Saturday, February 28, 2004
KPUA.net - KPUA Hawaii News - Honolulu airport gets more than five inches of rain
Honolulu airport gets more than five inches of rain
By Associated Press
(Honolulu-AP) -- As the rainfall continues, the National Weather Service has come out with some rainfall amounts.
It reports five-point-three inches of rain fell at Honolulu International Airport during the 24-hour period ending at 8 p-m.
During the same time period, two-point-nine inches fell at the Marine Corps station in Kaneohe and three-point-seven inches was recorded at Lihue Airport on Kauai.
Honolulu airport gets more than five inches of rain
By Associated Press
(Honolulu-AP) -- As the rainfall continues, the National Weather Service has come out with some rainfall amounts.
It reports five-point-three inches of rain fell at Honolulu International Airport during the 24-hour period ending at 8 p-m.
During the same time period, two-point-nine inches fell at the Marine Corps station in Kaneohe and three-point-seven inches was recorded at Lihue Airport on Kauai.
Star-Bulletin Breaking News - Storm moves to Big Island as Oahu cleans up
Storm moves to Big Island as Oahu cleans up
One death reported, Likelike Highway is closed
Associated Press
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A storm that began moving over Kauai early yesterday moved down the island chain to the Big Island today, causing at least one death and closing Likelike Highway.
The 5-year-old daughter of a Pearl Harbor sailor was pronounced dead Saturday after being found submerged in a rainwater runoff basin near her home in Navy housing at Pearl City Peninsula.
The girl was found unconscious by neighbors and emergency personnel, Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Davis said.
Paramedics began cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but were unable to revive her, and she was pronounced dead at Kapiolani Medical Center at Pali Momi, he said.
Heavy rains washed away a 20-foot-long section of Likelike Highway in upper Kalihi late last night. Police said the rain left a hole 10 feet wide and 12 feet deep in the Honolulu-bound lanes.
The Honolulu-bound lanes of Likelike Highway were closed from Kahekili Highway. Honolulu-bound motorists from Windward Oahu had to use the H-3 Freeway or the Pali Highway. State officials said they hope to have repairs completed and the road reopened by Monday morning.
Skies began to clear today except for the Big Island, but forecasters warned of possible showers on Sunday.
A flash flood warning for the Big Island was canceled, but it and the rest of the state remained under a less-threatening flash flood watch until 4 a.m. Sunday, the National Weather Service said.
A high wind warning was in effect for the north, east and south areas of the Big Island and the summit of Haleakala on Maui. The weather service also has issued a winter storm warning for the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island.
Storm moves to Big Island as Oahu cleans up
One death reported, Likelike Highway is closed
Associated Press
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A storm that began moving over Kauai early yesterday moved down the island chain to the Big Island today, causing at least one death and closing Likelike Highway.
The 5-year-old daughter of a Pearl Harbor sailor was pronounced dead Saturday after being found submerged in a rainwater runoff basin near her home in Navy housing at Pearl City Peninsula.
The girl was found unconscious by neighbors and emergency personnel, Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Davis said.
Paramedics began cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but were unable to revive her, and she was pronounced dead at Kapiolani Medical Center at Pali Momi, he said.
Heavy rains washed away a 20-foot-long section of Likelike Highway in upper Kalihi late last night. Police said the rain left a hole 10 feet wide and 12 feet deep in the Honolulu-bound lanes.
The Honolulu-bound lanes of Likelike Highway were closed from Kahekili Highway. Honolulu-bound motorists from Windward Oahu had to use the H-3 Freeway or the Pali Highway. State officials said they hope to have repairs completed and the road reopened by Monday morning.
Skies began to clear today except for the Big Island, but forecasters warned of possible showers on Sunday.
A flash flood warning for the Big Island was canceled, but it and the rest of the state remained under a less-threatening flash flood watch until 4 a.m. Sunday, the National Weather Service said.
A high wind warning was in effect for the north, east and south areas of the Big Island and the summit of Haleakala on Maui. The weather service also has issued a winter storm warning for the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the Big Island.
Friday, February 27, 2004
PACKETONLINE News Classifieds Entertainment Business - Princeton and Central New Jersey: PHASE THREE By Arnold Bornstein: Wonders of Hawaii provoke world thought.
Where we live, you're familiar with the term snowbirds — people who reside here for the warm months and then head to Florida or other Sunbelt states for the winter. We just got back from a place some 6,000 miles from here where we saw a similarity.
They're called humpback whales, and you could call them snow-whales, as in snowbirds, because they inhabit the waters off Alaska or the Arctic during the warm months and then for the winter you'll find them enjoying the warmth of Hawaii, which is where we saw them.
A friend who visited Hawaii several years before us called it "as close as you get to heaven on this earth." We understand what she meant, for the main Hawaiian Islands are laden with volcanic-shaped mountains that are covered with dense green foliage and intertwined with streams and waterfalls and kinds of flowers and fruits that you have never seen before.
It seems like it's always 80 degrees and sunny on the innumerable beaches with a gentle breeze on your face and body, as you sit by your shorefront hotel's beach bar and sip a rum and fruit juice cocktail called a mai tai. You still have the memory of tropical birds nibbling on coconut leaves on swaying palm trees as the sunset shimmers shades of orange against an ocean's blueness that you have never seen before.
On your arrival at the Honolulu airport, you get a traditional aloha greeting with a lei of fresh flowers. Many people appear to think that the state's capital, Honolulu, is an island. It isn't though; it's a major city on the island of Oahu. Two famed areas of the city include Waikiki Beach and the naval base at Pearl Harbor.
High-rise hotels are lined up along the beachfront. The area's main street has some of the world's most fashionable and expensive shops, as well as a carnival atmosphere with mimes, street performers and hustlers. As tourists are walking by, a hustler will offer to place exotic, brightly colored birds on you and then ask if you want your picture taken with your camera, for a fee.
One early evening we took a sunset dinner cruise along the Waikiki shoreline near Diamond Head, the extinct volcano, and despite my navy sea duty many years ago, I got seasick and couldn't enjoy the dinner or mai tais, and I went on the outside deck for fresh air.
We took a short flight on Aloha Airlines for our next stop on the island of Kauai. It's where they filmed scenes of Bali Hai for the movie, "South Pacific." Steven Spielberg had stayed at the hotel where we had lunch, while filming his "Jurassic Park" movies. There are no roads cutting through the interior of the island, and sections evidently look just as they did thousands of years ago. It seemed like the ideal setting for Spielberg's movies about dinosaurs. A bus tour took us to the Waimea Canyon, called the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific."
On a one-hour helicopter ride over the interior, we got a bird's eye view of some of this planet's most spectacular scenery, including Mount Waialeale, the wettest spot on earth.
Another short Aloha flight brought us to the island of Maui. By bus, we went to the lush Iao Valley and saw the Iao Needle, a narrow volcanic spire that rises some 2,700 feet The luau one evening was touristy, but we did enjoy the Polynesian dancing and music, including the hula and fire dancing. Of course, in an island-hopping, packing-and-unpacking tour with 35 other people, some moments become blurred, but you share the experience in camaraderie with people from North Dakota, New Mexico, California, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Canada and elsewhere.
By the way, the sugar cane fields of Hawaii have all but disappeared, and there are very view pineapple fields left because of worldwide competition. For me, the name Dole was synonymous with Hawaii, but when we got home and bought a Dole pineapple at our local supermarket, it was from Costa Rica.
We had broken up our trip both ways between Newark Airport and Hawaii with overnight stays in Los Angeles. My Brooklyn Dodgers T-shirt evoked seemingly favorable comments from four or five apparent Los Angeles Dodgers fans.
When you recall the overwhelming beauty of Hawaii, you also think of Japanese warplanes coming in over those beautiful Oahu mountains to attack Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. A very moving experience is visiting the USS Arizona Memorial, which is built over the sunken battleship, the final resting place for most of the ship's 1,177 crew members. A very small and very slow fuel oil leak still bubbles to the surface every now and then, as it has been doing since 1941 — and National Park Service officials expect it to continue for another 40 years or so.
You think about the countries at war you have seen, the countries recovering from war — including Nagasaki, Japan, seven years after the atomic bomb was dropped, countries where the poverty is almost unbelievable, countries where there isn't enough food, countries where medical and health care barely exist.
You contrast those memories with all of the beauty on earth that you have just seen in Hawaii. You think about that humpback whale cruise you took off the shores of Maui. These creatures grow up to 52 feet long, weigh from 30 to 50 tons, and have tails up to 12 feet wide. We saw them occasionally kick their tails and fins out of the water, and you periodically see them spouting sprays of up to 13 feet, which is part of their breathing.
Scientists tell us they sing amazing songs under the sea, which they can't explain as to why but which they have recorded. Near extinction several decades ago, the humpback whale population has increased because of international law protection. It makes you wonder about their fellow creatures, namely human beings, and how we are faring on this planet.
Our daughter is a teacher in the Manhasset School District in Long Island, N.Y. She works with a sixth-grade girl named Chrissy, who recently received as a homework assignment: "If you were granted 10 wishes, what would you wish for and why?"
Her journal entry included: "I would wish for no more world hunger...I would wish for no more animal abuse. I would also wish for everyone who is homeless to have houses and people to care for them...I would wish that everyone in the world gets one wish, but it must be good and not evil...I wish that there was no pollution or littering. The reason I did not wish for world peace is because I think that is a goal we must achieve with our hearts, not with magic."
Writer Lori Taylor once said: "Children are the dreams we send to a future we will never see. They are our hopes and dreams for the world."
Arnold Bornstein is a resident of Greenbriar at Whittingham.
Where we live, you're familiar with the term snowbirds — people who reside here for the warm months and then head to Florida or other Sunbelt states for the winter. We just got back from a place some 6,000 miles from here where we saw a similarity.
They're called humpback whales, and you could call them snow-whales, as in snowbirds, because they inhabit the waters off Alaska or the Arctic during the warm months and then for the winter you'll find them enjoying the warmth of Hawaii, which is where we saw them.
A friend who visited Hawaii several years before us called it "as close as you get to heaven on this earth." We understand what she meant, for the main Hawaiian Islands are laden with volcanic-shaped mountains that are covered with dense green foliage and intertwined with streams and waterfalls and kinds of flowers and fruits that you have never seen before.
It seems like it's always 80 degrees and sunny on the innumerable beaches with a gentle breeze on your face and body, as you sit by your shorefront hotel's beach bar and sip a rum and fruit juice cocktail called a mai tai. You still have the memory of tropical birds nibbling on coconut leaves on swaying palm trees as the sunset shimmers shades of orange against an ocean's blueness that you have never seen before.
On your arrival at the Honolulu airport, you get a traditional aloha greeting with a lei of fresh flowers. Many people appear to think that the state's capital, Honolulu, is an island. It isn't though; it's a major city on the island of Oahu. Two famed areas of the city include Waikiki Beach and the naval base at Pearl Harbor.
High-rise hotels are lined up along the beachfront. The area's main street has some of the world's most fashionable and expensive shops, as well as a carnival atmosphere with mimes, street performers and hustlers. As tourists are walking by, a hustler will offer to place exotic, brightly colored birds on you and then ask if you want your picture taken with your camera, for a fee.
One early evening we took a sunset dinner cruise along the Waikiki shoreline near Diamond Head, the extinct volcano, and despite my navy sea duty many years ago, I got seasick and couldn't enjoy the dinner or mai tais, and I went on the outside deck for fresh air.
We took a short flight on Aloha Airlines for our next stop on the island of Kauai. It's where they filmed scenes of Bali Hai for the movie, "South Pacific." Steven Spielberg had stayed at the hotel where we had lunch, while filming his "Jurassic Park" movies. There are no roads cutting through the interior of the island, and sections evidently look just as they did thousands of years ago. It seemed like the ideal setting for Spielberg's movies about dinosaurs. A bus tour took us to the Waimea Canyon, called the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific."
On a one-hour helicopter ride over the interior, we got a bird's eye view of some of this planet's most spectacular scenery, including Mount Waialeale, the wettest spot on earth.
Another short Aloha flight brought us to the island of Maui. By bus, we went to the lush Iao Valley and saw the Iao Needle, a narrow volcanic spire that rises some 2,700 feet The luau one evening was touristy, but we did enjoy the Polynesian dancing and music, including the hula and fire dancing. Of course, in an island-hopping, packing-and-unpacking tour with 35 other people, some moments become blurred, but you share the experience in camaraderie with people from North Dakota, New Mexico, California, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Canada and elsewhere.
By the way, the sugar cane fields of Hawaii have all but disappeared, and there are very view pineapple fields left because of worldwide competition. For me, the name Dole was synonymous with Hawaii, but when we got home and bought a Dole pineapple at our local supermarket, it was from Costa Rica.
We had broken up our trip both ways between Newark Airport and Hawaii with overnight stays in Los Angeles. My Brooklyn Dodgers T-shirt evoked seemingly favorable comments from four or five apparent Los Angeles Dodgers fans.
When you recall the overwhelming beauty of Hawaii, you also think of Japanese warplanes coming in over those beautiful Oahu mountains to attack Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. A very moving experience is visiting the USS Arizona Memorial, which is built over the sunken battleship, the final resting place for most of the ship's 1,177 crew members. A very small and very slow fuel oil leak still bubbles to the surface every now and then, as it has been doing since 1941 — and National Park Service officials expect it to continue for another 40 years or so.
You think about the countries at war you have seen, the countries recovering from war — including Nagasaki, Japan, seven years after the atomic bomb was dropped, countries where the poverty is almost unbelievable, countries where there isn't enough food, countries where medical and health care barely exist.
You contrast those memories with all of the beauty on earth that you have just seen in Hawaii. You think about that humpback whale cruise you took off the shores of Maui. These creatures grow up to 52 feet long, weigh from 30 to 50 tons, and have tails up to 12 feet wide. We saw them occasionally kick their tails and fins out of the water, and you periodically see them spouting sprays of up to 13 feet, which is part of their breathing.
Scientists tell us they sing amazing songs under the sea, which they can't explain as to why but which they have recorded. Near extinction several decades ago, the humpback whale population has increased because of international law protection. It makes you wonder about their fellow creatures, namely human beings, and how we are faring on this planet.
Our daughter is a teacher in the Manhasset School District in Long Island, N.Y. She works with a sixth-grade girl named Chrissy, who recently received as a homework assignment: "If you were granted 10 wishes, what would you wish for and why?"
Her journal entry included: "I would wish for no more world hunger...I would wish for no more animal abuse. I would also wish for everyone who is homeless to have houses and people to care for them...I would wish that everyone in the world gets one wish, but it must be good and not evil...I wish that there was no pollution or littering. The reason I did not wish for world peace is because I think that is a goal we must achieve with our hearts, not with magic."
Writer Lori Taylor once said: "Children are the dreams we send to a future we will never see. They are our hopes and dreams for the world."
Arnold Bornstein is a resident of Greenbriar at Whittingham.
Thursday, February 26, 2004
Kauai Garden Island News: "Dog kills toddler
By TOM FINNEGAN - TGI Staff Writer
Posted: Tuesday, Feb 24, 2004 - 04:17:36 am HST
A neighbor's dog on a leash on the neighbor's property apparently attacked a 17-month-old boy who had wandered into the yard Saturday on Moloa�a Hui Road in Moloa�a.
The boy, identified as Truston Liddle of Moloa�a, sustained injuries to the head, neck and chest, and later died at Wilcox Memorial Hospital.
At 5:03 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, a family member called 911 dispatchers to report the child needed medical attention because he had severe injuries to the head, neck and chest area.
But, by then, Liddle's mother had left for the hospital in the family car. Names of the parents were not immediately available, and calls to one of the family homes in Moloa�a were not returned yesterday.
Kaua�i Fire Department responders and other medical personnel caught up to the mother and boy near Kula High & Intermediate School, at the corner of Kapuna Road and Kuhio Highway.
They brought the baby to Wilcox Memorial Hospital, where he later died, said Cyndi Mei Ozaki, county public information officer.
Following standard procedure, the suspected animal was taken by a Kauai Humane Society animal control officer, and is at the KHS facility near Puhi while the incident is being investigated.
The case is currently being investigated as a dangerous-dog violation, Ozaki said.
The dog apparently was leashed on the owner's property, said Dr. Rebecca Rhoades, executive director of the Kauai Humane Society.
The dog is a mid-sized male, a 'poi dog,' a mixed breed, with no pit-bull blood, said Rhoades.
'It is extremely rare,' said Rhoades of the dog-attack fatality. 'Most "
By TOM FINNEGAN - TGI Staff Writer
Posted: Tuesday, Feb 24, 2004 - 04:17:36 am HST
A neighbor's dog on a leash on the neighbor's property apparently attacked a 17-month-old boy who had wandered into the yard Saturday on Moloa�a Hui Road in Moloa�a.
The boy, identified as Truston Liddle of Moloa�a, sustained injuries to the head, neck and chest, and later died at Wilcox Memorial Hospital.
At 5:03 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, a family member called 911 dispatchers to report the child needed medical attention because he had severe injuries to the head, neck and chest area.
But, by then, Liddle's mother had left for the hospital in the family car. Names of the parents were not immediately available, and calls to one of the family homes in Moloa�a were not returned yesterday.
Kaua�i Fire Department responders and other medical personnel caught up to the mother and boy near Kula High & Intermediate School, at the corner of Kapuna Road and Kuhio Highway.
They brought the baby to Wilcox Memorial Hospital, where he later died, said Cyndi Mei Ozaki, county public information officer.
Following standard procedure, the suspected animal was taken by a Kauai Humane Society animal control officer, and is at the KHS facility near Puhi while the incident is being investigated.
The case is currently being investigated as a dangerous-dog violation, Ozaki said.
The dog apparently was leashed on the owner's property, said Dr. Rebecca Rhoades, executive director of the Kauai Humane Society.
The dog is a mid-sized male, a 'poi dog,' a mixed breed, with no pit-bull blood, said Rhoades.
'It is extremely rare,' said Rhoades of the dog-attack fatality. 'Most "
TheHawaiiChannel - KITV 4 News - Mongoose Sighting Sparks Concern On Kauai: "Mongoose Sighting Sparks Concern On Kauai
POSTED: 2:57 pm HST February 24, 2004
HONOLULU -- A mongoose was spotted on Kauai Monday, prompting the state to quickly set traps to catch it.
Kauai and Lanai are the only two islands without mongooses.
A resident spotted the mongoose in East Kauai. Wildlife officials want to prevent the mongoose from multiplying before it harms the island's seabird and waterbird populations.
Booming mongoose populations on Oahu, Maui and the Big Island have reshaped the way ecosystems function.
Officials asked that if residents see a mongoose on Kauai, to call the Kauai Invasive Species Committee at 246-0684. "
POSTED: 2:57 pm HST February 24, 2004
HONOLULU -- A mongoose was spotted on Kauai Monday, prompting the state to quickly set traps to catch it.
Kauai and Lanai are the only two islands without mongooses.
A resident spotted the mongoose in East Kauai. Wildlife officials want to prevent the mongoose from multiplying before it harms the island's seabird and waterbird populations.
Booming mongoose populations on Oahu, Maui and the Big Island have reshaped the way ecosystems function.
Officials asked that if residents see a mongoose on Kauai, to call the Kauai Invasive Species Committee at 246-0684. "
International Surfing Hall of Fame to open on Kauai - 2004-02-26 - Pacific Business News (Honolulu): "LATEST NEWS
10:05 AM HST Thursday
International Surfing Hall of Fame to open on Kauai
The International Surfing Hall of Fame plans to open in a 3,600-square-foot space at the Anchor Cove Shopping Center on Kauai, making it the largest surfing museum in the United States. Its opening is slated for early May.
Expected to become an attraction for cruise ship passengers, the hall of fame projects up to 250,000 visitors per year.
The hall of fame, which has never had a physical location since its formation in 1966, received its lease after nine months of negotiations. The museum will highlight the history and artistry of surfing.
Given that Hawaii was the birthplace of surfing, the board and trustees wanted its home to be located in the Hawaiian Islands. Anchor Cove Shopping Center sits on the edge of Kauai's Kalapaki Bay.
Guests to the International Surfing Hall of Fame will be able to take a self-guided walking tour among thousands of surf memorabilia items, including historic surfboards, artifacts, still photography, film and artwork.
Anchor Cove and the International Surfing Hall of Fame will cross-promote and market this new Kauai visitor attraction. "
10:05 AM HST Thursday
International Surfing Hall of Fame to open on Kauai
The International Surfing Hall of Fame plans to open in a 3,600-square-foot space at the Anchor Cove Shopping Center on Kauai, making it the largest surfing museum in the United States. Its opening is slated for early May.
Expected to become an attraction for cruise ship passengers, the hall of fame projects up to 250,000 visitors per year.
The hall of fame, which has never had a physical location since its formation in 1966, received its lease after nine months of negotiations. The museum will highlight the history and artistry of surfing.
Given that Hawaii was the birthplace of surfing, the board and trustees wanted its home to be located in the Hawaiian Islands. Anchor Cove Shopping Center sits on the edge of Kauai's Kalapaki Bay.
Guests to the International Surfing Hall of Fame will be able to take a self-guided walking tour among thousands of surf memorabilia items, including historic surfboards, artifacts, still photography, film and artwork.
Anchor Cove and the International Surfing Hall of Fame will cross-promote and market this new Kauai visitor attraction. "
Tuesday, February 24, 2004
Macy's parent reports higher profits - 2004-02-24 - Pacific Business News (Honolulu)
Macy's parent reports higher profits
It wasn't just Macy's former Liberty House stores in Hawaii that were busy in December. Parent company Federated Department Stores Inc. says its whole network of department stores did better than expected in the holiday season to produce one third higher fourth quarter profits than the year before.
That in turn reduced the decline in full year 2003 profits, though those still came in below $700 million, when they had been over $800 million in 2002. Profits for the year fell about 15 percent on revenues that were down only slightly.
Federated closed eight stores and opened a dozen new ones in 2003, and three of the new ones were in Hawaii, Macy's furniture stores on Kauai, Maui and the Big Island.
Fourth quarter at a glance:
Net income: $460 million. Year before: $341 million.
Per share: $2.50. Year before: $1.78.
Revenue: $5.05 billion. Year before: $5.02 billion.
Year 2003 at a glance:
Net income: $693 million. Year before: $818 million.
Per share: $3.71. Year before: $4.12.
Revenue: $15.26 billion. Year before: $15.44 billion.
Cincinnati-based Federated also reported Tuesday that January was surprisingly strong, in part because the mainland saw such cold weather that coat sales soared; the company also predicted that sales for this month will come in at least 7 percent above year-ago levels, or three times as good as their original minimum expectations.
"We entered 2003 strategically focused on four key priorities for improving our business over the longer term -- differentiating merchandise assortments, simplifying pricing, enriching the overall shopping experience and communicating better with our customers through more effective marketing," CEO Terry Lundgren said. "Our results for the year indicate that we are making progress on these strategies and the customer is responding, which we think bodes well for sales growth in the coming months."
Macy's parent reports higher profits
It wasn't just Macy's former Liberty House stores in Hawaii that were busy in December. Parent company Federated Department Stores Inc. says its whole network of department stores did better than expected in the holiday season to produce one third higher fourth quarter profits than the year before.
That in turn reduced the decline in full year 2003 profits, though those still came in below $700 million, when they had been over $800 million in 2002. Profits for the year fell about 15 percent on revenues that were down only slightly.
Federated closed eight stores and opened a dozen new ones in 2003, and three of the new ones were in Hawaii, Macy's furniture stores on Kauai, Maui and the Big Island.
Fourth quarter at a glance:
Net income: $460 million. Year before: $341 million.
Per share: $2.50. Year before: $1.78.
Revenue: $5.05 billion. Year before: $5.02 billion.
Year 2003 at a glance:
Net income: $693 million. Year before: $818 million.
Per share: $3.71. Year before: $4.12.
Revenue: $15.26 billion. Year before: $15.44 billion.
Cincinnati-based Federated also reported Tuesday that January was surprisingly strong, in part because the mainland saw such cold weather that coat sales soared; the company also predicted that sales for this month will come in at least 7 percent above year-ago levels, or three times as good as their original minimum expectations.
"We entered 2003 strategically focused on four key priorities for improving our business over the longer term -- differentiating merchandise assortments, simplifying pricing, enriching the overall shopping experience and communicating better with our customers through more effective marketing," CEO Terry Lundgren said. "Our results for the year indicate that we are making progress on these strategies and the customer is responding, which we think bodes well for sales growth in the coming months."
Monday, February 23, 2004
United Reinstates Nonstop Service Between Chicago and Honolulu
United Reinstates Nonstop Service Between Chicago and Honolulu
Monday February 23, 2:15 pm ET
With Addition, United to Offer Customers Nonstop Service to Hawaii From Four U.S. Hubs
CHICAGO, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- United Airlines (OTC Bulletin Board: UALAQ - News) today announced that it is reinstating its daily nonstop service between Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) and Honolulu (HNL), effective June 3, 2004. Flights will be available for booking on February 24, 2004.
"United is thrilled to once again offer our customers nonstop service from Chicago, our hometown and largest hub, to one of the nation's top vacation destinations," said John Tague, executive vice president - Customer, United Airlines. "This flight will answer the call from our customers in the Chicagoland area for daily, nonstop access to the beaches and sunshine of Hawaii. It will also give our customers in the eastern U.S. another option for convenient, one-stop service to the Islands."
United's announcement of this new service follows an announcement earlier this month that it would begin flying a second daily nonstop flight between Tokyo, Japan, and Honolulu in June 2004.
United will fly daily between Chicago and Honolulu with a Boeing 777 aircraft configured with 36 seats in first class and 312 seats in economy class. UA001 will leave ORD at 1015 and arrive at HNL at 1345. The return leg, UA002, will depart HNL at 1625 and arrive at ORD at 0515.
"This was a popular flight among many Hawaii residents and visitors, so we're very pleased travelers will once again have this option," said Governor Linda Lingle of Hawaii. "The resumption of nonstop service between Honolulu and Chicago is good news for visitors from the Midwest and those connecting from the East Coast. As Hawaii's visitor market continues to strengthen, the addition of flights such as this will help meet demand."
The new Chicago service will complement United's existing service to Hawaii from its other hubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Denver. With 24 daily, nonstop flights from three hub cities in the U.S. to four Hawaiian Islands -- Oahu, Maui, Hawaii and Kauai -- United offers the most flights between the mainland U.S. and Hawaii. United also offers daily, nonstop service between Honolulu and both Tokyo and Osaka.
United has been serving Hawaii since 1947.
United, United Express and Ted operate more than 3,400 flights a day on a route network that spans the globe. News releases and other information about United can be found at the company's web site at www.united.com .
United Reinstates Nonstop Service Between Chicago and Honolulu
Monday February 23, 2:15 pm ET
With Addition, United to Offer Customers Nonstop Service to Hawaii From Four U.S. Hubs
CHICAGO, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- United Airlines (OTC Bulletin Board: UALAQ - News) today announced that it is reinstating its daily nonstop service between Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) and Honolulu (HNL), effective June 3, 2004. Flights will be available for booking on February 24, 2004.
"United is thrilled to once again offer our customers nonstop service from Chicago, our hometown and largest hub, to one of the nation's top vacation destinations," said John Tague, executive vice president - Customer, United Airlines. "This flight will answer the call from our customers in the Chicagoland area for daily, nonstop access to the beaches and sunshine of Hawaii. It will also give our customers in the eastern U.S. another option for convenient, one-stop service to the Islands."
United's announcement of this new service follows an announcement earlier this month that it would begin flying a second daily nonstop flight between Tokyo, Japan, and Honolulu in June 2004.
United will fly daily between Chicago and Honolulu with a Boeing 777 aircraft configured with 36 seats in first class and 312 seats in economy class. UA001 will leave ORD at 1015 and arrive at HNL at 1345. The return leg, UA002, will depart HNL at 1625 and arrive at ORD at 0515.
"This was a popular flight among many Hawaii residents and visitors, so we're very pleased travelers will once again have this option," said Governor Linda Lingle of Hawaii. "The resumption of nonstop service between Honolulu and Chicago is good news for visitors from the Midwest and those connecting from the East Coast. As Hawaii's visitor market continues to strengthen, the addition of flights such as this will help meet demand."
The new Chicago service will complement United's existing service to Hawaii from its other hubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Denver. With 24 daily, nonstop flights from three hub cities in the U.S. to four Hawaiian Islands -- Oahu, Maui, Hawaii and Kauai -- United offers the most flights between the mainland U.S. and Hawaii. United also offers daily, nonstop service between Honolulu and both Tokyo and Osaka.
United has been serving Hawaii since 1947.
United, United Express and Ted operate more than 3,400 flights a day on a route network that spans the globe. News releases and other information about United can be found at the company's web site at www.united.com .
Sunday, February 22, 2004
The Maui News: Hotel revenues up in 2003; Maui leads in income per room - - Maui News
Hotel revenues up in 2003; Maui leads in income per room
HONOLULU - Hotels in the islands took in $2.5 billion in 2003, the second-highest total ever, according to Hospitality Advisors' Hawaii Hotel Flash Report.
That was still $200 million short of the record year of 2000. The next year, 2001, was already slowing down even before terrorists attacked the United States in September.
Total revenue in 2001 slumped to $2.47 billion. The next year it fell to $2.37 billion.
Exactly half of state hotel revenue came in the luxury category, although the midprice category grew the fastest last year, 10.5 percent to a total of $415 million.
Budget hotels grew the least, just 1.3 percent to a total of $139 million.
Those trends were good for the Neighbor Islands and for the Valley Isle in particular. Maui has few budget rooms and a preponderance of luxury resorts.
Hospitality Advisors said the gains last year came from longer stays, higher rates and, especially, record business from Mainland states.
Those factors also favor Maui County over the rest of the state.
There are some minor negative factors for the county. Lanai has the shortest average length of stay, and Molokai has the highest percentage of budget rooms and the lowest room rates.
Hospitality Advisors does not report revenue totals by county or by island, but it reported that Maui island easily led in revenue per available room (RevPAR) at $139 last year. That was a healthy $10 gain over 2002.
Kauai did as well, raising its RevPAR from $107 to $116.
Oahu and the Big Island did relatively less well, though both improved. Oahu RevPAR rose from $80 to $85, and Hawaii RevPAR rose from $104 to $107.
Hawaii is second only to New York City among major travel destinations in rates, RevPAR and occupancy.
Last year, the average daily room rate was $169 in New York City, $144 in Hawaii and $117 in Boston.
RevPAR was $126 in New York, $105 in Hawaii and $77 in San Diego.
Oahu RevPAR drags down the state average, and Maui's figures are well above even New York averages. Maui's average daily rate was $187, up $6.
Maui also shines when it comes to occupancy. Its overall rate was 74.2 percent last year, up from 70.7 percent.
Kauai, with a bigger proportion of time-shares, did slightly better. Maui and Kauai were even in occupancy in 2002, but Kauai grew to 76.1 percent last year.
Of the five price categories used by Hospitality Advisors, the second highest, called upscale, was busiest on Maui.
Upscale resorts averaged 78.7 percent occupancy, while luxury resorts averaged 73.6 percent.
The price differential between the two was huge: the average room rate was $285 luxury, but only $156 upscale.
The difference in RevPAR was just as great: $210 vs. $123.
December was a good month for the state and for Maui.
The statewide occupancy rose from 66.2 percent in 2002 to 72.8 percent in December, and RevPAR rose from $101 to $114.
On Maui, the occupancy rate rose from 62.1 percent to 69.6 percent, and RevPAR jumped $20 to $146.
Hotel revenues up in 2003; Maui leads in income per room
HONOLULU - Hotels in the islands took in $2.5 billion in 2003, the second-highest total ever, according to Hospitality Advisors' Hawaii Hotel Flash Report.
That was still $200 million short of the record year of 2000. The next year, 2001, was already slowing down even before terrorists attacked the United States in September.
Total revenue in 2001 slumped to $2.47 billion. The next year it fell to $2.37 billion.
Exactly half of state hotel revenue came in the luxury category, although the midprice category grew the fastest last year, 10.5 percent to a total of $415 million.
Budget hotels grew the least, just 1.3 percent to a total of $139 million.
Those trends were good for the Neighbor Islands and for the Valley Isle in particular. Maui has few budget rooms and a preponderance of luxury resorts.
Hospitality Advisors said the gains last year came from longer stays, higher rates and, especially, record business from Mainland states.
Those factors also favor Maui County over the rest of the state.
There are some minor negative factors for the county. Lanai has the shortest average length of stay, and Molokai has the highest percentage of budget rooms and the lowest room rates.
Hospitality Advisors does not report revenue totals by county or by island, but it reported that Maui island easily led in revenue per available room (RevPAR) at $139 last year. That was a healthy $10 gain over 2002.
Kauai did as well, raising its RevPAR from $107 to $116.
Oahu and the Big Island did relatively less well, though both improved. Oahu RevPAR rose from $80 to $85, and Hawaii RevPAR rose from $104 to $107.
Hawaii is second only to New York City among major travel destinations in rates, RevPAR and occupancy.
Last year, the average daily room rate was $169 in New York City, $144 in Hawaii and $117 in Boston.
RevPAR was $126 in New York, $105 in Hawaii and $77 in San Diego.
Oahu RevPAR drags down the state average, and Maui's figures are well above even New York averages. Maui's average daily rate was $187, up $6.
Maui also shines when it comes to occupancy. Its overall rate was 74.2 percent last year, up from 70.7 percent.
Kauai, with a bigger proportion of time-shares, did slightly better. Maui and Kauai were even in occupancy in 2002, but Kauai grew to 76.1 percent last year.
Of the five price categories used by Hospitality Advisors, the second highest, called upscale, was busiest on Maui.
Upscale resorts averaged 78.7 percent occupancy, while luxury resorts averaged 73.6 percent.
The price differential between the two was huge: the average room rate was $285 luxury, but only $156 upscale.
The difference in RevPAR was just as great: $210 vs. $123.
December was a good month for the state and for Maui.
The statewide occupancy rose from 66.2 percent in 2002 to 72.8 percent in December, and RevPAR rose from $101 to $114.
On Maui, the occupancy rate rose from 62.1 percent to 69.6 percent, and RevPAR jumped $20 to $146.
