Seasonal Minneapolis-Honolulu flight slated
Delta Air Lines announced Tuesday that it would add a daily seasonal flight between Minneapolis and Honolulu next year.
The carrier will begin daily service between Minneapolis and Honolulu on Oct. 25 and will continue that service through March 26, 2016.
David Uchiyama, vice president of brand management for the Hawaii Tourism Authority, said the seasonal service would help to boost travel during Hawaii’s slower fall and winter shoulder periods between 2015 and 2016.
"It will provide visitors from our core U.S. East market with greater accessibility to the Hawaiian Islands during the cold winter months and is estimated to generate $52.2 million in visitor spending and $5.5 million in state tax revenue," Uchiyama said in a statement.
"The seasonal flight will also provide Delta the opportunity to assess the potential demand from the market with the possibility of maintaining the route in the longer-term."
Airlift to the state is anticipated to reach a record 11.1 million seats in 2014, and Uchiyama said HTA would work with its airline and industry partners to maintain and grow this inventory.
HPU grads will hear Blue Planet chairman
Henk Rogers, a computer game designer and entrepreneur, is scheduled to speak at Hawaii Pacific University’s winter commencement at 5 p.m. Dec. 17 at the Neal Blaisdell Arena.
This is HPU’s 83rd commencement, and degrees will be presented to more than 500 graduates.
Rogers is chairman of Blue Planet Software, the sole agent for the Tetris franchise and founder of both Blue Startups, Hawaii’s first venture accelerator, and Blue Planet Foundation, a nonprofit clean energy advocate.
Nature Conservancy buys Big Isle parcel
The Nature Conservancy bought a 922-acre conservation easement along Saddle Road above Hilo for $100,000, below the market price, the conservation organization said Tuesday.
The conservancy is partnering with the University of Hawaii-Hilo, Hawaii island watershed partnerships and the parcel’s landowner, The Hawaii Conference Foundation, to conserve, manage and interpret the site. It will continue to serve as an outdoor ecology laboratory for students at the university.
The land was acquired by Titus Coan through the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions during the Great Mahele in 1849. Fifty years later his widow granted title to the Hawaiian Evangelical Association, now the Hawaii Conference UCC and Hawaii Conference Foundation.
"It is an awesome piece of property, and we did what was necessary to make this possible because it is our church’s kuleana," said Sherman S. Hee, executive director of the foundation, in a statement.
Turtle Bay Foundation issues $85,000 in aid
The Turtle Bay Foundation, the nonprofit arm of Turtle Bay Resort, has given $85,000 in grants and scholarships to 41 nonprofit organizations and 23 college-bound students on the North Shore.
The grants and scholarships were awarded at a presentation Tuesday evening at Turtle Bay Resort.
This is the foundation’s second year of awards. Last year the foundation handed out $50,000 in grants and scholarships.
"We’re building a tradition of providing support where it’s needed and earned on the North Shore, and are delighted to be helping so many more nonprofits and college students this year with grants and scholarships," said a statement by Danna Holck, general manager of Turtle Bay Resort.
ON THE MOVE
Hawaii Energy has promoted:
» Caroline Carl to residential and transformational program director. Before joining Hawaii Energy, Carl worked at the Kohala Center to implement energy-saving programs on Hawaii island.
» Lisa Harmon to clean-energy ally specialist. She was previously working with AOAOs in health care and industrial companies across the islands in order to maximize their energy savings.
Girl Scouts of Hawaii has selected Shari Chang as its chief executive officer. She has 30 years’ experience in hospitality marketing, including serving as a senior vice president of sales and marketing at Aston Hotels & Resorts for the past eight years. Before that, Chang was senior vice president of Aloha Airlines and vice president of marketing and communications for Aloha United Way.
