Business Briefs

Japanese carrier to double Honolulu flights

All Nippon Airways will be doubling service between Narita Airport in Tokyo and Honolulu beginning July 17.

The Japanese carrier, which will use a Boeing 767-300ER aircraft, said Wednesday it will go to 14 flights a week from seven flights a week.

CEO to attend restaurant blessing

Jack in the Box Inc. Chief Executive Officer Lenny Comma will attend the blessing of the new franchised location in Niu Valley next week.

The store at 5722 Kalanianaole Highway takes the place of the former KFC restaurant, and is the 29th in Hawaii operated by Scanlan Management.

The Jan. 29 blessing is a private function, with the restaurant set to open to the public following the official event.

Isles named ‘hottest’ spot to travel

The Hawaiian Islands have been chosen the "hottest destination" of the coming year by the Travel Channel and will be the focus of a one-hour TV special debuting Monday.

The production visited each major island, including Lanai, and hosts Samantha Brown, Bert Kreischer, Anthony Melchiorri and Don Wildman will discuss activities, adventures and sights to be seen.

The special, titled "The Trip: 2015," will offer viewers a chance to win a 14-night trip for two to Hawaii, valued at $100,000.

The Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau facilitated the production’s work in the islands.

The cable channel plans additional showings of the special.

Honolulu crawls up Bed Bug Cities list

Honolulu crept up three notches to No. 42 in the U.S., on the annual Orkin Bed Bug Cities List, released Wednesday.

The pest control company ranked 50 U.S. markets by the number of bedbug treatments it performed during the 2014 calendar year, and Chicago topped the list for the third consecutive year.

The Windy City was followed by Detroit (up two from 2013); Columbus, Ohio; Los Angeles (down two from 2013); and at No. 5, the Cleveland-Akron-Canton market in Ohio, which moved up a notch.

"Bed bugs are a serious issue across the country, and they’re very difficult to control," said Orkin Entomologist and Technical Services Director Ron Harrison, in a statement. "Bed bugs are not limited to any level of cleanliness or income, which means they can be found in any home or hotel. They’re great hitchhikers, and people often bring them inside on their clothes or in their luggage."

Orkin parent company Rollins Inc. saw an 18 percent increase in bedbug treatment revenue during 2014, amid other evidence that bedbug infestations are growing.

McDonald’s reopens Maui restaurant

The public is invited to celebrate the grand reopening of McDonald’s of Kahana, at 4403 Honoapiilani Highway in Lahaina.

While the restaurant already has reopened for business, the grand-reopening festivities will be staged from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday with a live radio broadcast and local entertainment.

The restaurant is open 24 hours a day and includes a two-lane drive-through operation.

There are 86 McDonald’s Restaurants of Hawaii with more than 5,200 employees in Hawaii, Guam and Saipan.

Subaru Hawaii helps nonprofits

As part of its "Share the Love" promotion, Subaru Hawaii raised $35,000 for six local nonprofits and presented checks at a ceremony this week.

A check for $5,000 was presented to the Hawaiian Humane Society while another $5,000 was presented to Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawaii. Funds raised during the promotion also have been donated to the Maui Humane Society, Kauai Humane Society, Hawaii Wildlife Fund and Hawaii Island Humane Society.

Subaru Hawaii donated $250 for each new vehicle sold by its dealers from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31, up to $30,000.

Public voting on the Subaru Hawaii Facebook page netted the Maui Humane Society an additional $5,000.

"The Facebook contest, in particular, generated lots of interest and participation from the public. It was an extremely close and exciting race right up to the very end," said Glenn Inouye, senior vice president, Servco, representing the Subaru Hawaii dealers.

Car show to feature driving champions

The MDA Aloha Custom Car Show & Cruise will include appearances by National Hot Rod Association champions including Erica Enders-Stevens, Richie Stevens Jr., Allen Johnson and Ashley Sanford, as well as local racing legend Roland "The Hawaiian" Leong.

Prolific drag racing artist Kenny Youngblood also will attend. He was named the official artist for the show, March 21 and 22 at Aloha Stadium.

Organizers invite car clubs and individuals to enter their vehicles in a competition for trophies and prizes, including a chance to win a trip for two to the 2015 SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show in Las Vegas in November.

Early registration for individual vehicle entrants is $35 through Jan. 31, after which the fee will be $45. Entries for car clubs submitting 10 or more vehicles cost $25 each through March 1.

All entrants will receive an official event T-shirt and more than $50 worth of additional items and discounts, as well as a show poster autographed by Youngblood.

More details about the show can be found online at alohacustomcar-show.com, by calling 772-2015, or by emailing richardwpsm@gmail.com.

EBay to cut staff before spinning off various units

NEW YORK » EBay plans to cut 2,400 jobs, or 7 percent of its staff, in the first quarter to simplify its structure and boost profit ahead of a planned separation of its business.

The e-commerce company on Wednesday also reported that its fourth-quarter net income rose 10 percent on continued strength of its PayPal payments business, which it expects to spin off in the second half of the year.

The San Jose, Calif.-based company also announced plans Wednesday to spin off or sell its enterprise unit, which develops online shopping sites for brick-and-mortar retailers.

EBay has been under pressure to improve profitability from its largest activist investor, Carl Icahn. On Wednesday eBay said it agreed to name an executive from Icahn’s investment firm, Jonathan Christodoro, to its board.

On the Move

» Carlsmith Ball has announced the following two new associate attorneys in the Honolulu office:

— Shirley S. Lou-Magnuson is a member the firm’s real property practice group and also includes business, corporate, banking and regulatory law. Prior to joining the law firm, Lou-Magnuson was a law clerk to the Honorable Katherine G. Leonard of the Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals.

— Amy Lawson Woodward is a member of Carlsmith’s Litigation & Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice Group. She was previously externing at the Hawaii Supreme Court, the United States District Court in San Diego and United States Circuit Court, Ninth Circuit.

Ship Ahoy!

Today’s ship arrivals and departures: