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Honolulu-San Francisco route reduced by United

United Airlines will suspend one of its four daily San Francisco-Honolulu flights from May 5 through June 11 because of a dip in demand. The airline said today the cut will leave it with 23 mainland-Hawaii flights each day.

"It's just the one flight from San Francisco. Everything else keeps running," said Joe Hopkins, a spokesman at United's headquarters in Chicago.

Airlines have been hurt by a decline in travel caused by the war in Iraq and worries over the new disease, SARS.

Tourism Authority begins ad effort

With the war in Iraq winding down, the state Hawaii Tourism Authority has begun to advertise the islands to tourists in North America, drawing from $1.7 million in funds saved by canceling ads during the war.

Visitor arrivals to Hawaii from U.S. cities have risen 11 percent year-over-year this month, which is making up for a drop in visits from the Japanese, according to preliminary data from the state.

The Hawaii Legislature is considering a bill to allow the tourism authority to spend an additional $8 million on marketing, which would make up for the $5 million that was stripped from the HTA's $61 million budget last year by then-Gov. Ben Cayetano.

Local 5 fracas headed to court

The leadership fracas at hotel workers union Local 5 is scheduled to hit state District Court this morning, at a hearing on a temporary restraining order against Eric Gill, the union's financial secretary-treasurer.

The union's president, Orlando Soriano, obtained a temporary restraining order against Gill on April 3, after Soriano told the court he had been shoved by Gill. According to Soriano's petition, Soriano fears Gill or his agents will physically hurt him to make him resign. The court temporarily ordered Gill to not to come within 50 feet of Soriano at the Local 5 offices, pending today's hearing.

Soriano and others have also sued officials of the union's parent organization in federal court, demanding that the union look into charges previously brought against Gill. A plaintiff in the suit against the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees International Union is former Local 5 leader Anthony "Tony" Rutledge, who Gill defeated in a union election.

Local travel magazine purchased

The Kauai-based "101 Things to Do" Hawaii visitor magazines and accompanying Web site, www.101thingstodo.com, have been purchased by Virginia-based Gannett Co. Inc.

Included in the deal are the quarterly magazines 101 Things to Do on Kauai, 101 Things to Do on Oahu, 101 Things to Do on Maui and 101 Things to Do on The Big Island, as well as the right to expand the magazine concept into other areas of the country. Terms were not disclosed.

The publications and Web site were owned by two companies, 101 Inc. and G & L Investments Inc. President Gregg Gardiner was not available for comment.

"These fun and informative magazines are a great asset for Gannett not only because they enhance the publications we already own in Hawaii, but also because they are a great idea we can take into other markets," said Gary L. Watson, president of the Gannett Newspaper Division, in a statement. In Hawaii Gannett also owns the Honolulu Advertiser, a raft of community newspapers and a 50 percent interest in Web-based travel portal Hawaii.com.

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MCMARKETING

DEAN SENSUI / DSENSUI@STARBULLETIN.COM The American Marketing Association Honolulu chapter honored McDonald's Restaurants of Hawaii with its Marketer of the Year award yesterday at the Sheraton Waikiki. The bags contained toys that are offered with Happy Meals.

JAL seeks to cut costs via voluntary leave

TOKYO >> Japan Airlines System Corp., Asia's biggest carrier, said it's looking for volunteers among its cabin attendants to take unpaid leave for at least a month because of lower demand caused by the war in Iraq and the SARS deadly virus.

Volunteers from the airline's 7,000 flight attendants are to come forward by today, after which the company will make its selection, spokesman Tatsuo Yoshimura said.

Japan tour bookings off 50 percent in May

TOKYO >> Overseas package tour bookings with JTB Corp. and four other Japanese travel agencies dropped by half in May, as concern about the Iraq war and the spread of a deadly virus made people reluctant to travel. The number of people who made reservations at five travel agencies including JTB, Kinki Nippon Tourist Co., and Jalpak, a unit of Japan Airlines System Corp., for April and June were 37 percent below the year-earlier level, according to a survey by the Japan Association of Travel Agents.

New charges against WorldCom ex-exec

NEW YORK >> The government filed new charges yesterday against former WorldCom executive Scott Sullivan, accusing him of lying on financial statements to secure $4.25 billion in credit for the company.

Sullivan was already charged with ordering WorldCom accountants to move operating expenses off the books, making the telecommunications giant appear profitable when it was losing money. He has pleaded innocent to the initial charges.

Sullivan's lawyer did not return a call for comment.

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[Hawaii Inc.]

New Jobs

>> HaleNohona by the Fountains, a residential community for seniors, has appointed Cliff Cassity as principal broker. His responsibilities include overseeing the real estate transactions and business decisions for HaleNohona's brokerage firm, HaleNohona Properties.

>> The Legal Aid Society of Hawaii has hired Ryker Wada as a complaint analyst for its Fair Housing Enforcement Program, which helps people who are facing potential discrimination in the Hawaii housing market.

>> David Oyadomari has been promoted to director of marketing for Sprint Hawaii. He will oversee all marketing activities for Sprint Hawaii's business and residential markets, and develop product promotions. Oyadomari has nine years of experience in marketing and management. He was most recently Sprint Hawaii's business marketing manager. >> Tahitian Goddess has named Claudette Bond Springer director of marketing. The maker of Polynesian-style jams, jellies, marmalades and chutneys is owned by Diane T.T. Crawford, Springer's mother. Springer has nine years of radio promotions and marketing experience.

Promotions

>> Salem Communications Corp. has named T. J. Malievsky regional vice president of operations. He will assume operational oversight of the Honolulu, Sacramento and San Diego radio markets. Salem Communications is a radio broadcaster focused on religious and family themed programming. It owns and operates 89 radio stations.