Tax filing season starts Jan. 30 for most

WASHINGTON >> The Internal Revenue Service says late changes to federal tax laws should mean only a short delay for most taxpayers to file their 2012 returns.

The agency said Tuesday that more than 120 million taxpayers — about 80 percent of all filers — should be able to start filing their federal returns on Jan. 30.  Others will have to wait until late February or March to file because the agency needs time to update and test its systems.

Those who will have to wait include people claiming residential energy credits, depreciation of property or general business credits. The filing season had been slated to start Jan. 22 but was delayed by the last-minute tax package passed by Congress on Jan. 1.

Hawaiian Air carried record 9.5M last year

Rapidly expanding Hawaiian Airlines, which added four new mainland and international routes in 2012 amid adding seats on other flights, capped off the year by carrying a company-record 9.5 million passengers.

That was a 9.4 percent increase over the 8.7 million passengers it transported in 2011.

The state’s largest carrier saw its revenue passenger miles, or one paying passenger transported one mile, jump 20.4 percent to 12.2 million from 10.2 million. Available seat miles, or one seat transported one mile, grew 22 percent to 14.7 million from 12 million.

Hawaiian’s load factor, or the percentage of seats filled, slipped 1.1 percentage points to 83.2 percent from 84.3 percent.

For December, Hawaiian carried 812,395 passengers, up 9.7 percent from 740,660 in the year-earlier month. Revenue passenger miles jumped 22.8 percent to 1.1 million from 892,269 while available seat miles increased 27.3 percent to 1.4 million from 1.1 million. The airline’s load factor for the month fell 2.9 percentage points to 79.9 percent from 82.8 percent.

Korean Air to restart Tokyo-Honolulu route

Korean Air plans to resume service between Tokyo’s Narita International Airport and Hono­lulu for the first time in 24 years.

The Seoul-based carrier, which has not made any formal announcement, lists daily flights between the two cities on its website that will begin March 31. Korean Air lists the aircraft that will be used on the route as a 276-seat Airbus A330-300. Airline spokesmen did not return calls and emails seeking comment.

TripAdvisor top spas include Hawaii resort

The spa at Four Seasons Resort Hualalai made the TripAdvisor list of top 10 U.S. spas released Tuesday.

At No. 8 the resort spa was noted for its treatment hale surrounded by lush tropical gardens and its range of service offerings that include local ingredients such as crushed macadamia nuts and Hawaiian sea salts. The resort’s average nightly rate, cited as $780 or more for two, was the highest rate included on the list.

The top spas were Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara, in California; and two Florida resorts, the Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes and the Canyon Ranch Hotel & Spa Miami Beach.

Norwegian Cruise Line files for IPO

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., owned by Genting Hong Kong Ltd., Apollo Global Management LLC and TPG Capital, has filed for an initial public offering in the U.S. that could raise as much as $424 million.

The company is offering 23.5 million shares for between $16 and $18 apiece, according to a filing Tuesday.

The cruise liner, which said all its ships were modern and built after 1998, reported revenue of $2.26 billion for the 12 months ended September, according to the filing.

On the Move

Waikiki Community Center has named Caroline Hayashi as its executive director. She was previously a chief operating officer for Girl Scouts of Hawaii. Hayashi has spent her career serving in nonprofit and community-centered organizations, including working with community-based organizations in Boston, Ecuador and Washington, D.C.

Common Cause has named Carmille Lim as its new executive director of the Hawaii chapter. She was previously a development and advocacy manager for YWCA of Oahu, where she oversaw and directed fundraising operations for the association’s three branches.

Island Pacific Energy has named Kimo Carvalho as its vice president of marketing and communication. He was previously field director of Milici Valenti Ng Pack as well as an East-West Center journalism fellow, and also worked for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in strategic planning.