Hawaiian Airlines’ passenger traffic increased 4.1 percent in September as the company flew more seats than the year-earlier period.The state’s largest carrier said Thursday it transported 883,315 passengers compared with 848,252 in September 2015. The load factor, or percentage of seating capacity filled, increased 2.9 percentage points to 85 percent from 82.1 percent.

Available seat miles, or one seat transported one mile, rose 5 percent to 1.51 million from 1.44 million. Revenue passenger miles, or one paying passenger transported one mile, jumped 8.7 percent to 1.29 million from 1.18 million.

Separately, Hawaiian also revised upward its operating revenue per available seat mile and now expects it to be at the upper end of the prior guidance range. Hawaii projects the operating revenue per available seat mile to be up 0.5 to 1.5 percent versus its prior guidance of down 1 percent to up 2 percent. The airline is scheduled to report its third-quarter financial results on Oct. 18.

Maryknoll gets $50K grant from Hawaiian

The Hawaiian Airlines Foundation has awarded Maryknoll School a $50,000 grant — the largest grant this year — for a full suite of 13 new 3-D virtual reality devices called zSpace. With zSpace, high school students in Maryknoll’s new Mx Scholar Program for STEM & Aerospace will be able to take apart and reconstruct airplane jets, propulsion systems and more to learn engineering principles and do labs that would otherwise not be possible in the classroom.

Maryknoll is the first and only K-12 school in Hawaii to use zSpace, a technology that is used by medical students at the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine to dissect human anatomy models.

Hawaiian also plans to be an active partner in Maryknoll’s Mx Scholar Program, which has a curriculum that is unique in Hawaii and is geared toward preparing students for the careers of the future.

ON THE MOVE

Hawaiian Electric Co. has promoted Jim Kelly to vice president of corporate relations from manager of corporate relations. He replaces Lynne Unemori, who will retire after serving 31 years at the company. Most recently, Kelly served as manager of member services and communications for the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative. His journalism experience includes serving as managing editor and editorial page editor at The Honolulu Advertiser and editor of Pacific Business News.

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Outrigger Enterprises Group has promoted Tammy Uy to vice president of creative development from executive creative director. Prior to joining Outrigger in 2014, she served as senior creative director for MVNP, an integrated advertising agency affiliate of DDB Needham, and as associate creative director for Mullen, a creative organization with a focus on travel, tourism and new business acquisition.