BUSINESS BRIEFS
Hawaiian Air adds $17 baggage fee
Advertiser staff and news services
Following the lead of its competitor go!, Hawaiian Airlines said that next month it will begin charging a $17 fee each way for checking in a second piece of luggage on interisland flights.
On Wednesday, go! airlines announced it was instituting a $25 fee for checking in a second piece of luggage on interisland flights.
Hawaiian's fee applies to tickets purchased on or after July 8 for travel on or after July 15.
"Unfortunately, the impact of fuel prices on our operating expenses is forcing us to assess an additional fee for checking more than one bag," said Keoni Wagner, Hawaiian's vice president of public affairs.
"We want to encourage our customers to travel lighter as we do everything we can to reduce fuel use," he said.
The charge will be waived for certain kinds of customers, including HawaiianMiles Pualani Platinum, Gold and Premier Club members; corporate and affiliate members; and military personnel.
Items exempt from the second-bag fee include child car seats, strollers, wheelchairs, walkers, crutches and canes.
ISLE GASOLINE UP $1 FROM LAST JUNE
Gasoline in Hawai'i now costs a dollar more than it did a year ago, according to the latest Gas Watch report from AAA Hawaii.
AAA reported that the statewide average for a gallon of unleaded regular was $4.418, a record. That compared with the year-earlier price of $3.416.
"The pricing situation remains very volatile," said AAA Hawaii regional manager Richard Velzaquez in a press statement.
Wailuku remains the highest-priced market tracked by AAA in the state, at $4.62 a gallon.
Hawai'i has the third-highest price nationwide, with only California and Alaska motorists paying more.
Hawai'i's diesel fuel price is the highest in the country at $5.317 a gallon, after having risen $1.757 in the past year.
MESA TO STREAM DISCUSSION ONLINE
Mesa Air Group Inc., the parent company of interisland carrier go!, said it will report its latest quarterly results on Monday and discuss its performance in a conference call that will be public over the Internet.
The call can be accessed through the Mesa Web site at 8 a.m. Hawai'i time Monday. The call leader will be Jonathan Ornstein, Mesa chairman and CEO, and will last about one hour.
Mesa's shares closed down 2 cents at 45 cents yesterday. Mesa's shares have traded in a range of 42 cents to $7.25 over the past year.
TESORO STOCK DOWN ON ANALYSIS
Shares of Tesoro Corp., an oil refiner whose operations include Hawai'i's largest refinery, fell 4.9 percent after its earnings estimate was cut by two analysts, Bloomberg News reported.
Financial analysts at Tristone Capital Co. and Deutsche Bank Securities lowered their forecasts on projected profits at San Antonio-based Tesoro, which hasn't been able to increase fuel prices as quickly as crude-oil costs have risen. Shares fell 98 cents to $19.06 at the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange, a three-year low, Bloomberg reported.
"U.S. independent refiners will likely post another round of weak earnings," Bloomberg quoted from a report by Tristone analyst Chi Chow.
Deutsche Bank analyst Paul Sankey, citing "sustained strength in crude oil prices and weakening demand pressuring margins," lowered his full-year profit estimate for Tesoro to 10 cents a share from 54 cents, Bloomberg reported.
