Aloha Airlines makes Alaska charter deal
By Dan Nakaso
Advertiser Staff Writer
An Anchorage-based tour company is expanding its summer offerings with a once-weekly charter using Aloha Airlines from June 4 through Aug. 28, Aloha Airlines and Alaskan/Hawaiian Vacations said yesterday.
Dave Karp, vice president and chief operating officer for Alaskan/Hawaiian Vacations, said he expects demand to fill Aloha's 124-seat 737-700 each week.
"In the summer, we have lots and lots of local folks coming up here to fish and sightsee," Karp said. "There's a huge community of Hawaiians up here, and there are a lot of Alaskans who spend their winters in Hawai'i and have property over there.
"When you take the weather out of the picture, there's a lot of commonality — beautiful scenery, we even have the same whales and, of course, strong native culture in both places," he said.
The news comes as Aloha begins moving forward with plans to operate as a standalone carrier in the wake of its failed merger with Hawaiian Airlines last month.
"This is new business for us," Aloha Airlines spokesman Stu Glauberman said. "We're happy to provide this type of plane for them. It's the right plane at the right time. "The flights will leave Honolulu at noon on Tuesdays and depart Anchorage International on Wednesdays at 9:35 a.m.
The 2,777-mile flight takes 5 hours and 40 minutes. In the summer, Alaska is two hours ahead of Hawai'i time.
Alaskan/Hawaiian Vacations flies most of its passengers on Hawaiian Airlines DC-10s. But Hawaiian Airlines had availability problems for the new, midweek charter flights and Alaskan/Hawaiian also wanted a smaller plane, Karp said.
