Hawaiian Airlines remains tops in punctual arrivals

Hawaiian Airlines held onto its customary top spot for on-time performance in November.
The state’s largest carrier completed 93.9 percent of its domestic flights in November within 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival time, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s monthly Air Travel Consumer Report released Tuesday. Hawaiian’s on-time performance easily topped the 83.5 average of the 16 reporting carriers.
In other categories, Hawaiian was second for fewest flight cancellations with 0.1 percent, or 8 out of 5,838 flights; fourth in fewest consumer complaints with 0.39 per 100,000 passengers; and sixth for fewest mishandled-baggage reports with 2.08 per 1,000 passengers, or a total of 1,478 for 711,266 passengers.

Island Air unveils iiwi bird as new logo

Regional carrier Island Air has introduced a new logo featuring the native iiwi bird.

The new logo "symbolizes a revitalized company with deep roots in Hawaii and a strong commitment to the community and our customers," said Island Air CEO Paul Casey in a statement Tuesday.

The iiwi bird is a species of the Hawaiian honeycreeper. Island Air also made a donation to the Nature Conservancy’s efforts to protect and preserve the native habitat of the iiwi, a threatened indigenous Hawaii species.

Mac nut firm seeks $9M through offering

Royal Hawaiian Orchards LP, a Hilo-based grower and processor of macadamia nuts, said it expects to raise about $9 million after expenses through a rights offering to holders of the company’s depository units.

"We are taking a major step forward towards realizing our goal to transition from a farming company to a branded healthy snack food company with this rights offering," President and CEO Scott Wallace said. "Our strategy is to capitalize on consumers’ views of nuts as an upscale healthy snack that can command prices above traditional mass-marketed products."

Wallace said the retail snack product line, which was launched in late 2012, is now being distributed in more than 3,000 stores on the mainland and Hawaii. The funds from the rights offering will be used to quickly expand distribution nationwide to national, regional and independent grocery and drug chains, as well as mass merchandisers, that target consumers with healthy eating habits and the disposable income needed to afford premium products, he said.

Royal Hawaiian said the rights offering is being extended to all unit-holders of record as of the close of business Nov. 4. The offering entitles the company’s existing shareholders to buy additional shares directly from the company in proportion to their existing holdings within a fixed time period at a discount to the current market price.

Hawaii First to run Oahu, Big Isle hotels

Hawaii First, an Associa company, said it has been named as managing agent for Moana Pacific and Lai Opua.

"We are excited to partner with such experienced boards," said Hawaii First President and CEO Richard Emery.

Moana Pacific has 1,379 units in two towers at Kapiolani Boulevard and Pii­koi Street. Lai Opua in Kona on Hawaii island has 290 homes.

Allegiant offering mobile boarding passes

Allegiant Air said it is now offering paperless mobile boarding pass capability to its passengers at all 101 airports it serves.

The Las Vegas-based carrier, which flies to Hono­lulu and Kahu­lui, said Tuesday that passengers will now have the option to avoid ticket counter lines by checking in for their flight and receiving their boarding passes directly on their mobile device.

While some major airports and large carriers have previously introduced mobile boarding pass technology at their airport security checkpoints, Allegiant has worked with many small to midsize airports throughout its system to introduce mobile boarding pass scanners at the security checkpoints. Fifty-five of the airports Allegiant serves did not have scanners in place.

Allegiant purchased scanners for these airports, worked with the airports and Transportation Security Administration to have them approved and installed, and reached out to other carriers serving the airports to ensure that the mobile boarding pass scanners the company installed could be used by other airline passengers.

Charter calls TW Cable a ‘turnaround project’

LOS ANGELES » Charter Communications executives labeled Time Warner Cable a "turnaround project" suffering from a failed strategy as they urged Time Warner Cable shareholders to prod management to begin talks with Charter on its buyout offer. The criticism was leveled Tuesday after Charter revealed details of its proposed bid for Time Warner Cable for around $132.50 a share, or $38 billion. The offer would create the third-largest pay-TV provider in the country with 16 million video customers.

ON THE MOVE

First Insurance Co. of Hawaii has elected Steph­a­nie Toku­hama vice president of corporate underwriting. She has more than 30 years of industry experience, including positions at Hawaii Insurance Consultants, Sedgwick and the state Department of Insurance.

Hawaii National Bank has announced: 

» Ricky Ching has been appointed senior vice president and chief financial officer. He has more than 15 years of accounting and financial management experience. Ching joined the bank in 2006 and was previously vice president and controller.

» Alvin Oshiro was promoted to assistant vice president and controller. He joined the bank in 2012 as an assistant controller and was previously a controller for Acura of Hono­lulu and Pflue­ger.