Jetstar to reinstate Australia flights
HONOLULU - Hawaii tourism officials are looking forward to the return of Jetstar direct flights between Melbourne and Honolulu.
The Hawaii Tourism Authority said the Australian airline's decision to reinstate the seasonal route with two flights per week starting in December will provide $59.1 million in visitor spending and $6.4 million in tax revenue to the state.
Jetstar plans to increase service to three flights per week in the spring.
The tourism authority said the timing of the flight coincides with Australia's summer holiday season.
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Isle bankruptcies continued to fall
HONOLULU - U.S. Bankruptcy Court data showed that Hawaii filings continued to fall last month.
According to data released Wednesday, Hawaii bankruptcy filings fell for the 17th consecutive month in July.
There were 199 cases in July, down 26 percent from 268 cases filed the same month last year. The number of Hawaii filings is still averaging significantly higher than in 2007, before the recession.
Bankruptcies are falling nationwide as low interest rates help keep debt down.
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4 Kauai redemption centers closed
LIHUE - Four bottle redemption centers on Kauai are temporarily closed because of financial issues.
The Department of Public Works said that as of Wednesday, the four HI-5 bottle redemption centers operated by Kauai Community Recycling Services are closed. A reopening date hasn't been set.
The closed centers are in Kekaha, Koloa, Kapaa and Kilauea. Several other beverage container redemption sites are still open on the island.
Hawaii places a 5-cent deposit on each beverage container sold. Consumers can get the 5 cents back when they return containers.
