On an Aloha Friday in July 1946, two ex-Navy pilots taxied a freshly painted DC-3 onto a runway at John Rodgers Airport, and one of Hawai'i's great business rivalries took off.
Founded by Honolulu publisher Ruddy Tongg, Trans-Pacific Airlines, the interisland commercial carrier, now known as Aloha Airlines, wanted to provide a travel alternative to Hawaiian Airlines.
The new airline created a feeling of 'ohana that drew on its underdog status and its keen interest in serving Hawai'i's "local" community.
Trans-Pacific Airlines struggled in the early years but was nursed along by sympathetic employees who worked without pay and often waited to cash paychecks until the airline had money in the bank.
It flew three war-surplus DC-3s purchased for $25,000 each.
Trans-Pacific Airlines quickly gained a reputation for friendly service. It wasn't long before it adopted its first company slogan: "The People's Airline."
By the 1950s, the planes in the fleet were painted with an additional slogan: "Trans-Pacific Airlines — The Aloha Airline."
But the company was near bankruptcy in 1958 when real-estate developer Hung Wo Ching rescued it. He bought a 10 percent share, became chief executive officer and soon changed its name to Aloha Airlines.
