New Airline to Fly to Honolulu From San Diego and Portland
A new airline is being formed to provide daily flights to Honolulu from San Diego and Portland, Ore., backers said Wednesday.
Airline Partner Associates, based in Portland, plans to do business as Trans Pacific Airlines. It will use two wide-body DC-10-30 jets.
One of the founding partners, Alan Lidow of Los Angeles, said the company has experienced airline executives working with it and has lined up financial backing.
The other owners are Brian Weathers, a Salem, Ore., travel agent and cruise organizer, and Philip Boucher of Los Angeles, a former Trans World Airlines and Gray Line Tours executive.
Representatives of the new airline met in Honolulu last week with officials of the Federal Aviation Administration’s flight standards office, according to David Luehring, an FAA spokesman.
Luehring said they discussed steps needed to complete certification.
The proposed airline has been working on its business plan since 1994, according to filings with the Department of Transportation.
The airline expects $65.2 million in passenger revenue and $43.7 million in cargo revenue in its first year, with an expected operating profit of $8.4 million, the federal filings show.
Two Honolulu-based inter-island carriers also provide flights to the mainland. Hawaiian Airlines has flights to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle, while Aloha Airlines flies between Hawaii and Oakland.
