ATA Airlines entered bankruptcy again and shut down all operations on Thursday April 3rd leaving thousands of travelers stranded.

Among them were Hawaii-bound passengers, who were met with the shocking news at the check-in ticket counters. These Hawaii passengers were helped out by Northwest Airlines and flown to and from Hawaii, no doubt though with delays.

The bankruptcy was immediately announced after the defunct airline lost a key contract with FedEx corp, which in combination with rising fuel prices was too high a blow to overcome. That makes two airlines with Hawaii routed to have bit the dust in just one week, although there is talk of ALOHA AIRLINES still pursuing a buyer that might bring the airline back into operation.

What are some travel tips to help get you to Hawaii, especially if you are coming for your Maui Wedding?

• Purchase early— Airlines tend to offer the lowest prices on 21-day advance tickets. Sometimes that window is also 14 or 7 days before your travel date. It is unlikely that you will get a good deal within 7 days of your travel date.
• But not too early - it’s understandable that you want to lock in your flight months in advance. Airfares, however, fluctuate greatly and you might very well not find a price worthy fare that far before your travel date. Be patient and check in weekly with such sites as Sidestep.com and Farechase.com.
• Compare fares - check sidestep.com or even the airline’s websites. Many tout the lowest fares. Airline website usually have less restrictive policies that allow you to reschedule with less penalties.
• Choose a Major Carrier - although we didn’t see it coming in the case of Aloha or ATA, typically large airlines will not suddenly cease operations. If such were the case, we would see warning signs. Which brings me to the next point.
• Read the News - Live Maui Webcasts has it’s eyes and ears open, but also subscribing to google alerts and newspaper RSS feeds is a good practice to stay on top of the state of the airline industry.