Hawaiian Airlines’ passenger traffic rose 2.8 percent in August as the state’s largest carrier filled more seats on its flights.
The number of people that Hawaiian transported rose to just over 1 million from 996,014 in the year-earlier period, the company said Thursday. Its load factor, or the percentage of seats filled, increased 1.8 percentage points to 86.2 percent from 84.4 percent.
Revenue passenger miles, or one paying passenger transported one mile, rose 1 percent to 1.45 million from 1.43 million. Available seat miles, or one seat transported one mile, slipped 1.1 percent to 1.68 million from 1.70 million.
Hawaiian commits to be UH airline
Hawaiian Airlines has signed a one-year agreement to become the official airline partner of University of Hawaii-Manoa athletics as the 21 sports teams travel between Hawaii and the mainland during the 2017-18 season.
“This agreement is a difference maker for UH athletics as it will lead to significant savings,” UH athletic director David Matlin said.
Hawaiian has been a Diamond Level partner of UH athletics and a sponsor for three decades.
Japan’s growth less in revised estimate
TOKYO >> Revised government data show the Japanese economy grew at a slower pace in the April-June quarter, not the surprisingly strong spurt indicated by an earlier estimate.
The Cabinet Office said Friday the gross domestic product — the total value of a nation’s goods and services — grew at an annualized rate of 2.5 percent.
That second preliminary reading is a dramatic adjustment from the first preliminary reading, released last month, of 4.0 percent growth.
Private-sector investment for the quarter was lowered in the latest data to 0.5 percent from 2.4 percent.
Although less upbeat than the earlier numbers, data show the growth continues to hold up.
Jobless aid requests surge after Harvey
WASHINGTON >> The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment benefits soared last week by the most in nearly five years, driven by Hurricane Harvey’s impact on Texas and Louisiana.
Weekly applications for jobless aid jumped 62,000 to a seasonally adjusted 298,000, reaching the highest level in two years, the Labor Department said Thursday.
Applications soared by more than 51,000 in Texas, a fivefold increase, and ticked up 258 in Louisiana.
ON THE MOVE
>> Xerox Hawaii has named Shayne Kurihara as the firm’s marketing coordinator. Kurihara previously served as a business development executive with CodeSmart Inc.
>> The Honolulu Community Action Program has announced that James “Jojo” Upega is the program’s technical projects coordinator. He began working at HCAP in 2010 as a community worker for the Kalihi-Palama District Service Center. In 2014 he became program coordinator for Na Lima Hana Employment Core Services.
>> Kuakini Medical Center has appointed Jesse Tabaniag as patient care coordinator for KMC’s Emergency Services. Tabaniag has been a health care professional for 29 years serving in various management and nursing positions, including as a project manager for Kaiser Permanente.