Coming soon to a theater near you: a "mobile ticket" that will let you bypass the box office and head straight into the movies at four of Consolidated Theatres locations on O'ahu.

Fandango, the online venue for movie and entertainment tickets, said Honolulu is one of eight markets where it is rolling out new technology that allows people to receive movie tickets sent as bar codes to their mobile telephones.

People can avoid having to go to the ticket office and instead hand their mobile phones to ticket takers who scan the bar code.

The Consolidated theaters involved locally include Ward Stadium 16, Kahala Theatre, Kapolei 16 and Mililani Stadium 14.

BEACH STUDY SHOWS NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT

The state has submitted an environmental study for a multimillion-dollar project to widen a segment of Waikīkī Beach with sand pumped in from offshore.

The study published last week says the plan would have no significant environmental impact. The state is accepting public comment on the report through April 6.

The project would widen the beach from the Royal Hawaiian Hotel to the Kūhiō Beach groin by about 40 feet.

The sand there has been eroding about 1-to-2 feet per year, leading water to rush into seawalls and a hotel restaurant bar at peak high tide.

The state has already set aside $1.5 million for the project, which is expected to cost about twice that.

Hotel owners and the Hawaii Tourism Authority are also expected to contribute funds.

FITCH GIVES 'A' RATING TO AIRPORT BOND

Fitch Ratings has given an "A" rating to the $672 million revenue and refunding bond issue being proposed by the Hawai'i Airports Division, noting the division has produced growing operating revenues in spite of declines in passenger counts and changes in air service.

The ratings agency also gave a stable outlook to the proposed bond issue and affirmed its A rating on about $567 million of the outstanding division revenue bonds.

Fitch said the bonds are secured by revenues of the airport system and aviation fuel taxes and have a final maturity of 2040.

WORKSHOP FOR BLIND APRIL 17 AT UH

How to convey visual images to the 10 million blind or low vision Americans is the topic of an all-day workshop sponsored by the Hawaii Association of the Blind and others. The cost of the workshop at the University of Hawai'i is $30. The workshop is designed to give the basics to design your own audio descriptions. For information, call Annie Moriyasu at 956-3306. The workshop will be Saturday, April 17, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the University of Hawai'i Architecture Building Auditorium. The deadline for registering is March 31.

— Advertiser Staff