Island Air, which restarts service to Kauai on Tuesday after halting flights in June, reported that 87.6 percent of its flights arrived on time in February.
The state’s second-largest airline said Friday that it also completed 99.9 percent of its 670 scheduled flights with one cancellation during the month.
A flight is counted “on time” if it arrives within 14 minutes of its scheduled arrival time, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
“Island Air’s operational performance continues to make steady improvements, as our entire team remains focused and has made contributions to providing customers with the best interisland travel experience,” Island Air CEO Les Murashige said.
Oahu solar permits up 30.3% in February
The number of solar-energy system permits issued by the City and County of Honolulu increased by 30.3 percent in February from the year-earlier period.
The city’s Department of Planning and Permitting issued 447 permits for photovoltaic systems, up from 343 issued in February 2015, according to data from Marco Mangelsdorf, who tracks rooftop-solar permits and is president of Hilo-based ProVision Solar.
Mangelsdorf said the increase from the year before is due to high numbers of solar applications as some customers were trying to qualify for a popular incentive program before state regulators ended it.
“The accumulated NEM (net energy metering) fat continues to be consumed and may keep many PV contractors busy well into 2016,” Mangelsdorf said.
The state Public Utilities Commission ended the popular solar incentive program called net energy metering in October. The program credited solar owners the full retail rate for the excess energy their systems sent to the grid.
Google hits road to collect user feedback
SAN FRANCISCO >> Google is about to embark on an old-school search, swapping its Internet algorithm for a custom-built van that will cruise across the U.S. to find out how people use its online services and react to new features.
The white van emblazoned with Google’s colorful logo is scheduled to pull out Monday on a six-week road trip and help the company break out of its Silicon Valley bubble.
The van will make multiday stops in seven states, stopping near colleges, libraries, parks and more in hopes of finding out how average Americans are using the company’s digital offerings.
ON THE MOVE
Mark Heberlein, a registered nurse, has been appointed director of cardiovascular services at Queen’s Medical Center. He previously served as manager of conversion support of clinical operations at Community Health Systems in Franklin, Tenn., and as director of medical imaging/cardiology services at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix, Ariz.
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The Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, has invited Dr. Laeton J. Pang to serve as a member on the Medicare Evidence Development & Coverage Advisory Committee for a two year term. Pang is an associate at Pacific Radiation Oncology, technology chair of the Cancer Center of Hawaii and an assistant professor at the University of Hawaii School of Medicine.
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Judy Meredith has been named sales manager for HomeStreet Bank’s home loan center in Pearl City. She was a loan officer for the loan center in downtown Honolulu. Meredith has 18 years of experience in the mortgage industry.
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Star-Advertiser staff
