Evidently he’s a born entrepreneur JOHN GILLIE; The News Tribune Published: September 26th, 2006 01:00 AM A former Alaska Airlines baggage handler, laid off last year when the airline hired an outside company to move luggage at Sea-Tac Airport, is realizing a childhood dream of owning and running his own airline. Lakewood resident Bill Boyer Jr. wasn’t your average airport ramp worker – he already had a substantial entrepreneurial headstart before he bought Hawaii’s Mokulele Airlines last year. Boyer was the originator of the digEPlayer, a portable entertainment system, now available to passengers on more than a dozen airlines worldwide and on the Amtrak rail network. Boyer sold Tacoma-based digEPlayer two years ago to Utah-based Wencor. The system, rented to passengers aboard long-distance flights on such diverse airlines as Alaska and Aeroflot, provides a selection of Hollywood movies and television shows to watch during their journey. Boyer has also sold two Lakewood coffee shops and a day spa he created during his time as an Alaska employee. Now he lives much of the time in Hawaii, though he still owns a Lakewood home. From his base in the 50th State, Boyer is turning Mokulele, a small charter and sightseeing airline, into a regularly scheduled airline linking half a dozen island destinations. Earlier this month, Boyer signed an agreement with Arizona-based Mesa Air Group to provide connecting services between smaller Hawaiian airports for Mesa’s new Hawaiian carrier, go!. Boyer has already sold Mokulele’s fleet of piston-engined Piper Chieftains and is replacing them with a fleet of new turbo-prop Cessna Grand Caravans. The first three of those Cessna aircraft is expected to arrive before the start of his service with go!. The new aircraft will be branded as go!Express. The airline acquired a new hangar and is expecting to increase Mokulele’s employment from the present 30 or so workers to about 100. Eventually Mokulele expects to operate a fleet of as many as nine Grand Caravans. The Caravans carry nine passengers in leather seats with a generous 34-inch seat pitch, more than most jet operators have between coach seats. Boyer’s entrance into the Hawaiian market will put his airline on the periphery of a full-blown business battle between newcomer go!, which started inter-island service with 50-seat Bombardier jets in June, and the established inter-island carriers, Hawaiian and Aloha airlines. The larger inter-island carriers fly between Hawaiian cities such as Honolulu and Hilo. The smaller companies such as Mokulele will travel to smaller cities such as Kapalua, Maui and Lanai. Airline analysts say the Hawaiian travel business won’t offer enough passengers for three major players. Go! has attracted traffic with $29 and $39 fares, which the established players have matched. Among the smaller airlines, Boyer will have two established carriers, Island Air and Pacific Wings, as rivals. The former Alaska employee said he believes Mokulele will survive and prosper because its new aircraft will need little maintenance and because his employees will be cross-trained to do multiple jobs. Pilots, for instance, could even load bags. Boyer himself said he’s able to do any job except fly the planes. “I’ll even load the bags. I’ve certainly got the experience,” he said. John Gillie: 253-520-6999 john.gillie@thenewstribune.com