It was emotional and hard for former Aloha Airlines employees to surrender their airport identification badges, which announced to the world that they worked for Aloha and gave them access to locked airport doors and Aloha flights.

Some, like former Aloha flight attendant Ryan Sanico, even took pictures of his badge before turning it in so he could remember it exactly.

But it was just as easy for former Aloha employees to embrace their new Hawaiian Airlines ID badges.

"It was a moment for me," said former Aloha captain/evaluator-instructor Mikel Gilliland, who started training to be a Hawaiian first officer last week.

Joe Pu'u, a former Aloha captain/evaluator-instructor in Gilliland's training class, excitedly brought his home.

"I showed my wife my badge, and she gave me a huge hug," Pu'u, 42, said. "I had some of my friends look at it, and they almost cried. It was a very proud moment."

A group of 15 former Aloha flight attendants including Sanico begin their third week of a six-week training program today and look at the former Aloha pilots who already have their ID badges with envy.

The flight attendants won't get their badges until they graduate and begin flying June 1.

"It's going to be an awesome moment," said former Aloha flight attendant Trisha Awa-Lee.

"I'm so excited," said Valerie-Ann Chock, who is in the same class. "It'll be the start of a new beginning."