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PUC to prepare for gas price cap

The state Public Utilities Commission said yesterday it will investigate all aspects of the state's gasoline price cap -- set to take effect in September -- so the agency can become familiar with the new law.

The legislation, which sets a maximum price for wholesale and retail gasoline sold in the state, was passed by the Hawaii Legislature in 2002 and was amended last year to delay the law and adjust the method of determining the maximum prices for all gasoline grades. Gov. Linda Lingle opposed the caps, but allowed the changes to become law last year without her signature in the hope the Legislature would later scrap the idea.

The commission is responsible for setting rules and regulations to administer the law, and overseeing the price cap, which takes effect Sept. 1.

"This whole area is new to us," said Kris Nakagawa, chief legal counsel to the commission. "So basically, we're ... determining what we need to do to carry out the purpose and intent of the law."

In an order issued yesterday, the commission said it would examine the price cap formula, the profit margins gasoline sellers can pass on to customers under the law and price increases permitted for rural areas. The maximum prices would be determined based on a formula tied to regular unleaded prices in New York, Los Angeles and on the Gulf of Mexico coast.

First Hawaiian donates $50,000

First Hawaiian Bank said it is donating $25,000 toward relief efforts for the Asian tsunami disaster, and will match another $25,000 in contributions from the public.

The bank is giving the funds to the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army. Contributions can be made at any of the bank's 61 branches in Hawaii, Guam and Saipan.

Travel agents spurn US Airways

US Airways Group Inc.'s problems during the holidays with mishandled baggage are prompting travel agents and customers to book trips with other airlines.

Travel agents said they're concerned that operations disruptions or even liquidation will lead to more canceled trips as the bankrupt airline continues contract negotiations with the baggage-handlers union and faces $260 million in airplane payments in the next two months.

"Their future rests in the hands of thousands of travel agents," said William Rochelle, an airline bankruptcy expert with Fulbright.

Rochelle and other travel experts said the trouble during the holiday weekend prompted a greater degree of concern among customers than either of the bankruptcy filings of the past few years. US Airways continues to operate under Chapter 11 protection.

'King of Spam' to stop sending out pop-ups

Stanford Wallace, dubbed the "King of Spam," and two companies he controls agreed to disable Internet "spyware" computer programs and stop sending related "pop-up" advertisements until a federal lawsuit is resolved.

The Federal Trade Commission suit in October accused Wallace and his companies of infecting computers with spyware that flooded users with advertising, then selling malfunctioning $30 programs to fix the problem. It's the first U.S. lawsuit against spyware developers, according to the FTC.

The agreement, approved Dec. 20 by U.S. District Judge Joseph DiClerico in Concord, N.H., requires Wallace and the companies to disable any software installed without a computer user's authorization. The accord also requires Wallace and the companies to advertise only to people who direct computers to the companies' Web sites, court records show.

Cathay Pacific plans to add 1,500 workers

Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., Asia's sixth-largest carrier by sales, plans to increase its work force by about 10 percent this year as demand for air travel increases.

"We plan to add about 1,500 staff this year, including 1,200 cabin crew and 150 pilots," Maria Yu, a spokeswoman for the Hong Kong-based airline, said by telephone yesterday. The carrier now employs more than 15,000, she said.

Cathay Pacific and other Asian carriers have benefited from growing demand for air travel in the region. The airline carried 39 percent more passengers in the first 11 months of 2004 than a year earlier.

Cathay Pacific plans to begin cargo flights to China's financial center of Shanghai on Jan. 27, Yu said. The airline on Oct. 20 said it won rights from the Hong Kong government to operate 12 cargo flights a week to Shanghai.

[Hawaii Inc.]

NEW JOBS

» Sub-zero/Wolf has hired Carol Nardello as executive/island chef. She will supervise cooking demonstrations in the company's Honolulu showroom and handle catering responsibilities for in-showroom private functions. She previously served as executive chef and food service manager for a Pennsylvania high school.

» Joan Bennet and Associates Inc. has hired two new associates. Alyson Borgerding has been hired as account director. She will be responsible for managing several high-profile accounts. She previously served as the Columbus Dispatch (Ohio) travel editor. Erin Smith has been hired as assistant account executive. She will be responsible for media relations and helping with the counseling of clients on communications strategies.

» Marriott International Inc. has appointed Peter C. Thoene director of sales and marketing for the Wailea Marriott Resort on Maui and the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort on the Big Island. He will be responsible for implementing an overall business plan for the two resorts and overseeing the two hotels' sales, marketing, advertising and public relations initiatives. He began his hotel management career in 1981 at the Hotel King Kamehameha In Kona.

PROMOTIONS

» Aloha Petroleum Ltd. has promoted Bob Maynard to president and CEO. He has served as the company's vice president and chief financial officer for the past 13 years. The company also has promoted Tom Grimes to vice president and chief financial officer. He has served as the company's vice president of marketing for the past two years.