Hawaiian marks decade of Australia travel
Hawaiian Airlines will celebrate a milestone Sunday when it marks 10 years of service from Australia for passengers onboard that day between Sydney and Honolulu.
The airline, which initially offered service four days a week with a 264-seat Boeing 767 in 2004, began operating daily in December 2011 with a 294-seat Airbus A330-200.
The state’s largest carrier also said Thursday that beginning Dec. 5 it will add more capacity to its four-times-a-week Brisbane-Honolulu flight by switching to an A330 from a Boeing 767.
In 2013, Hawaiian transported more than 65,000 passengers between Brisbane and Honolulu.
"Australia has become an important part of our network and over the last decade has become an increasingly important part of the overall tourism base in Hawaii," Hawaiian Chief Commercial Officer Peter Ingram said.
$1.25M in donations will aid HPU projects
Hawaii Pacific University received two donations recently to help build a prototype feed mill on Hawaii island and to construct a learning commons in the renovated Aloha Tower Marketplace.
Ulupono Initiative is investing $1 million as part of a partnership with HPU to help finance the construction of a prototype feed mill on Hawaii island that will aim to increase local food production.
The long-planned project is spearheaded by HPU’s Oceanic Institute, which became a directed research unit of the university in January.
In addition, the Bank of Hawaii Foundation became the first corporate sponsor for the revitalization of the HPU-owned Aloha Tower Marketplace with a $125,000 donation earmarked for a learning commons. The learning and technology center will provide students and faculty with a modern space to collaborate, exchange ideas, socialize and learn as a group.
Hotel Molokai to bring back restaurant
The 53-room Hotel Molokai plans to reopen its restaurant, which was damaged by fire two years ago, under a partnership with Maui chef Tante Urban.
The hotel announced the plan to begin construction Friday on the re-branded oceanfront restaurant in Kaunakakai called Tante’s at Hotel Molokai. The restaurant is expected to open in early December.
Urban operates Tante’s Island Cuisine at the Maui Seaside Hotel in Kahului. An original Tante’s was established in 1986 on Hawaii island but is now closed.
SolarCity opens operations center in Kona
SolarCity has expanded to Hawaii island with the opening of an operations center in Kona.
The 6,300-square-foot center includes a storage facility, warehouse and business office. The center employs 12 people, and SolarCity officials said they expect to hire 10 to 12 more employees in 2014.
The company is already providing clean energy to its first 100 customers on Hawaii island and also has completed a solar power system at Kona Airport through a partnership with the state Department of Transportation.
The Kona center is SolarCity’s second in the state. SolarCity began serving Hawaii in 2011 through its operations center in Mililani on Oahu.
ON THE MOVE
Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties has announced that Tiana C. Magsanoc, a Realtor associate, has joined the firm in the Leeward office. Magsanoc is a teacher in the Leeward School District.
Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawaii has announced its 2014 Oahu School-Based Big Brother and Big Sister of the Year:
>> Koali’i Ladao has been paired up with little brother Kama for the past two years. Ladao is a Saint Louis High School Big Brother who volunteers with the Aliiolani Elementary School-based mentoring program.
>> Kendra Chong has been a Big Sister to little brother Dillon for two years. Chong attends Leeward Community College, majoring in secondary education, and has been a volunteer with the Pearl Ridge Elementary School-based mentoring program for three years.
