Newly expanded Mokulele Airlines, headed by former Alaska Airlines baggage handler Bill Boyer, has formed an alliance with its CEO's former employer.

Under the new partnership, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members will earn 500 miles of frequent flier credit when they take a Mokulele flight beginning next year.

Mokulele is expanding its inter-Hawaiian fleet next year with Embraer 170 twin-jets operated by Republic Airways.

Alaska itself in the last year has begun serving four Hawaiian destinations from Seattle and Anchorage.

Mokulele until recently was a small airline serving less traveled islands with a fleet of smaller turboprop aircraft.

After the demise of inter-island carrier Aloha Airlines, Mokulele announced its expansion into the larger Embraer jets and new service to other islands.

Boyer, who once owned a Lakewood coffee shop in addition to holding down his baggage handling job at Sea-Tac Airport, invented a portable digital entertainment player he called the DigEPlayer. Alaska was one of the first customers for the player which it rents to customers on longer flights.

Boyer sold DigEPlayer to a Utah company and bought Mokulele Airlines.