele Airlines, which debuted inter-island jet service from Honolulu to Kona and Lihue in November. Now she's back greeting customers at the front counter of Mokulele, which is at the former Aloha Airlines location in the interisland terminal.

As a customer service agent, Opiopio wears several hats - helping passengers at check-in and boarding, and working with membership outreach.

Walking through the door to the office in back was a sort of deja-vu for Opiopio.

She said the best part is being back with many of the co-workers she knew at Aloha as well as seeing familiar faces at the airport. Some customers who recognize her go up to the counter just to say hello, even though they may be in another line.

“;I think it's wonderful for the community to have another airline carrier,”; she said. “;This is my passion. I'm back with my family and home.”;

A new beginning

Many Aloha Airlines alumni have also moved on to new careers.

It was a love of surfing that got Amber-Lynn Hyden, a former Aloha Airlines flight attendant, turned on to the weather.

Hyden can now be seen broadcasting the weather weekday mornings on KITV 4 Island Television News along with news anchors Dan Meisenzahl and Mahealani Richardson. She joined the news team on Jan. 2.

Hyden first joined KITV as weekend weather anchor in July, two months after the layoffs. She thought she would give the position a shot - and she got it. Now she starts work before 4 a.m. and has to absorb a whole new vocabulary.

“;I'm so appreciative to have the spot that I do,”; she said, crediting lead weather anchor Justin Fujioka as a patient teacher and mentor. She will take meteorology classes in the fall.

During her four years as a flight attendant, Hyden was working on a communications degree at the University of Hawaii and part-time as an assistant producer at another news station to get some experience.

She was drawn to the airline industry because her parents often sent her places on a plane as an unaccompanied minor.

“;I loved it,”; she said. “;It was the greatest experience.”;

When news of the Aloha Airlines closure hit, it was devastating for everyone, she said, especially since it was so sudden. She does miss it - mostly the people she worked with, who were like a second family.

But she also had other career aspirations, which the closure and the need to pay a mortgage helped her pursue.

“;I really think it was a blessing in disguise,”; she said.

Change of pace

For Linda Chinn, formerly a senior customer service agent for Aloha Airlines, life has undergone a change of pace.

She can relax a little, and breathe, now.

That's because Chinn went back to school at the Hawaii Massage Academy to learn the art and techniques of massage.

Chinn, 56, started classes in April, not long after the layoffs, and just got her massage therapist license. Now she's pursuing another license as an aesthetician.

“;It was an accomplishment,”; she said.

It is a new direction for Chinn, who had worked for 20 years at Aloha in several positions ranging from reservations to baggage check-in and customer service.

“;You know, I always thought I'd work at Aloha until I retired,”; said Chinn. “;I thought OK, at the time, seven more years to go and then I could retire.”;

After the closure, her sister, who is a massage therapist, got her started. The state's workforce development was also able to provide funds for the training.

Besides classes at the academy in Honolulu, students get hands-on learning experience at a clinic.

It was Chinn's choice not to work for another airline because “;it breaks your heart.”;

She says what she does now as a massage therapist is relaxing, and that she hopes to learn as much as she can.

The rewarding part is seeing clients leave in a good state of mind after a massage, she said.

Darryl Young, a former flight attendant at Aloha, is on the same path after being inspired by Chinn.

He started classes in October and is pursuing massage therapist and aesthetician licenses.

When he found out about the shut down of Aloha, where he had been for 32 years, he was about ready to retire.

“;I was just devastated,”; he said. “;I was kind of in depression, in mourning and that state of mind for several months.”;

Going to regular meetings set up at Wellspring Covenant Church for Aloha Airlines alumni helped pull him out of it.

“;I've just got to move on and look ahead,”; he said. “;When one door closes, another will open. I'm just praying and trusting in the Lord for his way.”;

Before he got busy working as a flight attendant, Young said he had wanted to try out massage therapy.

“;I like it,”; he said. “;It's something different. In a sense, you're helping people, which is what I did at Aloha on the aircraft.”;

Financially, it's still tough, but Young says after getting his licenses, he'll look for work again. He might go back to an airline or try his new skills at a spa. Some day, he might even start his own business.