BUSINESS BRIEFS
End of trial near in go! lawsuit
Advertiser Staff and News Services
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Closing arguments in the trial over Hawaiian Airlines' lawsuit against the parent of go! airlines is scheduled for this afternoon.
Hawaiian is suing go! owner Mesa Air Group for allegedly using confidential business information to launch the low-cost carrier go! last year.
In yesterday's hearing in federal bankruptcy court, Mesa's expert, Colorado-based airline industry consultant Michael Boyd, testified that information obtained by Mesa about Hawaiian was not confidential and derived from public sources such as the U.S. Department of Transportation.
ALOHA, HAWAIIAN ON-TIME LEADERS
Hawai'i-based carriers Aloha Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines continued to lead the aviation business in August in on-time performance for passenger flights, according to a U.S. Department of Transportation survey released yesterday.
The figures showed that nearly 30 percent of flights nationwide were delayed, with the 20 largest carriers reporting an on-time arrival rate of 71.7 percent. That was down from 75.8 percent a year earlier.
Aloha Airlines had the highest on-time arrival rate at 97 percent, followed by Hawaiian Holdings Inc.'s Hawaiian Airlines at 93.7 percent and Southwest Airlines at 77.7 percent, according to government data. Aloha said its performance was the best monthly performance among air carriers in the past two years.
Hawaiian Airlines led the nation in terms of taking care of passengers' luggage. It had a score of 3.1 misplaced bags for every 1,000 customers. Aloha was second with a rate of 3.72.
Mesa Airlines, operator of interisland carrier go! and flights on the Mainland, had 12.42 baggage reports per 1,000 passengers. Mesa reported an on-time arrival rate of 73.6 percent.
NEW LOANS HELP NATIVE HAWAIIANS
Bank of Hawaii is promoting its newest mortgage loan option to benefit Native Hawaiians with home construction, purchases and renovation on Hawaiian home lands.
The bank said the program offers financing options, lower down payments and a reduced mortgage insurance premium. The program, FHA 184A Native Hawaiian Housing Loan Guarantee Program, also is a financing alternative to Department of Hawaiian Home Lands lessees. The risks are guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The bank said the new program complements two others it offers DHHL lessees, including a conventional loan program and another known as FHA 247.
PACIFIC CADD SELLS HOLDINGS
Pacific CADD Services Inc., an 'Aiea company, has sold its assets to U.S. CAD Inc., a Costa Mesa, Calif.-based provider of computer-aided design.
U.S. CAD said the acquisition establishes an O'ahu office for the company from which it can serve Hawai'i's civil and mechanical engineering and architectural design industries, and government agencies.
FINES LEVIED FOR TAX VIOLATIONS
Daren Truitt, the principal officer of Construction Services & Management LLC, has been ordered to pay a fine of $5,000 and the corporation must pay a fine of $15,000 for tax violations regarding employment taxes, according to the state Tax Department.
On July 7, Truitt pleaded guilty to one count of theft in the first degree, and the corporation pleaded guilty to two counts of theft in the first degree. The charges stemmed from failure to pay the Department of Taxation an employee's state income tax withholdings for the years 2003 and 2004.
The amount of the state tax withholdings that was not paid for 2002 and 2003 totaled $44,838. In accordance with a plea agreement, the money was paid before sentencing.
OCEANIC DEPLOYS NEW TECHNOLOGY
Oceanic Time Warner has begun offering Road Runner and Oceanic Digital Phone customers a voice messaging system that can be managed over the Internet. The new technology, from GotVoice Inc. of Kirkland, Wash., allows broadband phone customers to create and send voice messages as well as interact with home and cell phone voice messages in e-mail or online.
GotVoice said Oceanic was the first cable system operator to deploy its technology.
PIONEER HI-BRED EVENT SATURDAY
Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. will hold an informational open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at its Waialua facility at 67-172 Farrington Highway.
Activities will include self-guided tours of a processing plant and crops. Food will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
