Delta adds nonstop flights for Honolulu-Salt Lake City

Delta Airlines is adding nonstop service between Honolulu and Salt Lake City, beginning this fall, the airline said today.

The daily flights will begin Sept. 1 on 287-passenger Boeing 767-400 jets. The 767-400 is promoted for its modern flight amenities, including an entertainment system, phone and laptop power system at each seat.

"This first-ever nonstop service to Honolulu dramatically improves access to Hawaii for customers traveling from the mountain states and the Midwest," said Mark A. Drusch, Delta's senior vice president-network management.

Electric SUVs to be unveiled tomorrow

Tomorrow, the state is planning to roll out 15 battery-powered sports utility vehicles provided by Hyundai Motor Co. that will be test-driven on Oahu for the next couple years.

The SUVs will be used by Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaiian Electric Co., the city and the state. The models will all be mid-sized Sante Fe SUVs made by South Korea-based Hyundai. The cars have air conditioning and other features, but use no gas.

The project is here partly because of the state- and federally funded Hawaii Electric Vehicle Demonstration Project, which has introduced several other electric test vehicles. The electric SUV showcase will be held at the agency's offices on Cooke Street in Kakaako.

Enova Systems Inc., based in Torrance, Calif., is providing the electric motors, batteries and related systems. The company has had an electric-vehicle maintenance and service facility in Honolulu since 1994. Last month, the company gave a demonstration of its advanced vehicle technologies to President Bush and key officials of his administration.

AT&T rebuffs Comcast bid to buy broadband division

NEW YORK >> Telephone and cable-television giant AT&T Corp. said again today it has no plans to sell its broadband cable unit, despite a $58 billion offer by Comcast Corp., and said previous informal talks with Comcast did not include a concrete proposal or agreement on valuation. The offer includes $44.4 billion for stock and $13.5 billion for the assumption of debt.

"We recently had some informal conversations with Comcast at their request. However, those conversations never led to any concrete proposals and there is no truth to the rumor that we agreed on valuation or reached an impasse over so-called 'social issues,"' AT&T said in a statement.

AT&T reiterated it intends to proceed with its restructuring plan, which will separate its wireless, broadband, consumer and business operations into three separate companies with four different stocks. Earlier today AT&T Wireless Group Inc. was formally separated, marking the first stage of the restructuring.

AT&T said it would evaluate the Comcast proposal, which it received on Sunday, and "do what is in the best long-term interest of our shareowners."

Some executives close to the situation had said Comcast and AT&T held merger discussions off and on since November, but talks ended in recent weeks after AT&T's board objected to issues such as voting structure, management control, and the location of the combined company's headquarters. Other sources close to the situation contended the discussions never progressed beyond a preliminary stage.

Cathay talks in limbo as airline cuts flights

HONG KONG -- Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd.'s pilots union said it plans to continue go-slow tactics and has no new talks planned with Asia's fifth-biggest carrier. The action caused cancellations of a third of its flights Saturday.

The dispute over increased wages and other benefits entered a seventh day yesterday, with the carrier yet to disclose the expected impact on today's flights.