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Company buys Kauai beachfront property

A Delaware company has purchased a nearly 12-acre vacant beachfront parcel in Waipouli, Kauai.

Coconut Plantation Holdings LLC closed on the deal Tuesday, according to California-based Canyon Capital Realty Advisors, which provided a $9 million loan for the purchase.

The land is fully entitled for 195 condominium units. More information was not available.

Gas, housing drive up cost of living

Oahu's hot housing market and rising gasoline prices have made it more expensive to live in Honolulu, where it costs more to buy or rent housing and pay for utilities and furniture.

Honolulu consumer prices rose 3.3 percent in the second half of last year from the second half of 2003, according to the consumer price index from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Housing and transportation costs were responsible for more than three-quarters of the price increase, said Richard J. Holden, regional commissioner of the bureau.

Increased rent and mortgage costs caused Honolulu's housing costs to rise 4.6 percent from 2003 to the highest level since the measurement began. Hawaii residents also paid more to live in their houses as household gas and electricity costs increased 8.3 percent and the cost to furnish or operate households rose by 3.9 percent. The transportation index, which rose 3.9 percent, was driven up by a 13.8 percent rise in gas prices.

Consumers today would pay $91.90 more than they would have in 1982-84 for $100 worth of the same goods and services.

United plans to expand its U.S.-Asia flights

United Airlines announced increased passenger service to Asia yesterday, a day after two rivals were cleared to begin nonstop flights to China.

The expansion highlights the intensifying scrap between U.S. carriers over the burgeoning market in China and elsewhere in Asia.

Citing growing international demand, UAL Corp.'s United said it will increase flights in May between Chicago and Hong Kong, add a larger aircraft on Chicago-Beijing flights this summer and initiate service in April between Nagoya, Japan, and Taipei, Taiwan. That continues a series of international upgrades since last year.

American Airlines and Continental Airlines won tentative government approval on Tuesday to begin nonstop passenger service from the United States to China, joining United and Northwest Airlines Corp.