Newly acquired Mokulele Airlines announces job cuts
Just days after being acquired by Southern Airways, Hawaii commuter airline Mokulele is cutting its workforce.
About 10% of its 300-plus staff members are being laid off.
The deal closed on February 8, creating the largest commuter airline in the US.
In a letter addressed to employees, Rob McKinney, Mokulele president said it was a ‘short-term pain necessary to ensure the longevity of our brand.’
"In December we had one of our best months from a revenue perspective, but it was a terrible month as it relates to profitability," wrote McKinney.
"As you can imagine, we can’t be here for the long term if our company continues to lose money each month."
McKinney also warned of ‘the effect on the market that Southwest will have on pricing in Hawaii.’
"We need to make sure that we are ready for that impact — it will affect pricing, frequency, maybe even routing."
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments
Overseas travelers to the United States declined by 2.5% in 2025