WestJet adds Hawaii flights

WestJet Airlines plans to offer seasonal nonstop service between Calgary and Honolulu and Maui, and between Edmonton and Maui, beginning Feb. 12 with a Boeing 757-200 it will lease from North American Airlines.

Canada-based WestJet said the flights, which are subject to Canadian government approval, will run through April 30.

The leased aircraft will allow WestJet to carry 193 passengers, about twice as many as it carried on its Boeing 737-700s for other Hawaii flights. From Vancouver, WestJet flies 11 times a week to Honolulu, 12 times a week to Maui and two times a week each to Kona and Lihue.

Honolulu compensations up 0.3%

Compensation received by workers in Honolulu rose 0.3 percent in 2009 from 2008, ranking it near the top of all counties nationwide, according to a report released yesterday.

Workers in Honolulu received $29.47 billion in compensation last year, averaging $58,847 per worker, the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis reported. Compensation includes wage and salary disbursements, government payroll taxes and employer contributions for employee pension and insurance funds.

Honolulu’s increase was the 20th largest of the top 167 counties nationwide, according to the report. Compensation declined by an average of 3.7 percent in those counties, the BEA reported. The agency defines the largest counties as those with at least $10 billion in compensation annually.

Chrysler Financial sold for $6.3B

TORONTO » Toronto-Dominion Bank has agreed to buy Chrysler Financial, the automaker’s old lending arm, from private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management LP for $6.3 billion. The deal announced yesterday is the latest example of a healthy Canadian bank using its muscle to snap up U.S. institutions battered by the financial crisis.

Toronto-Dominion CEO Ed Clark said Canada’s second-largest bank is looking to accelerate growth in the U.S., and this deal makes them a top-five North American auto lender.

Nike’s earnings increase 22%

BEAVERTON, Ore. » Nike Inc.’s second-quarter net income rose 22 percent to beat estimates as demand for its products rose around the world.

The company said yesterday that it sold more items at full price and tightly controlled its inventory during the period, which helped offset higher freight costs. But the company warned it faced tougher margin pressures for the remainder of the fiscal year because cotton and freight costs are expected to rise.

Nike earned $457 million, or 94 cents a share, for the quarter that ended Nov. 30. That’s up from the $375 million, or 76 cents a share, it earned a year earlier. Analysts were expecting 88 cents a share, according to a poll by Thomson Reuters.

Nike’s revenue increased 10 percent to $4.8 billion, meeting expectations.

Cuba’s tourism sector rises 4%

HAVANA » Cuba says its crucial tourism sector is looking up, with the number of visitors rising 4 percent in 2010.

The official Prensa Latina news agency says some 2.5 million people visited the Caribbean island this year. That compares with about 2.4 million in 2009.

The report says authorities hope foreign visitors reach 2.7 million next year.

The report yesterday said Canadians topped the ranks of tourists, followed by Italians, Germans and Spaniards.

The United States’ nearly half-century-old trade embargo keeps most Americans from traveling to Cuba.