Taking Flight

DURING A TOUR OF THE ALOHA AIR CARGO FACILITIES, company president Mike Malik pauses to admire an old Boeing 737, nosed up into the hangar for routine maintenance.  Freshly painted with the company's latest green, orange, and blue colors and logo, the 20-year-old bird glistens like new in the afternoon sun - an excellent symbol for a company in transition.

For years, while the passenger division of Aloha Airlines struggled, its cargo operations thrived, handling more than 85 percent of the state's airfreight, including lucrative interisland contracts for the U.S. postal service.  So, when the venerable airline went bankrupt earlier this year, Aloha Air cargo was the only part that survived.  It was bought by Saltchuk Resources, the Seattle-based firm that also owns Young Brothers and Hawaiian Tug and Barge.

Now, Malik and the rest of the staff are trying to accomodatte the company’s new realities. 

Not everything has changed, of course. In fact, one of Aloha Air Cargo’s great advantages is its intense sense of continuity.  “There are 400 employees,” Malik points out.  “They all came from Aloha Airlines, and they all still have that Aloha spirit.”  Much of the business is also the same.  There’s still a steady stream of perishables- the palates of chocolates, the inevitable racks of Love’s bread- that requires overnight delivery.  (“We have the best smelling aircraft,” Malik says.  And there’s still the mail.  “The U.S. Postal Service is about 25 percent of our operation,” he says.  “We’re held accountable for our performance, so we use that as our schedule anchor.”

Malik also wants the company to add more services.  “We think there’s an opportunity to provide more granular pricing,” he says- perhaps lower prices for items that don’t require guaranteed overnight deliver.  Also, taking a hint from customer, he plans to add packing, and other shipping services at the airport location.  “We want to let people know that we’re a one-stop shop,” he says.

Back in the hangar, Malik reads aloud the new name stenciled beneath the cockpit windows of the old 737.  “Hoomakaana Hou,” he says.  The employees chose that.  It means ‘New Beginnings.’”
 

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