HAWAII

Interisland carriers offer $28 fares

Mokulele Airlines said yesterday that it is offering a limited number of $28 one-way fares for travel between Honolulu and Kahului in February. The flights will be operated under the carrier's new jet service.

Tickets must be purchased by Wednesday. Rival Hawaiian Airlines said it would match the sale, while go! spokesman Paul Skellon said the carrier “;Will never be undersold.”;

Mokulele also said that it is offering 1,000 Alaska Airlines miles for each segment traveled in February, double the amount usually offered.

IRD wins isle traffic data contract

Canada-based International Road Dynamics Inc. said yesterday that it was awarded a traffic monitoring contract by the Hawaii Department of Transportation.

The project is intended to supplement the department's continuous traffic monitoring program and includes the supply, operation and maintenance of the systems as well as a provision for a real-time display via Internet. The three-year contract value is about $834,000.

The project will include 23 permanent data collection sites on Oahu, Kauai, Maui and the Big Island.

Mesa reports traffic numbers

Mesa Air Group's interisland airline go! said yesterday its passenger numbers climbed 14.4 percent in December to 58,833 from 51,419 a year earlier.

The airline also generated 13.23 million available seat miles - or one seat transported one mile - and 8.88 million revenue passenger miles - or one paying passenger transported one mile - versus 11.40 million available seat miles and 7.50 million revenue passenger miles in December 2007.

The carrier also reported its 2008 year-end traffic figures, which included a 17.16 percent increase in revenue passenger miles from last year to 116,294, a 16.32 percent increase in available seat miles to 171,896, a 15.18 percent jump in passenger enplanements to 796,507, and a 0.5 percent rise in load factor to 67.65 percent.

The carrier also said it will add another aircraft to its fleet this spring, and it expects to add service on all routes. Go! currently operates four 50-seat CRJ-200 aircraft, with the fifth used as a spare. 

Mesa shareholders OK stock plan

Mesa Air Group Inc., parent of interisland carrier go!, said yesterday that at a special meeting held on Tuesday, its shareholders approved an increase in the number of authorized shares of common stock from 75 million shares to 900 million shares.

Mesa can also issue shares to help satisfy its obligation to repurchase up to all of its outstanding senior convertible notes due 2023 and senior convertible notes due 2024 in the event that noteholders exercise their right to require Mesa to repurchase notes.

  “;This approval gives us the flexibility to use common stock in lieu of cash to repurchase notes in the event note holders exercise their put rights. We appreciate our shareholders giving us this flexibility while we continue to discuss a number of options with our bondholders,”; Jonathan Ornstein, chairman and chief executive officer, said in a statement.

Hokele Suites finishes renovation

Castle Resorts & Hotels said earlier this week that it has completed a $425,000 renovation of all 104 suites at the Hokele Suites Waikiki, located at 412 Lewers St. in Waikiki.

Each studio-, one- and two-bedroom suite features new furnishings and kitchen appliances. A studio with kitchen is being offered for $88 a night with a kamaaina ID and includes continental breakfast for up to two people. 

Molokai nurses ratify contract

A new contract for nurses at Molokai General Hospital was unanimously ratified Dec. 30 by members of the Hawaii Nurses' Association, the union announced Tuesday.

The hospital's nurses joined the union about a year ago.

The contract provides a four-percent pay raise in October and a three-percent increase in 2010 as well as merit increases of up to two percent and a 25-cent increase for charge nurses next year.

Other contract highlights include full-time status for registered nurses working 36 hours a week; a clause that will pay RNs double-time for working beyond a 12-hour shift and pay rates competitive with the rest of the state, the union said in a statement.

Kauai paper to drop supplement

The Garden Island daily newspaper has informed readers that it will stop publishing its weekly Kauai Times supplement after Sunday's edition.

The Kauai newspaper, owned by Lee Enterprises Inc., said yesterday that it made some adjustments in October to cope with higher production costs, but the economic downturn has worsened since then and the adjustments weren't enough.