Hawaiian passenger traffic up in November

Hawaiian Airlines carried more passengers in November than in the year-ago period as it expanded service systemwide.

The state’s largest carrier said Tuesday it transported 707,447 people, up 4.5 percent from 676,823 in November 2010. Its available seat miles, or one seat transported one mile, jumped 20.1 percent to just more than 1 billion from 843.6 million a year ago. Revenue per mile, or one paying passenger transported one mile, increased 19 percent to 855.2 million from 718.4 million.

Hawaiian’s load factor, or the percentage of seats filled, fell 0.8 percentage points to 84.4 percent from 85.2 percent.

Separately, Hawaiian said that starting Jan. 5, it will change the days of operation for its nonstop flights between Seoul and Honolulu with a weekend-friendly schedule to cater to the growing travel demand to Hawaii by Korean honeymooners.

Hawaiian’s Flight 460 will depart Seoul’s Incheon International Airport four days weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 10:15 p.m. and arrive in Honolulu at 11 a.m. the same day. Return Flight 459 will depart Honolulu on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 1:15 p.m. and arrive at Incheon at 8:05 p.m. the next day.

The airline initiated flights between the two cities on Jan. 12.

Small-business webinars will offer advice

The U.S. Small Business Administration has two webinars coming up that will focus separately on tax essentials and recovery solutions for small-business owners.

The tax essentials webinar will be held from 8 to 9 a.m. Hawaii time on Dec. 15. It can be accessed at www.sba.gov by clicking the Web chat event under "What’s New." Participants also can post questions in advance.

Edward S. Karl, vice president of taxation for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, will host the free Web chat on "Tax Essentials for Small-Business Owners." Karl will answer questions about tax deductions and credits business owners can use to reduce their tax payments, as well as other tax-saving tips.

On Dec. 20, Agility Recovery Solutions and the U.S. SBA will host a webinar from 9 to 10 a.m. Hawaii time that will focus on best practices to help those in leadership positions navigate the road to recovery. Agility President and CEO Bob Boyd will share real-world disaster recovery scenarios and engage participants in a discussion on practical strategies to develop the wisdom and skill needed to become a more resilient leader. Register at www1.gotomeeting.com/register/311203496.

Citigroup to eliminate 4,500 positions

NEW YORK » Citigroup says it is cutting 4,500 jobs over the next few quarters.

CEO Vikram Pandit said the job cuts are part of the New York bank’s efforts to reduce costs. Pandit made the remarks Tuesday at a financial services conference hosted by Goldman Sachs & Co.

Citigroup Inc.’s fourth-quarter results will include $400 million in expenses related to severance. Pandit also warned that the bank will take another $500 million hit to revenue from an accounting loss the bank will have to take for the higher cost of its debt.

Indiana discovers untouched $300 million

INDIANAPOLIS » Indiana’s governor announced Tuesday that state officials have found $300 million that went untouched even as lawmakers made deep cuts to education and slashed vacant government jobs while it weathered the Great Recession.

Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels said the money was collected but never transferred to the state’s general spending account, which lawmakers use to allocate funds to various programs and departments. While Daniels tried to downplay the discovery, Indiana Democrats called for investigations into how an administration sometimes held up by Republicans as a model for the rest of the U.S. could misplace so much money.

"This is a very serious error, and the governor himself, he needs to launch an investigation into why this happened," said state Rep. Scott Pelath, a Democrat from Michigan City who is a member of the House Ways and Means Committee.

Daniels said the administration was looking into how the money went unaccounted for so long, but he also tried to minimize the amount that went untouched by comparing it with the state’s entire yearly budget, which is about $14 billion.

The issue arose in the state’s e-filing tax system for companies. Money collected through that system wasn’t moved to the general spending account. The problem started in the 2007 budget year and wasn’t found until after the end of the 2011 fiscal year.

ON THE MOVE

Kaiser Permanente Hawaii has announced Dr. Louise Lettich as a specialist in psychiatry, where she will practice at the Behavioral Health Services clinic on Oahu. Lettich has joined more than 450 physicians and providers who form the Hawaii Permanente Medical Group.

AlohaCare has appointed Dr. Sharon Tisza as its new medical director. She will be in charge of setting AlohaCare’s clinical direction and standards for utilization management and disease management initiatives. Tisza is a board-certified physician with experience in adult, adolescent, child and forensic psychiatry, and was clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Hawaii.

YMCA of Honolulu has appointed Kerri Van Duyne as its vice president of development. She will be responsible for overseeing the association’s fundraising programs such as the capital campaigns, annual and major gifts, and planned giving. Van Duyne has 20 years of experience in development, including serving as an assistant vice president for Manoa leadership gifts at the University of Hawaii Foundation.