The news of Aloha Cargo's shutdown sent shippers scrambling to make alternative arrangements after being caught off guard.

"They just left us high and dry," said Mike Walters, president of Love's Bakery, the biggest customer of the Aloha Cargo operation.

"This came as a complete surprise to us because we were assured for the last month that they had a contingency plan."

Walters, who said Love's filled six cargo flights each night to the Neighbor Islands, said the bakery had begun to move some of its shipments away from Aloha, such as using the Hawaii Superferry to Maui.

The U.S. Postal Service also relied on Aloha to convey the bulk of its mail sent between O'ahu, Maui and the Big Island. Spokesman Duke Gonzales said the post office was attempting to put its contingency plans into effect.

Others like Art Angel, president of Angel Freight Hawaii, said he had moved his air shipments to Hawaiian Airlines after hearing of Aloha's bankruptcy weeks ago.