Hawaiian Air passengers off 21.4% last month

Hawaiian Airlines carried 21.4 percent fewer passengers last month than it did in September 2000, a decline to 377,850 from 480,733. The company reported its official figures late yesterday, confirming earlier reports that business was down due to the terrorist-related decline in air travel.

A reduction in service cut its available seat miles by 11.3 percent, to 532.1 million from 599.9 million. Revenue passenger miles declined 14.8 percent, to 375.6 million, from 440.7 million in September 2000. The result was a systyemwide load factor, the percentage of available seats that were occupied by paying passengers, of 70.6 percent last month, down from 73.5 percent in the previous September.

Hawaiian's figures are for its total interisland, mainland-Hawaii and Hawaii-South Pacific business. It does not report separate figures for each segment.

DBEDT has $200,000 in funding available

The state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism said yesterday about $200,000 in funding remains available for community-based economic development, planning projects, technical assistance and training programs.

Organizations eligible for DEBDT's Community Economic Development program include nonprofits wanting to develop sustainable business ventures that serve community needs.

The program has funded a variety of community-based initiatives, said Wayne Thom, program manager.

They have included grants to the Hawaii Organic Farmers Association, The Kauai Food Bank and the Greater East Honolulu Community Alliance, as well as the Waianae Coast Coalition for a backyard tilapia project.

Deadline for submission of applications is Jan. 15. For more information about the program, visit www.hawaii.gov/dbedt/cbed.

Hawaiian Airlines signs contract with machinists

Hawaiian Airlines and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said yesterday that a new contract covering the 1,700 mechanics, airport and accounting staff represented by the union has been ratified by union members.

The agreement, which runs for 43 months, took effect Oct. 1.

Earlier this year, Hawaiian reached agreements with unions representing it's pilots, flight attendants, and dispatchers.

Weight Watchers sets IPO price at $21 to $23

WASHINGTON >> Underwriters for Weight Watchers International Inc. have set the terms of the company's pending initial public offering at 17.4 million shares with a price range of $21 to $23 a share, according to a filing yesterday with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It plans to list its stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol WTW. No listing date was reported.

[Taking Notice]

NEW JOBS

>> David Vargas has been named network engineer in Aston Hotels and Resorts Hawaii's corporate management information systems department. Vargas, who has 13 years of computer maintenance and repair experience, previously served as a network engineer at Servco Pacific.

>> First Insurance Company of Hawaii Ltd. has hired Clayton Makiya as senior loss control consultant, Dale Nakamura as commercial lines underwri- ter, James Blankenship as director of Information Technology Services, Paul Clayson as director of Infrastructure and Technical Services and Paul Nakasone as financial analyst.

PROMOTIONS

>> Stephen Watanabe has been named vice president and information systems security officer at Finance Factors Ltd. He will be responsible for oversight of the development and monitoring of security practices and protection of proprietary information technology at the company. Watanabe most recently served as PC network manager at Finance Factors.