IN BRIEF

HONOLULU

Aloha Airlines to halt passenger service

Aloha Airlines said Sunday it will halt all passenger service after today, signaling the end of an airline that has served Hawaii for more than 60 years.

Aloha, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on March 20, was a casualty of fierce competition and rising fuel prices.

"We simply ran out of time to find a qualified buyer or secure continued financing for our passenger business," said Aloha President David Banmiller in a statement. "We had no choice but to take this action."

Aloha has suffered since Phoenix-based Mesa Air Group Inc. launched a new interisland carrier called go! airlines in 2006, triggering a local airfare war.

In January, go! reported a $20 million operating loss in its first 16 months of operations. Meanwhile, Aloha and Hawaiian Airlines -- the other major interisland carrier -- reported combined losses of nearly $65 million since go! began operating.

Aloha's bankruptcy filing said the airline was unable to generate sufficient revenue due to what it called "predatory pricing" by go! Banmiller didn't mention go! by name in his statement, but did blame the company's demise on rival companies.

The company's Web site, www.alohaairlines.com, also announced the end of service.

RENO

Marchers protest at GM site for trade bill

A group of protesters marched outside a General Motors warehouse just north of Reno to show support for trade legislation designed to encourage companies to keep jobs in the United States.

Rudy Viola, president of United Auto Workers Local 2162, said the discrepancy between U.S. wage minimums and what companies pay foreign workers threatens domestic jobs.

Viola criticized the North American and Central America free trade agreements, saying they set up systems that force companies and countries to compete on the basis of which can pay the lowest wages.

"This affects all of us in one way or another," Sam Lumpe, 68, a retired sheet metal worker from Reno, told the Reno Gazette-Journal.

Viola said his group has collected 200 signed letters asking Rep. Dean Heller, R-Nev., to enforce fair labor and environmental standards to protect 30 million to 40 million American jobs.