Posted on: Saturday, August 24, 2002

More time sought for input on Aloha-Hawaiian merger

By Dan Nakaso
Advertiser Staff Writer

Interisland air carrier Pacific Wings has asked the federal Department of Transportation to extend the period that the public can comment on a request by Aloha and Hawaiian airlines for an antitrust exemption that would allow them to cooperate for a limited time.

In a filing with the department yesterday, Pacific Wings argued that the deadline for the "answer period" should be extended from Wednesday until Sept. 10 because it needs more time to study the airlines' joint request.

Pacific Wings is Hawai'i's third-largest locally-based airline. The company said it needs more time to assess the potential effects of the antitrust exemption on its own operations and on the communities it serves.

The application by Hawaiian and Aloha also lacks projections or estimates on how their exemption would affect competing airlines or indicate what might happen with fares, Pacific Wings said.

Spokesmen for Hawaiian and Aloha declined to comment yesterday on Pacific Wings' motion.

Earlier this month, federal transportation officials accepted the airlines' application and said they will issue a decision by the federally mandated Oct. 1 deadline.

Aloha and Hawaiian filed the application July 31 that would allow them to coordinate interisland air service and look at how full each other's planes are on interisland routes.

A notice posted on the Department of Transportation's Web site Aug. 14 opened a 15-day period for the public to comment.

Both airlines have been struggling since Sept. 11. Aloha has added some routes but Hawaiian officials yesterday announced they would institute a seasonal reduction of 12 Mainland flights a week — about 4 percent of their total scheduled seat capacity — from Sept. 3 through Dec. 12.

Reach Dan Nakaso at dnakaso@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8085.