HONOLULU -- A bankruptcy court judge on Thursday approved the sale of Aloha Airlines' Contract Services Division to Pacific Air Cargo.

Pacific Air Cargo bought the business for about $2 million.

Judge Lloyd King approved the deal despite the appointed trustee's hesitance to take the job. Dane Field was appointed Wednesday to run Aloha through the bankruptcy proceedings.

"The facts of this case are extraordinary, and the public interest is also extraordinary," King said.

The judge said that everything possible needed to be done to expedite the deal.

Contract services workers continued working since Aloha ended its control and pay to its employees Monday.

Pacific Air Cargo President and owner Beti Ward said she is thankful for the employees who kept working on her promise to pay them for their time once the sale went through.

Contract services operate check-in, luggage handling, cabin cleaning and other ground services for 20 airlines in Hawaii. The division employs about 950 people. Ward said she plans to keep everyone.

Ward said that a number of her employees work at a higher pay rate. She said that some of the Aloha employees would get a pay raise to match her company's pay scale.