![Navajo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/Navajo.jpg)
Southern Airways Express, doing business as Mokulele Airlines, is an American
commuter airline operating in
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
. The airline operates scheduled inter-island and charter flights among all Hawaiian islands with airports. Mokulele Airlines was the first FAA Part 135 Scheduled Airline to have approved iPad "Flight bags" for its pilots. In 2019, it was acquired by
Southern Airways Express
Southern Airways Express is a commuter airline operating across the United States with headquarters in Palm Beach, Florida. Southern Airways acts as a local service airline for dozens of cities across all U.S. time zones, Approximately a third o ...
, but it continues to operate as its own brand within the larger airline. In June 2020, Makanai Kai Air was also acquired by Southern, and its aircraft now fly in Mokulele livery.
History
Mokulele Flight Service and Mokulele Airlines
The airline was founded in 1994 as Mokulele Flight Service by Rebecca "Kawehi" Inaba and was the first airline in Hawaii to be founded by a
Native Hawaiian
Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, First Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians) ( haw, kānaka, , , and ), are the indigenous ethnic group of Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands.
Hawaii ...
woman. In 2005 it was acquired by Boyer Industries LLC, headed by former
baggage handler
In the airline industry, a baggage handler is a person who loads and unloads baggage (suitcases or luggage), and other cargo (airfreight, mail, counter-to-counter packages) for transport via aircraft. With most airlines, the formal job title i ...
turned
entrepreneur
Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values th ...
William "Bill" Boyer Jr., who became the airline's
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
. The company, at this point, had a fleet of three
Piper Navajo Chieftains and was operating only charters and sightseeing trips to
Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is an American national park located in the U.S. state of Hawaii on the island of Hawaii. The park encompasses two active volcanoes: Kīlauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, and Mauna Loa, the world's mos ...
, as well as scenic flights around the Big Island and Maui. Mr. Boyer worked on obtaining scheduled authority for Mokulele to begin service to Kahului, Maui from both Kailua-Kona and Hilo, Hawai'i.
In September 2006, the airline announced that it had reached an agreement with
Mesa Air Group
Mesa Air Group, Inc. is a Nevada Corporation commercial aviation holding company with headquarters in Suite 700 at 410 North 44th Street in the Camelback East area of Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona, United States. The company operates one re ...
and its
go! division, whereby Mokulele would operate
Cessna Grand Caravan
The Cessna 208 Caravan is a utility aircraft produced by Cessna.
The project was commenced on November 20, 1981, and the prototype first flew on December 9, 1982.
The production model was certified by the FAA in October 1984 and its Cargoma ...
aircraft to
Kapalua
Kapalua is a census-designated place (CDP) in Maui County, Hawaii, United States. A resort development by the Maui Land & Pineapple Company extends inland from Kapalua Bay and Honolua Bay. The population was 495 at the 2020 census.
Geography ...
,
Molokai
Molokai , or Molokai (), is the fifth most populated of the eight major islands that make up the Hawaiian Islands, Hawaiian Islands archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is 38 by 10 miles (61 by 16 km) at its greatest length an ...
, and
Lanai
Lanai ( haw, Lānai, , , also ,) is the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands and the smallest publicly accessible inhabited island in the chain. It is colloquially known as the Pineapple Island because of its past as an island-wide pineapple pl ...
under the name
go!Express. Service began with flights from Kapalua to Honolulu, Kahului, and Kona on April 17, 2007. Service began for flights to Molokai on July 21, 2007, and flights to Lanai on October 6, 2007.
In January 2008, the airline reached an agreement with
Aloha Airlines
Aloha Airlines was an American airline headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii, operating from a hub at Honolulu International Airport (now Daniel K. Inouye International Airport). Operations began on July 26, 1946, and ceased operations on March 31 ...
to provide
cargo
Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including trans ...
service to Molokai, Lanai, and Kapalua under the name Aloha Cargo Express beginning in April using a Cessna 208 Cargomaster. Following Aloha's March 2008 bankruptcy, Boyer indicated that he had an agreement with Aloha CEO David Banmiller to work with the buyer of Aloha's cargo operations to continue the Mokulele-Aloha contract. Boyer also stated that the airline would go ahead with cargo operations under its own name, Mokulele Air Cargo.
In October 2008, Mokulele announced that it had reached an agreement with
Republic Airways Holdings
Republic Airways Holdings, Inc. is an American airline holding corporation based in Indianapolis, Indiana, that owns Republic Airways, an American regional airline operating in the United States, and LIFT Academy, the only flight training acade ...
to provide inter-island jet service. On November 19, Republic's
Shuttle America
Shuttle America Corporation was an American regional airline based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. It fed United Airlines flights at Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) and Houston Intercontinental Airport (IAH) under the United Express bra ...
began operating two
Embraer 170
The Embraer E-Jet family is a series of four-abreast narrow-body short- to medium-range twin-engine jet airliners designed and produced by the Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer.
The E-Jet was designed as a complement to the preceding E ...
regional jet aircraft on flights between Honolulu, Lihue, and Kona under the Mokulele name, with additional aircraft and destinations to be added in 2009. As a result of Mokulele's entrance into markets that compete directly with go!, that airline later announced that it would end the go!Express agreement with Mokulele in April 2009.
In December 2008, Mokulele Airlines announced partnerships with two larger North American airlines. The first, with
Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines is a major American airline headquartered in SeaTac, Washington, within the Seattle metropolitan area. It is the sixth largest airline in North America when measured by fleet size, scheduled passengers carried, and the numb ...
, allows members of Alaska's Mileage Plan frequent flyer program to earn and redeem miles on Mokulele flights, with a code-sharing agreement hoped for in early 2009. The second, with
WestJet Airlines, provides access to Mokulele's inter-island flights to WestJet's customers, including sightseeing air tours. Each airline was to promote the other on their respective websites. Mokulele continued to operate flights on behalf of go! Express while also operating its own, independent brand.
After running into financial difficulties earlier in the year, the airline announced in March 2009 that Republic had taken a 50% stake in the company. Boyer relinquished the CEO position to Republic vice president Scott Durgin, moving to head the airline's sales and marketing efforts. Republic also assumed control of the Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft operated by Mokulele.
A few days later, Mesa announced that the change of CEO allows the airline to terminate its agreement with Mokulele early, and would terminate the agreement effective March 24, 2009 and nullifying Mokulele agreement to operate Caravans as "
go! express."
go! Mokulele joint venture
In October 2009, Mokulele announced that it was going to join
go! and become
go! Mokulele
go! Mokulele was an American business marketing inter-island flights within the state of Hawaii. The airline was a joint venture between Mesa Airlines and Mokulele Flight Services formed in October 2009 when the companies merged their competi ...
. Peter Forman, an airline historian, said that the merger would cause air fares in Hawaii to increase, since go! and Mokulele no longer compete with one another. The merger agreement included a joint venture, with 75% of the joint venture owned by Mesa and 25% owned by Mokulele shareholders. Mesa decreased the size of the operation to just 4 Cessna Grand Caravans.
New Mokulele Airlines
In November 2011, Mesa Air Group announced that it had sold the go! Mokulele turboprop operation, operated by Mokulele Airlines, to
Scottsdale, Arizona
, settlement_type = City
, named_for = Winfield Scott
, image_skyline =
, image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg
, image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg
, nick ...
-based Transpac Aviation Inc. go!Mokulele's turboprop services continued to be operated by Mokulele under a code share agreement.
On Friday, December 9, Mokulele grounded its fleet in conjunction with an internal record-keeping audit. Flights resumed the following Monday.
In December 2011, the airline unveiled plans to begin operating a charter service from Honolulu to
Rockford, Illinois
Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, located in the far northern part of the state. Situated on the banks of the Rock River, Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County (a small portion of the city is located in Ogle County). ...
and
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. When the service was approved by the
U.S. Department of Transportation
The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the President of the United States and ...
the following month, the schedule showed a
Boeing 767-200ER
The Boeing 767 is an American wide-body aircraft developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
The aircraft was launched as the 7X7 program on July 14, 1978, the prototype first flew on September 26, 1981, and it was certified on ...
leased from
Air Transport International
Air Transport International, Inc. is an airline based in Wilmington, Ohio, United States. It operates worldwide cargo charters and combi charters for the express package industry and freight forwarders, as well as for the United States Department ...
would operate the flights, with the Honolulu to Rockford segment beginning on April 13, 2012, and the Rockford to London segment starting May 4.
On April 8, the airline delayed the start of service until at least October. In early 2012, Mesa Air Group announced it would rebrand its jets operations back to the go! name as the name go!Mokulele and Mokulele was causing some brand confusion among the two companies. The airline also abandoned its non-turboprop charter plans so it could focus on service in the isles.
In April 2012, the airline started operating daily service between Maui and Lanai. In July 2012, the airline returned to Kapalua Airport in West Maui, with flights from Honolulu to Kapalua twice per day.
In October 2012, the airline brought a new city to the network, Hana, located on the far east side of Maui. The flights operate twice a day under a partnership with the owners of the resort in Hana. The airline also outsourced eight flights a day to
Schuman Aviation - Makani Kai, to bring additional frequencies on the Maui - Kona route, bringing the total daily flights to fifteen on peak days, each way. When Island Air announced plans to retire their fleet of Dash 8 aircraft, Mokulele jumped on the opportunity and ordered additional Caravans to fill the gap.
In March 2014, Mesa Airlines announced the shut down of its go! division in Hawai'i - ending the codeshare relationship between Mesa and Mokulele, allowing the airline to now operate additional flights that were previously prohibited by the codeshare agreement. On April 11, 2014, Mokulele began commuter flights linking Honolulu and Kahului Airport in Maui. The airline also began working with Hawai'i Department of Transportation and Oahu County officials on linking Kahului and Barbers Point/Kalaeloa/John Rodgers Field in West Oahu, and on May 13, 2014, confirmed that flights would begin on July 1.
Starting in February 2015, Mokulele Airlines entered into a one-year wet-lease agreement with Sun Air to provide up to 4 aircraft and crews for Sun Air's EAS Pittsburgh flying. In May 2015, Mokulele and officials publicly announced plans to launch new service in Florida scheduled to begin on November 15, 2015; but it withdrew its plans, claiming that it needed more time to conduct research and that it had been threatened by competitor
Silver Airways
Silver Airways LLC. is a United States regional airline with its headquarters in Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport in Broward County, Florida, near Fort Lauderdale. It was founded in 2011 with assets from the former Gulfstream I ...
.
On November 26, 2015, Mokulele Airlines changed its ICAO code to MHO, and its callsign to "Mahalo" for its Hawai‘i flight operations. 2016 also saw the company start a brand-refresh and new services in California.
California expansion
In February 2016, Mokulele Airlines re-applied for
Essential Air Service
Essential Air Service (EAS) is a U.S. government program enacted to guarantee that small communities in the United States, which had been served by certificated airlines prior to deregulation in 1978, maintained commercial service. Its aim is t ...
subsidy for
Imperial County Airport
Imperial County Airport is a county-owned public-use airport in Imperial County, California, United States. Also known as Boley Field, it is mostly used for general aviation, but has scheduled passenger service from one commercial airline. Serv ...
and
Visalia Municipal Airport after
SeaPort Airlines
SeaPort Airlines was a US-based regional airline with its headquarters at Portland International Airport in Portland, Oregon.
It operated scheduled service from its bases at Portland International Airport (PDX) (Pacific Northwest region) and M ...
terminated service in late January. Imperial County selected Mokulele, but Visalia voted instead to shift from EAS to request $3.7 million from the Community Flexibility Pilot Program, which pays cities to forego subsidized air service for 10 years in favor of a direct payment of two years’ worth of subsidies. Officials expressed concern over low ridership and a pilot shortage, and Mokulele proposed using the same type of aircraft that SeaPort Airlines flew.
In March 2016, the airline announced that it was considering serving Visalia without a subsidy, but did not pursue. The airline's service to
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport , commonly referred to as LAX (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles, California and its surrounding metropolitan area. LAX is located in the W ...
from
Imperial County Airport
Imperial County Airport is a county-owned public-use airport in Imperial County, California, United States. Also known as Boley Field, it is mostly used for general aviation, but has scheduled passenger service from one commercial airline. Serv ...
began on May 23 and from
Santa Maria Public Airport
Santa Maria Public Airport (Capt. G. Allan Hancock Field) is three miles (5 km) south of Santa Maria, in northern Santa Barbara County, California, United States.
History
The airport was built by the United States Army during World War ...
on October 10, 2016; with
Inyokern Airport
Inyokern Airport is a public use airport located northwest of the central business district of Inyokern, in Kern County, California, United States. It is owned by the Indian Wells Valley Airport District and serves the Indian Wells Valley area. ...
scheduled for early 2017. Los Angeles flights were scaled back after congestion added significant taxi and flight times to its operations out of Los Angeles, all related to runway construction at the airport.
Acquisition by Southern Airways Express
On February 8, 2019
Southern Airways Express
Southern Airways Express is a commuter airline operating across the United States with headquarters in Palm Beach, Florida. Southern Airways acts as a local service airline for dozens of cities across all U.S. time zones, Approximately a third o ...
purchased the assets of Mokulele Flight Service, Inc. from Transpac Holdings. The company believed by adding Mokulele Airlines to its portfolio, it can lead to additional growth and opportunities, notably its relationship with American Airlines. On May 24, 2019, Mokulele announced it would restore the link between Kahului, Maui and Lana'i City on June 17, 2019, a route it had flown until 2016. The full merger with Southern Airways was completed in February 2020.
On March 28, 2022 it was announced that
Air Choice One
Multi-Aero, Inc., doing business as Air Choice One, a division of Southern Airways Corporation, was an American commuter airline with its headquarters in Concord, Missouri, within the Greater St. Louis area. It operated as a regional airline off ...
was also acquired by the Southern Airways Corporation (SAC), parent company of
Southern Airways Express
Southern Airways Express is a commuter airline operating across the United States with headquarters in Palm Beach, Florida. Southern Airways acts as a local service airline for dozens of cities across all U.S. time zones, Approximately a third o ...
, but keeping both air operator's certificates separate.
Electric aircraft
In early 2019, Mokulele provided one of its Cessna Grand Caravan to
Ampaire, a startup company based in Los Angeles. The company will equip the Caravan with an electric powertrain with plans to introduce commercial service by 2023. Demonstration flights of the
Electric EEL
The electric eels are a genus, ''Electrophorus'', of neotropical freshwater fish from South America in the family Gymnotidae. They are known for their ability to stun their prey by generating electricity, delivering shocks at up to 860 volts ...
were completed in December 2020 on the Kahului to Hana route to test the propulsion system in an operational environment. In early 2021, Ampaire was acquired by commuter airline,
Surf Air. Mokulele predicts to implement the new power-plant system on Essential Air Service routes for the next contract period (in 2025).
Makani Kai Air merger
In 2020, Southern Airways Express announced the merger of its subsidy Mokulele with
Makani Kai Air
Makani Kai Air, was an FAA Part 135 scheduled air carrier based in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was a subsidiary of Schuman Aviation Company as well as Mokulele Airlines,
Overview
The airline offered regularly scheduled passenger service between Honolul ...
. Flights will continue to operate and be sold under the Mokulele brand. Operations began to combine on June 15, 2020, and were completed by the end of the year. Makani Kai Air owner Richard Schuman has joined Southern/Mokulele as Executive Vice President - Hawaii.
Awards
Mokulele Airlines has historically been voted as "Hawai'i's #1 Island Hopper" or Commuter Airline by the local news media, along with awards for the "Best Air Tour".
In 2019, Trip Advisor ranked Mokulele Airlines as the Best Specialty/Leisure Airline in North America.
Destinations
Southern Airways Express operates flights under the Mokulele brand to the following destinations within the state of Hawaii:
Former
Fleet
Mokulele Airlines operates the following aircraft:
Accidents and incidents
References
*
*
*
External links
Mokulele AirlinesTelevision interview with Mokulele Air Owner Bill Boyer, 1/24/2008
{{Airlines of the United States, state=collapsed
Companies based in Hawaii
Transportation in Hawaii County, Hawaii
Airlines established in 1994
Airlines based in Hawaii
Republic Airways
Regional airlines of the United States
1994 establishments in Hawaii