Cheap Tickets to
lay off 22%
of Hawaii staff

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By Tim Ruel
truel@starbulletin.com

Cheap Tickets Inc. plans to fire 81 workers, 22 percent of its 367 Hawaii employees, starting Nov. 30 to prepare for its acquisition by New York-based travel conglomerate Cendant Corp.

The cuts will mostly affect the Cheap Ticket's 170 administrative jobs in Hawaii.

Cheap Tickets spokeswoman Dawn Soper Lyon said the jobs were duplicated by Cendant's operations on the mainland.

Cheap Tickets has already cut some 70 isle reservation agents through attrition since Cendant announced the purchase in mid-August.

Cheap Tickets has a 200-person call center in Hawaii, one of four call centers nationwide, which is currently unaffected.

The cuts would depend upon completion of Cendant's purchase of Cheap Tickets, which has been pushed back.