1946: Trans-Pacific Airlines' inaugural flight. The first plane was a war surplus DC-3.

1958: Dr. Hung Wo Ching takes over management, changes the carrier's name to Aloha Airlines. With the change came a new aircraft: the Jetprop F-27.

1969: Fleet replaced with Boeing 737s.

1972: Merger negotiations with Hawaiian Airlines break off.

1976: California-based Air Service Co. buys an interest in Aloha Airlines and announces bid to take control. The bid fails.

1984: Sister carrier Aloha Pacific formed and starts DC-10 service to Taipei, Taiwan.

1985: Taipei service halted. Aloha refocuses on interisland market and diversifies into air cargo service.

1986: Takeover attempt by Dallas-based CNS Partners fails. Aloha's board decides to take the company private.

1987: Leveraged buyout completed, led by longtime board members Hung Wo Ching and Sheridan Ing. Parent company switches from Delaware to Hawai'i registration and changes its name to Aloha Airgroup Inc.

1988: Adds two jets and 60 jobs in response to passenger business and interisland air freight.

1992: Suffers first financial loss since 1985 because of Hurricane 'Iniki.

1994: Glenn Zander takes over as president and chief executive officer.

1996: Decision to move to a fleet of Boeing 737-200s helps produce a net profit of $3.6 million

2000: Begins service to Oakland, Calif., from Honolulu and Maui. Loses $4.3 million because of rising fuel costs and aggressive Mainland expansion.

2001: Begins service to Orange County, Calif. Trims interisland flights by 26 percent and lays off about 250 employees in response to drastic drop in travel following Sept. 11.

December 2001: Announces intention to merge with Hawaiian Airlines, saying a single carrier will be able to prosper in the market in a way the two could not. Greg Brenneman, a former Continental Airlines executive, is named to head the new airline.

March 2002: Hawaiian calls off the proposed merger with Aloha, citing delays and saying terms of agreement were not being met. Aloha President Glenn Zander says Hawaiian Chairman John Adams wanted to run the new airline himself instead of letting Brenneman take over.

April 2002: Aloha boosts its Mainland routes to include service from Honolulu to Burbank, Calif., and Vancouver, British Columbia. Aloha later adds service between Maui and Burbank, Phoenix and Vancouver.

September 2002: Aloha and Hawaiian airlines receive federal approval for a controversial antitrust exemption, clearing the way for the two carriers to begin coordinating capacity on several key interisland routes.

November 2002: Aloha wins approval for a $45 million loan guarantee from the federal Air Transportation Stabilization Board. Aloha is one of 13 carriers to seek assistance under a program approved by Congress following the Sept. 11 attacks.

November 2002: Aloha reaches agreement with four of its unions on pay cuts and contract extensions covering 3,000 workers that the airline said would save it $37 million in labor costs over three years.

December 2002: Aloha begins twice-a-week nonstop service between Honolulu and the Cook Islands.

March 2003: Hawaiian Airlines files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

April 2003: Aloha reports a net loss of $43 million in 2002, surpassing its $11.1 million loss the previous year.

May 2004: Aloha reports a net profit of $1.18 million for 2003.

June 2004: Aloha eliminates first-class service after becoming the first Hawai'i-based airline to offer the premium seating 21 years earlier.

November 2004: David Banmiller, a former top executive with Air Jamaica, replaces Glenn Zander as president and CEO of Aloha.

Dec. 30, 2004: Aloha files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

May 17, 2005: Aloha reports a net loss loss of $30.4 million in 2004.

Feb. 17, 2006: Aloha exits bankruptcy 14 months after filing for Chapter 11 protection.

April 28, 2006: Aloha terminates pensions of nearly 4,000 of its employees and retirees and turned the plans over to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.

May 2006: Aloha reports an $18.5 million net loss in 2005.

June 9, 2006: go! airlines enters the interisland airline market with $39 one-way fares.

Aug. 30, 2006: Gordon Bethune, who led the turnaround at Continental Airlines, is named chairman of Aloha and its parent company.

Oct. 13, 2006: Aloha sues Mesa Air Group, alleging the Phoenix-based parent of the new interisland carrier go! misused confidential information in an attempt to drive Aloha out of business.

May 3, 2007: United Airlines announces it will acquire a minority stake in Aloha Airlines, providing the struggling local carrier with the backing of the nation's second-largest airline.

May 11, 2007: Aloha reports a net loss of $40.5 million in 2006.

Feb. 19, 2008: Crude oil prices close above $100 a barrel for the first time.

March 20, 2008: Aloha files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time in just over three years.