Hawaiian increases Sydney service

Hawaiian Airlines plans to increase flights between Honolulu and Sydney, including daily flights during the peak travel season, that will add 19,000 new air seats to the islands in 2011.

The state’s oldest carrier, which launched service to Australia in May 2004, will offer daily flights from April 6 to Aug. 1. On Aug. 2, Hawaiian will then boost its regular four-days-a-week service to five days. Hawaiian’s flight departures from Honolulu will be on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with the return flight from Sydney on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Hawaiian’s daily flights will depart Honolulu at 12:40 p.m. and arrive at Sydney Airport at 7:20 p.m. the following day. The return flight will depart Sydney at 9:20 p.m. and arrive in Honolulu at 11 a.m. the same day. Sydney is 21 hours ahead of Honolulu.

Insurers to offer hurricane policies

First Insurance Co. of Hawaii and Axis Insurance Co. have teamed up to provide residential hurricane insurance beginning Dec. 1.

Axis, an Illinois-based wholly owned subsidiary of Bermuda-based Axis Capital Holdings Ltd., will issue hurricane policies in conjunction with First Insurance homeowners and dwelling fire policies, for new business. Existing policyholders may seek coverage Jan. 1.

"Our motivation for transferring First Insurance’s hurricane exposure to another carrier was to increase our ability to offer hurricane coverage to new customers and to offer competitive hurricane rates across more segments of our homeowners and dwelling fire books," said Allen Uyeda, First Insurance president and chief executive officer, in a statement. "We’re pleased our association with Axis allows us to better serve our policyholders’ hurricane coverage needs."

Lockheed gets $4.4M for isle plant

Lockheed Martin Corp., which plans to build a Hawaii electrical plant that produces energy by exploiting ocean temperature differences, said it has received another $4.4 million in federal grants to help advance the commercialization of the technology.

The funding from the U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command will be used to develop components for the system that will employ ocean thermal energy conversion technology. OTEC systems leverage the temperature difference between warmer water at the ocean’s surface and colder water below to produce clean power. The funds are in addition to a Naval Facilities Engineering Command contract for $8.1 million issued in 2009.

Lockheed hopes to build a 10-megawatt OTEC plant off Oahu in the next several years.

Apply for EWC’s leadership program

The application deadline is Dec. 1 for the East-West Center’s 2011-12 Asia Pacific Leadership Program, a graduate certificate program combining the development of regional expertise with the enhancement of individual leadership capacity. All participants receive a fee waiver valued at approximately $15,000. Application forms and more information are available at www.eastwestcenter.org/aplp. The program also can be reached by e-mail at aplp@eastwestercenter.org or by phone at 944-7744.

On the Move

» Martin and MacArthur has named Boris Huang as production manager of Hawaiian fine arts, Richard DeGutis as director of information technologies and Michael Dolph as foreman of facilities renovation.

» Maui Economic Opportunity has named Lyn McNeff as interim chief executive officer until a replacement can be found for outgoing director Sandy Baz, who accepted a position as Maui County budget director from Mayor-elect Alan Arakawa. McNeff has been with the organization for 17 years and was previously a chief programs officer.

» 2010 HomeCare Elite, a compilation of top-performing home health agencies in the United States, has named West Hawaii Home Health Services to its list. The staff provides in-home care to rural West Hawaii with a goal of keeping people in their own home to be close to their loved ones.

» The Princeville Prince Course in Hanalei says that Steve Murphy, a golf director, has received two honors from the Aloha section of the PGA: 2010 Professional of the Year and Merchandiser of the Year (Resorts). Murphy started as a head professional for Princeville Prince Courts in 2004.