Continental adds California flights

Continental Airlines is expanding flights between Honolulu and California, Hawaii's top visitor market.

“;We've been meeting with Continental Airlines as well as other carriers in order to regain seat inventory lost with the closures of Aloha Airlines and ATA,”; said Mike McCartney, president and chief executive officer of the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

The carrier will add four weekly flights from Honolulu to Orange County in March. Continental will use a Boeing 737-700 on the new route with 124 seats, and plans to increase the service to daily during the summer.

“;We are especially pleased that Continental will add a direct Honolulu-Orange County flight, a popular route for travelers to Hawaii,”; McCartney said.

Continental also announced yesterday that it would use a 160-seat Boeing 737-800 to offer daily service from Maui to Los Angeles and a 173-seat Boeing 737-900 to carry customers on a second-daily flight between Honolulu and Los Angeles. Both new flights will begin in March.

“;Hawaii continues to be a popular travel destination for our customers,”; Jeff Moken, Continental's Honolulu general manager, said in a news release. “;We continue to see good demand for travel between Hawaii and the U.S. mainland and are pleased to offer expanded travel options to the islands.”;

On Dec. 18, Continental will also operate twice-weekly service between Honolulu and Nadi, Fiji.

Maui condo sales up in September

Condominium sales rose in Maui in September, but single-family home sales fell, as did the median prices for both homes and condos, according to statistics released yesterday.

The Realtors Association of Maui said 62 condominiums changed hands last month on the Valley Isle, which represented a 24 percent increase from September 2008. During the same period, single-family home sales declined nearly 20 percent to 53 sales.

The median price paid for a condo slipped about 21 percent to $306,250 from $388,000 a year earlier, while single-family home sales dropped just over 16 percent to $450,000 from $537,500 in September 2008.

“;Similar to latest reports from many mainland markets, our market seems bouncing along at the bottom,”; said Terry Tolman, RAM's chief staff executive.

Short sales and bank-owned property will need to be absorbed before the market can normalize, Tolman said.

“;Sellers who don't really need to sell should stay off the market, and clear the marketplace for those who really have to sell,”; he said. Pricing right “;is still the determining factor.”;

Lihue McDonald's being renovated

McDonald's in Lihue closed for renovations last night.

The restaurant at 3113 Kuhio Highway will undergo renovations inside and outside, and get an improved drive-through, according to McDonald's. Renovations are expected to be complete in spring.

ON THE MOVE

  The Waterfront at Aloha Tower Marketplace has promoted Crystal Evans to director of sales and marketing from sales manager. Her experience includes other managerial and support positions.

Carlsmith Ball has announced the following appointments to law firm partner:

» Jay S. Handlin, who has been with the firm since 2007, a lawyer for Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, and an in-house litigation counsel for the Walt Disney Co. in California.

» William M. Harstad, who joined the firm in 2007 and was a litigation department associate at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft in New York.