ALOHA AIRLINES received a $40.5 million
conditional loan guarantee from the Air Transportation
Stabilization Board. Final approval is conditioned upon the airline
meeting several requirements, according to a spokesman for Aloha.
The airline has asked all of its 3,000 employees to take pay cuts
in the next three years in an effort to obtain the federal loan
guarantee.
UNITED will temporarily reduce flights from San
Francisco to two Hawaiian islands because of weak demand. One daily
roundtrip between San Francisco and Kona, and one between San
Francisco and Maui will not operate from Jan. 7 to Feb. 12. "There
is a little bit of a lull in travel to Hawaii" after Christmas, a
spokesman said, adding the flights would be restored after Feb.
12.
HONEYMOON HAVEN. Hawaii was named the top
honeymoon destination in Modern Bride magazines' sixth annual
honeymoon survey. The best of the rest from the survey -- which
polled travel agents regarding the world's top spots for newlyweds
-- were Jamaica, Tahiti, Mexico and St. Lucia. Hawaii also captured
the No. 1 spot in the Best for Romance and Best Beaches categories
and was picked as the No. 2 place (after Jamaica) for Top Spots to
Tie the Knot.
A DELEGATION of tourism and education experts
from Hawaii began a business development trip to six cities in
China Nov. 7 in an ongoing effort to establish a future market for
the islands. Highlights of the mission include introducing
tourism-related firms from Hawaii to key decision-makers in China's
destination management industry. In Shanghai, the Dept. of
Business, Economic Development and Tourism will partner with the
Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau to participate in the China
Int'l Travel Mart Nov. 14 to 17.
SEN. DANIEL INOUYE (D-Hawaii) received Marriott
Int'l's 2002 tourism leadership award last week. Ed Fuller,
president and managing director of international lodging for
Marriott, said Inouye was chosen because of his efforts to preserve
Hawaii's natural environment and its cultural and historical
heritage. In more than 40 years of service, Inouye's initiatives
have ranged from expanding wildlife refuges to providing native
Hawaiian education at all grade levels in Hawaii, he said. Inouye
also has served as board chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Assn.
The award has been presented annually since 1997.
THE ALA MOANA HOTEL added the Resnet
reservations system to its Web site, enabling visitors and agents
to check availability online in real-time. Visit www.alamoanahotel.com or call (808) 955-4811.
AMERICA WEST VACATIONS expanded its vacation
destinations to include the islands of Hawaii, now available from
more than 50 America West cities in North America. The move was
prompted by a new code-share agreement between America West and
Hawaiian airlines that took effect Oct. 11. America West has
partnered with more than 60 hotels and resorts in Hawaii for
vacation packages in all price ranges, and Avis car rentals for
fly-drive packages. Call (800) 843-9971 or click www.americawestvacations.com.
THE WORKS OF PAINTER, printmaker, sculptor,
photographer and performance artist Lesley Dill will be on display
in a new exhibition at the Contemporary Museum in Honolulu from
Nov. 22 through Jan. 12. Dill's use of materials and the scale of
her work ranges widely. One of the most identifiable qualities of
her work is how she examines the function of language and its
relationship to the physical. For more information, go to www.tcmhi.org.
THINK YOU WANT a souvenir from the Big Island?
Make sure it's not a lava rock. Pele's wrath, it seems, has visited
many who thought they might innocently take a piece of her home.
Over the years, thousands of parcels have been sent back to Hawaii
with letters begging that the rocks be returned to their rightful
place to remove the curse. Consequently, the kupuna, or cultural
elders, at the Outrigger Waikoloa Beach Resort have designed a
program called Hoaka Hoomalu. The first Wednesday of every month at
noon, permission is asked to place the returned lava rocks into a
large outcrop of ancient lava on the resort grounds. Hotel guests
are invited to witness the ceremony. Then the resort's cultural
staff mail a personal letter to each remorseful sender, saying the
rocks have been returned to the land.