Oahu house and condo sales up
HONOLULU - The Honolulu Board of Realtors says July was a good month for Oahu single-family homes and condominiums.
According to Honolulu Board of Realtors data released Tuesday, the median price for a single-family home last month was $635,000, up 7.4 percent from $591,000 in July 2011. There were 265 homes sold last month, a 5.6-percent increase from 251 during the same month last year.
Board President Joe Paikai says the condominium market saw a huge leap after holding steady over the last few months.
The median condo price was $320,000, a 15.5-percent increase from $277,000 a year earlier. There were 364 condos sold last month, up 21.3 percent from 300 in June 2011.
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New Honolulu flights added
HONOLULU - Allegiant Airlines will begin nonstop flights to Honolulu from Idaho and Washington state.
The carrier announced Tuesday the Boise, Idaho, flights will begin Feb. 9 and the Spokane, Wash., flights begin Feb. 8. Currently, neither city has nonstop service to Hawaii.
Las Vegas-based Allegiant focuses on linking small cities with leisure destinations.
Hawaii Tourism Authority President and CEO Mike McCartney says Allegiant continues to open up new gateway cities for the tourism-dependent islands. He says the new service will also appeal to Canadians living across the border near Spokane. The authority estimates each route will generate $13.4 million in visitor spending and $1.4 million in tax revenue for Hawaii.
Introductory one-way fares as low as $180 are offered for flights purchased by Aug. 14 for travel by April 16.
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Mainland flights revamped
HONOLULU - Hawaiian Airlines is revamping the service on its Mainland-to-Hawaii routes by introducing more local foods and free wine in economy class.
The airline started offering foods like kalua pork sandwiches and Hawaiian sweetbread with cream cheese and guava jelly in its free inflight meals starting this month. It's selling spam musubi, ramen noodles and other snacks through a new feature called the Pau Hana Snack Bar.
Economy class passengers over the age of 21 are being offered a complimentary glass of red or white wine selected by Hawaii master sommelier Chuck Furuya. The wine comes with lunch or dinner.
The airline said Monday it's making the changes in response to customer feedback. It says it's the first comprehensive redesign of its domestic onboard service in more than a decade.
