Aloha Airlines gave away 1,000 free Neighbor Island roundtrips yesterday morning while Hawai'i's newest airline — go! — began its first interisland flights to mark the start of a new, passenger-friendly era.

On Wednesday, go! announced temporary $19 one-way fares that were immediately matched by Hawaiian Airlines. Aloha followed up the next day by saying it would give away vouchers for free roundtrips and even took a swipe at go! by calling the freebies the "Great Go Away Giveaway."

Jonathan Ornstein, chairman and CEO of go!'s parent company, Mesa Air Group Inc., yesterday morning welcomed go!'s first two planeloads of passengers — from Lihu'e and Kahului — even as Aloha passengers continued to stand in line for free coupons.

"They call it the Go Away Giveaway," Ornstein said on the tarmac of Honolulu International Airport's commuter terminal. "They'd like us to go away so they don't have to give away seats."

Aloha decided to give away free roundtrips, Aloha spokesman Stu Glauberman said, "to thank the community, have some fun and draw attention to Aloha Airlines at a time of intense competition."

The "Great Go Away Giveaway" catch phrase "was a good name for a giveaway and people were glad to get it. We considered naming it 'Go Away to Another Island' or 'Go Away to See Your Family and Friends,' " Glauberman said.

Even before the first go! flight touched down yesterday, Ornstein also announced that go!'s one-time, $39 promotional fare is now permanent.

"If nothing else, this is exciting," Ornstein said. "The consumer is better off as a result. It's like a chess game where everybody gets to move."

The progression from $39, to $19, to free interisland flights, has some travelers wondering what will come next.

"Wait another week and they'll be paying us to fly," said Ron Lew of Hawai'i Kai as he waited for his free roundtrip voucher from Aloha. "I'm here to take advantage of a bargain. But it's definitely a short-term benefit. I am worried that, long term, somebody will disappear and that's going to hurt all of us. Right now I'm benefiting. But in the long term, we're all going to end up paying more."

Maile Hurley of Kapa'a, Kaua'i, stepped off the first go! flight yesterday and declared the trip from Lihu'e "smooth."

If anyone goes out of business, Hurley predicted, go! will be among the survivors.

"I think go! is here to stay," she said. "They're going to keep fares down and I'll fly them any day."

Aloha, meanwhile, handed out 500 free vouchers in Honolulu and 100 more at each of the airline's four Neighbor Island locations. People who didn't get a voucher were entered into a drawing for one of 100 roundtrips.

Caryl Henderschot and her sister Barbara Wise, both of Waikiki, arrived at Honolulu's Interisland Terminal at 7 p.m. Thursday and catnapped overnight in beach chairs to be the first in line for vouchers outside the entrance to Aloha's ticket counter.

At 6:40 a.m. yesterday — 20 minutes ahead of schedule — the sisters became the first passengers to receive their vouchers for free Neighbor Island flights.

By then, about 420 people had lined up on the sidewalk outside Aloha. Monica Bridle of Manoa and her boyfriend, Deane Salter, showed up early for their Aloha Airlines flight to Maui and waited at the end of the line to take their shot at giveaway vouchers.

They lined up at 7:30 a.m. —and by 9 a.m., they were among the last to get roundtrip vouchers at the Honolulu airport.

"We were No. 493 and No. 494," Bridle said. "We just made it. But we got tickets."

Like others standing in line, Bridle said she was glad that passengers were benefiting by the fare wars. And she didn't care what it might mean for the future of Hawai'i's airlines.

"It's capitalism at its best," Bridle said.

Jocelyn Timoteo of Mililani waited through the night for her voucher and was perfectly happy to watch the airlines battling for business.

"They're fighting over prices and we profit by getting free tickets," she said.

Up and down the line of people hoping for free tickets were stories of families that had been kept apart for years because of interisland roundtrip ticket prices that stood at $200 and above in the summer of 2003.

Ticket prices kept Sheryl Reynolds of 'Aiea from flying to the Neighbor Islands for at least five years. So she stood in line yesterday to get a chance at a voucher, which would mean a family reunion.

"I want to go back to see my brother," she said.

For others, standing in line offered a chance to reminisce about simpler times when Neighbor Island travel was cheap and relatively hassle-free.

"I remember 20 years ago when ticket prices were $19," said Andre Byrd of Makaha, who got an Aloha voucher yesterday. "But free is free. You can't get any lower than that."

Reach Dan Nakaso at dnakaso@honoluluadvertiser.com.