Let the Fliers Beware: Don’t Use 3 Airlines, U.S. Warns

The government today told travelers planning trips to Hawaii not to buy plane tickets from Golden West Airlines, Go West or GWA Inc. because they are unlikely to get anywhere.

The Transportation Department, in issuing the warning, said all three companies are claimed to have been owned by Kevin M. Von Feldt, a West Coast businessman charged with engaging in unauthorized air transportation.

The department said consumers who have purchased tickets from any of these companies should ask for an immediate refund.

A federal court has issued an order restraining Von Feldt from selling air transportation as Golden West Airlines and prohibiting use of the money already collected.

The department said last year that Von Feldt was running a non-operating, uncertified air carrier that was advertising and collecting money for low-cost air travel between the mainland and Hawaii.

The department said Von Feldt has again “unlawfully collected thousands of dollars and accepted nearly $500,000 worth of reservations from potential passengers, none of whom are likely to receive the transportation paid for.”