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United to restore Chicago flights

United Airlines will reinstate its daily nonstop service between Chicago and Honolulu this summer.

The service, which was canceled in February 2001 when United retired its DC-10 planes, will resume June 3. United decided to reinstate the flight due to increased demand, said spokesman Stephan Roth.

Passengers can begin booking flights today, Roth said, adding the new flight could bring as many as 348 passengers per day to Hawaii.

"It should be good for Hawaii's economy," Roth said.

Bankoh gets bond upgrades

Bank of Hawaii Corp.'s improving balance sheet was rewarded yesterday as it got its second bond rating upgrade in three business days.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services raised the parent company's long-term counterparty credit rating to "BBB" from "BBB-" and the Bank of Hawaii subsidiary's rating to "BBB+" from "BBB." The rating outlook on both entities was upgraded to stable from positive.

"The ratings actions reflect the balance of strong operating performance offset by the risks associated with geographic concentration in Hawaii," S&P credit analyst Mark Kilduff said.

On Thursday, Fitch upgraded the long-term and individual ratings of Bank of Hawaii's parent company and subsidiary. The senior long-term rating was upgraded to "BBB+" from "BBB" while the individual rating was upgraded to "B" from "B/C." The rating outlook was revised to stable from positive.

Fitch said it believes the company is poised for continued improvements in profitability and overall credit fundamentals.

Hawaii tops for Shell Vacations

Shell Vacations Club Hawaii has been named the top-performing region in the Shell Vacations network for the third consecutive year.

Shell Vacations Club Hawaii achieved the highest net sales volume for any of the six regions within the company, and is poised to continue the trend, said Simon Crawford-Welch, executive vice president of sales and marketing.

During the past 15 years, Shell Vacations has developed or been responsible for the sales and marketing of six Hawaii resorts on the Big Island, Kauai and Maui, he said. Its other operations are in Arizona, California, Oregon, Wisconsin and Canada.

Based on the success of its Hawaii operations, Shell Vacations will continue to seek more inventory on the islands, Crawford-Welch said.