Moloka'i resident Larry Helm fears the shutdown of an air carrier that provided a unique on-demand service between Moloka'i and O'ahu will make air travel more costly and difficult for Friendly Isle residents.

"We're screwed," Helm said of Molokai Air Shuttle's decision to halt operations Sunday to avoid Federal Aviation Administration fines for not obtaining certification as a carrier with a printed schedule.

Rather than operating under a fixed schedule, the airline had been transporting 100 to 500 people each day with its nine-seat Piper Chieftain when called or needed.

Helm, a Ho'olehua resident who flew on the Molokai Air Shuttle about 10 times a year, said he rarely paid more than $99 roundtrip. Now Moloka'i residents will have to fly on Island Air or Maui-based Pacific Wings Airlines, the two remaining carriers.

"I think 75 percent of the locals here flew Air Molokai," Helm said. "There's just no seats on the other carriers. If you have an emergency, you can't get out or you have to pay $160 to $170 one way (for a 20-minute flight to O'ahu)."

Les Murashige, Island Air chief operating officer, said there are no plans to increase fares and that Island Air already adds additional flights when demand warrants and will continue to do so.

"The prices of our flights vary and depend on different factors such as day and time of travel, demand, time of booking, operational costs, etc.," Murashige said. "We ... have lowered the average cost of our flights by approximately $10 compared to last year, and we have tried to provide special promotional fares to help ease the cost of travel."

Murashige said one-way specials at $32.10 are available, and there also have been promotional fares at $19 and $12 one way.

Pacific Wings, which has 14 daily flights to Moloka'i at $29 one way, did not respond to a request for comment.

Special fares are not applicable when there's an emergency, said Moloka'i resident Walter Ritte.

Molokai Air Shuttle catered to Moloka'i's particular needs by being an on-demand carrier at a reasonable price, added Ritte.

"You need to make reservations one or two weeks ahead of time (with other carriers), so what Air Molokai provided us was flexibility," said Ritte, who like many others refers to the carrier by its predecessor's name. "You cannot have a schedule and do that. Right now, I feel like we're being held hostage."

Ritte said travel on weekdays to and from Moloka'i is slow, but demand is heavy on weekends, which is why Molokai Air Shuttle could not survive with a schedule.

"We could always depend on them to get special flights on weekends (to haul large groups for funerals, lu'au, parties, church and athletic events)," Ritte said. "Without Air Molokai, you cannot get a flight off the island without paying double the price at the last minute."

Reach Rod Ohira at rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.