United Air’s computer woes delay flights

United Airlines passengers faced delays and long lines after some of its major computer systems and its website failed Tuesday. The glitch was another in a long string of technology problems that began when United merged computer systems with Continental’s in March.

United acknowledged at least 200 delayed flights. Its passenger reservation system and website stopped working for about 21⁄2 hours Tuesday, although the precise cause wasn’t known.

State Department of Transportation spokeswoman Caroline Sluyter said Honolulu Airport did not experience any major delays in flights as a result of the glitches. However, two departing flights and four arriving flights were marginally affected.

A flight to Japan was delayed 40 minutes Tuesday morning and one to Chicago was delayed an hour in the evening. Two arriving flights from Los Angeles were delayed — one for 40 minutes Tuesday morning and the other for two hours in the afternoon. In the evening, single flights from Guam and San Francisco were each delayed 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Senter heads state Real Estate Commission

Honolulu law firm Imanaka Asato recently announced that one of its partners was appointed earlier this year as chairwoman of the state Real Estate Commission.

Nikki Senter, a real estate attorney with the firm, was named to the post by Gov. Neil Abercrombie after approval by the Legislature. Her term began July 1, and lasts three years.

Senter, a graduate of the University of Hawaii’s William S. Richardson School of Law, focuses on real estate development law with an emphasis on residential condominiums, condominium-hotels and subdivisions.

Senter has served on the commission since last year as vice chair of the condo review committee, and before that was a condo consultant to the commission for three years.

The commission oversees real estate licensees, condo project registrations, condo associations, condo managing agents and condo-hotel operators.

California’s pension system gets makeover

SACRAMENTO, Calif. >> With election politics in play, Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday announced systemic reforms to save billions of dollars in California’s underfunded pension systems but dropped key changes he had sought to avoid a showdown with labor allies.

As a result, pension reform advocates said the Democratic proposal fails to address the long-term costs of the state’s pension liabilities, largely by leaving benefits for the state’s more than 200,000 employees unchanged without contract changes negotiated with unions.

The reform deal does not include putting new government workers in a hybrid system that includes a 401(k)-style plan, greater independence for the board that oversees the state’s main pension fund, or a reduction in retiree health care costs, which are skyrocketing.

Still, Brown hailed the deal as a landmark achievement and said it will make pension benefits for public employees lower than they were during his first term in office, in 1975. A legislative committee passed the bill on a 4-2 party-line vote late Tuesday, setting up a full vote by lawmakers Friday.

Labor leaders were not pleased by what they saw as a violation of collective bargaining rights. The reforms for new employees include an annual pension cap, contributions of at least half of their pension costs and a higher retirement age for full benefits.

“We are fighting back and we’re struggling, and in this case it appears like we’re losing,” said Dave Low, chairman of Californians for Retirement Security, a labor coalition representing more than 1.5 million public employees and retirees.

Pension reform has been an undercurrent throughout the entire legislative session this year, in part because the state’s two main pension funds, the largest in the nation, are so badly underfunded — by at least $150 billion.

David’s Bridal purchased for $1.05 billion

NEW YORK >> Private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice says it is buying David’s Bridal Inc. in a deal that values the private company at about $1.05 billion. Additional financial terms were not disclosed. Private equity firm Leonard Green & Partners, which bought the retailer in 2006, will remain a minority partner in the company.

David’s Bridal produces and sells bridal and special occasion apparel and accessories through a network of more than 300 stores in North America, including Hawaii. 

Lexmark lays off 1,700, quits making inkjet printers

SAN FRANCISCO >> Lexmark is jettisoning its inkjet printers and laying off 1,700 workers as paper becomes increasingly passe in an age of ever-sleeker digital devices and online photo albums on Internet hangouts like Facebook.

The shake-up announced Tuesday is the latest fallout from the growing popularity of smartphones and tablet computers that make it easier to store and retrieve content from anywhere with an Internet connection. As a result computer printers are used less frequently, especially at home.

That’s hurting printer makers, whose revenue is falling as profit margins are being squeezed by competition. The company will stop making inkjet printers that were primarily sold to consumers and focus on sophisticated machines aimed at offices and customers that produce a lot of content on paper.

ON THE MOVE

 Pyramid Insurance has announced: 

>> Scott Yamauchi has been hired as manager of its office in Lihue. He has 16 years of experience in the insurance industry and was previously a vice president at Royal Insurance Agency in Lihue for 15 years.

>> Michelle Javinar is now an agent in the Lihue office. She has 24 years of experience in the insurance industry and was previously an agent with Silverstone Insurance Services in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., for 10 years.  

Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties has announced that Linda Tanaka has joined the firm’s Leeward office. She has seven years of financial institution experience working in customer service, marketing and training.

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