They’re Back

For more than a week in late October and early November, the www.dontflygo.com website has been stripped of content. Had the sun finally set on this anti-go! airlines website? All that remained visible was a link for donations and a message that the site was in the process of being sold. Apparently that transition is now complete because the website is active again and fully engaged in its previous task of making life difficult for go! airlines and the CEO of its parent company, Mesa Air Group.

Along with new content, the website also announced that HERO, a group of Aloha, Hawaiian, and Island Air employees, has sent a letter to Hawaii’s Attorney General, requesting an investigation of go! airlines for activities which allegedly violate state law. Specifically, the letter cites go!’s continued sale of below-cost air tickets and statements by Mesa Air officials which back up HERO’s contention that go! came to Hawaii with the specific purpose of putting Aloha Airlines out of business.

To publicize HERO’s request for a Hawaii State investigation of go!, the employee group held a rally in Honolulu on November 8. Employees from all three pre-go! Hawaii airlines took part in the late-afternoon rally by lining Beretania Street in front of the Capitol Building and sharing their message with passing motorists during rush-hour traffic. For photos of the rally, visit www.airlinesofhawaii.com/rally.htm. Within six hours of the event, the HERO group had produced a smart and entertaining video of their rally, which demonstrates the power of new media to get a message out.

Hero's new message is noticeably more palatable than their previous efforts. They're now saying "give us a fair fight and we'll take you on by running better airlines than you. Give us an unfair fight by selling tickets at below cost to drive us out of business and we'll take off the gloves in our response." This is one group which Mesa should not underestimate.