Aloha Airlines, AlohaPass shut down

Hawaii's Aloha Airlines declared bankruptcy last month and has shut down operations as of March 31, leaving some customers looking for ways to redeem loyalty rewards and pre-purchased trips.

The airline offered multiple opportunities to enroll in loyalty and rewards programs, including AlohaPass frequent flier miles and the AirAwards credit card. Some fliers were also enrolled in Alii Membership tiers and E-Plus — or Executive Plus — programs.

Last month, press releases from Aloha indicated that these programs would continue to run as promised, and as of March 30, the Aloha AirAwards card was still valid for making purchases. Stu Glauberman, director of corporate communications for Aloha, declined to comment for this story.

Once the airline's close was finalized, however, March 31 became the cut-off date for redeeming AlohaPass rewards miles for tickets. The other programs ceased operations along with the airline on March 31.

Code-share partners United Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and others have offered to serve Aloha customers who had booked flights for April and beyond. United Airlines reservations or tickets purchased with the Aloha AirAwards card or AlohaPass miles or through the Aloha Web site are still valid.

The airline cited a three-way price war with Hawaiian Airlines and Go airlines — which brought some ticket prices down to less than $20 — as one reason for the shut-down. Rising fuel prices also played a role.