Stranded Aloha Airlines passengers endured long lines and long waits again yesterday as they jockeyed for seats on already-full planes to the Neighbor Islands and Mainland.

Yesterday was the first day with no Aloha flights, and several passengers said the morning started with chaos as travelers worried about missing connections frantically tried to catch a flight out.

Hawaiian Airlines is honoring Aloha Airlines tickets for standby travel through tomorrow, but space is limited. After long waits yesterday, some passengers opted to buy new tickets rather than risk the standby list.

"I just bought another ticket outright," said businessman Chuck Williams, who was flying from Maui to San Diego. He said he paid $480 for roundtrip travel on Aloha, while he paid $540 for a one-way ticket to San Diego yesterday on Hawaiian Airlines.

But there is good news for those trying to get to the West Coast today: Hawaiian has added a 3 p.m. flight from Honolulu to Los Angeles to take care of about 110 Aloha passengers on standby, along with other travelers who come forward today.

The plane can hold 254 people and the remaining seats on that flight are for sale starting at $236.70 one-way. (To buy tickets, go to HawaiianAirlines.com or call 800-367-5320.)

"We're going to try to accommodate as many people as we can," said Blaine Miyasoto, Hawaiian Airlines' vice president for customer service. "We've decided we're going to put them (the Aloha standby passengers) on the aircraft free of charge."

He said some standby passengers have been waiting since Monday.

Hawaiian opened its Honolulu Airport ticket counter at 4 a.m. yesterday to help stranded Aloha passengers. By 3:45 a.m., more than 100 people were in line, Miyasoto said.

About 650 Aloha passengers were able to get on Hawaiian interisland flights yesterday, Miyasato said. Getting on a Hawaiian flight to the Mainland was harder. About 30 people got standby seats yesterday, about the same as the day before, Miyasoto said.

He said Hawaiian is allowing travelers to take any standby seat available, even if they're headed to California and the plane is bound for Seattle.

"They have a greater chance of getting out that way," he said. "This holds true for the Neighbor Island market as well."

Standby seats are only available to those traveling that day.

Aloha carried about 11,000 passengers daily, more than 1,000 of whom were on the airline's trans-Pacific flights. The carrier shut down operations Monday night with about 400,000 reservations on its books.

A NIGHT AT THE AIRPORT

Officials at Honolulu Airport yesterday were preparing to help stranded passengers who couldn't get a flight out by offering them an air mattress in a conference room. About 120 air mattresses were brought in by the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawai'i. In the end, however, no one slept at the airport last night.

The airport also opened six more security lanes to get people to gates more quickly.

Tomorrow is the last day Hawaiian and go! will accept Aloha tickets for free standby seats. After that, Aloha ticketholders will have to pay, if they haven't already.

At Honolulu Airport yesterday, passengers were glad to have the standby option — but not happy about the long waits.

"I was pretty mad, but what can I do?" said Clarita Maneja, who came in from the Philippines yesterday morning and was heading home to Hilo.

Maneja didn't know Aloha had gone out of business until she landed. She was on standby for an afternoon flight home, but because Hawaiian's planes were already full of people headed for the Merrie Monarch festival, she didn't expect to get out until late yesterday or even today.

Passengers said the Aloha ticket counter yesterday morning, where Hawaiian Airlines personnel were assisting customers, was packed with travelers trying to get standby seats.

But as the day wore on, the crowds thinned out. Those who could get out did. Those who couldn't stayed with friends, in the airport or at a hotel.

About 2 p.m. yesterday, Ann Delos Santos and her husband were hoping they would get on an 8 p.m. flight for Hilo. The two, both Hilo residents, arrived from San Francisco on Monday, but couldn't get a flight to the Big Island so they stayed with a friend. They got to the airport early yesterday to find a standby seat.

"We're just sitting here, waiting," said Delos Santos, in the interisland terminal with her husband. The couple were armed with snacks and reading material. They also had more than a few companions, as others also waited to find out if they were lucky enough to get out.

Emily and Mike Damberger of Alberta, Canada, made it to Maui yesterday after catching a standby flight from Honolulu. The couple and their daughter didn't know about Aloha's shutdown until after they arrived in Honolulu yesterday on a flight from Tokyo.

PAYING TWICE TO TRAVEL

The couple had purchased $460 worth of Aloha interisland tickets for themselves and 4-year-old daughter Ella. They managed to catch a free standby flight to Maui on Hawaiian, but paid $540 for return interisland tickets scheduled for after the cutoff for free standby travel.

"I booked our travel six months ago," said Emily Damberger. "To have it all unravel was a little unnerving."

Hundreds of travelers searched for seats on Mainland and interisland carriers yesterday with no options for using their Aloha tickets. Ross Nakamura, band director for Stevenson Middle School, said the school lost 72 Aloha tickets for students and chaperones to go to a Maui band festival later this month. The tickets cost $130 each.

Now, Nakamura is looking for a way to get his students there.

But he hasn't had much luck, with many planes already booked up. Even if he finds the seats, he's not sure many parents are going to want to pay for another ticket.