Go! Mokulele said its airplanes were 70.1 percent full in February, up from 66.3 percent the same month a year earlier.

However, the number of passengers flown by the interisland carrier fell to 50,590, a 9.7 percent decline from February 2009.

"While capacity adjustments provided or improved passenger loads, the decline in Hawai'i visitor numbers and the seasonally quiet demand for interisland travel resulted in fewer overall travelers compared to the same period last year," said Paul Skellon, the airline's vice president.

"We are, however, seeing an encouraging demand for travel in the coming months as people make plans for spring break, the Merrie Monarch festival and the Easter holidays."

GENERAL GROWTH GETS $3.9B INFUSION OFFER

Shopping mall operator General Growth Properties says two of its creditors have offered to invest $3.93 billion in the company to help it emerge from bankruptcy protection.

General Growth, whose Hawai'i properties include Ala Moana Center in Honolulu and Whaler's Village in Ka'anapali, said in a statement yesterday that Fairholme Capital Management and Pershing Square Capital Management, which is also a major General Growth shareholder, offered the investment of new equity capital valued at $15 a share.

Canada's Brookfield Asset Management last month offered to invest $2.6 billion in cash in exchange for General Growth shares. General Growth says the combined investments, along with debt issuance, would give it the cash it needs to emerge from bankruptcy.

2 ISLE COMPANIES TO ATTEND AG CONFERENCE

Two Hawai'i companies will be among the presenters at a sustainable agriculture conference in Silicon Valley that's expected to draw hundreds of venture capitalists, investors, entrepreneurs and industry experts.

Hawaii Oceanic Technology and Kona Tuna are scheduled to make presentations at the conference on March 24 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Palo Alto, Calif.

The Agriculture 2.0 conference selected entrepreneurs to present their investor-ready ag-business opportunities to an audience.