In addition to providing rescue investment to Midwest and Frontier, Republic Airways Holding (RJET) is now investigating a code-share relationship between subsidiary Shuttle America and Mokulele Airlines through which Shuttle would operate Embraer ERJ 170s under the Mokulele brand. What makes this interesting is the fact Mokulele has been operating for months as go!Express flying Kona-Kahului; Honolulu-Hana; and Honolulu-Kapalui. Related Story While Republic and Mokulele did not return calls to the Honolulu Advertiser which reported the news last week, it quoted Mesa as saying go! Express has been successful and would continue no matter the outcome of a Republic deal
The plans leaked when a notice was posted at Republic’s offices and then posted to Yahoo! Finance’s web site. Although the notice did not name the Hawaiian carrier, the Advertiser said people familiar with the deal said the airline is talking with Mokulele Airlines. The flights would be operated by Shuttle America which plans to hire 22 flight attendants for the venture operated under the Mokulele brand.
"Shuttle America has a potential opportunity for a new code-share agreement with additional flying beginning on or before Nov. 15, 2008," the memo said. "This bid is in anticipation of a possible code-share agreement in Hawai'i that will be announced within 10 days should it come together.”
The airline is interested in filling the void left after Aloha’s liquidation which was caused by the twin hits of go!’s cut throat competition coupled with increasing fuel prices. Mesa, in deciding whether or not to launch go! analyzed the market and said it could not sustain three airlines.
Republic and Mokulele did not return phone calls to the newspaper.