More passengers flying Hawaiian Airlines

Hawaiian Airlines saw a 1.3 percent increase in passengers served in June, compared with June 2013, the airline said Monday.

The state’s largest airline flew 884,559 passengers last month, up from 873,387 the year before. Because the airline added capacity, the percentage of seats filled in June declined 1.5 percentage points to 83.1 percent.

For the second quarter, Hawaiian had an increase of 1.8 percent in the number of passengers, but the percentage of seats filled declined by 1.3 percentage points.

For the first half of 2014, Hawaiian reported a 1 percent increase in passengers to 4.9 million and a drop of 1.1 points in the percentage of seats filled to 79.8 percent.

Canadian hotel company enters isles

Coast Hotels, based in Vancouver, British Columbia, has entered the Hawaii market with a new management contract for Wai­mea Plantation Cottages on Kauai.

Coast owns, manages and franchises properties in small and large markets as well as in resort destinations throughout Canada and in Alaska, Cali­for­nia, Oregon and Washington. The contract for Wai­mea Plantation Cottages represents its entry into the isle market.

Waimea Plantation Cottages, on Kauai’s west side, seeks to embody Hawaii life in the 1800s, though the original plantation cottages on the property were built in the 1900s.

"Focusing on expanding our national portfolio is a key priority for Coast Hotels and this is an exciting time for our company," Doug Rigoni, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Coast Hotels, said in a statement.

Coast plans hands-on management, including the design of activities and processes for staff, facilities, operations and marketing, according to the statement.

ADM acquires Wild Flavors for $3 billion

DECATUR, Ill. » Archer Daniels Midland already makes sweeteners, fibers, emulsifiers and an array of other ingredients used in packaged food and drink. Now it’s getting into the business of natural flavors.

The agribusiness giant, based in Decatur, Ill., said Monday it will acquire the privately held Swiss company Wild Flavors in an all-cash deal that will total $3.13 billion counting debt, or 2.3 billion euros. Founded in 1931, Wild Flavors makes natural flavors and "flavor systems" that help give products their distinct tastes.

Natural and artificial flavors are listed as ingredients in a wide variety of packaged food and drink around the world. Such flavors help make Coke taste like Coke and Cheetos taste like Cheetos.

But companies typically don’t disclose what exactly goes into making those flavors, which are considered trade secrets.

Homeowners get $3.1B cash in settlement

WASHINGTON » A new report says homeowners have received about $3.1 billion in cash under a federal settlement with 13 big banks over alleged misconduct in processing mortgages that may have resulted in wrongful foreclosures.

The report by the Federal Reserve released Monday says 83 percent of the 4.2 million borrowers covered by the January 2013 settlement, or about 3.4 million, had cashed checks as of April 25. The amounts paid range from several hundred dollars to $125,000.

The 13 banks include Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs.

Economy improving, Chinese premier says

BEIJING » China’s economy improved in the latest quarter but faces "downward pressure," and Beijing will increase the strength of targeted policy measures to shore up growth, the country’s premier said Monday.

Speaking at a news conference with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Premier Li Keqiang gave no indication how fast the economy might have grown in the three months ending in June after expanding by 7.4 percent the previous quarter.

Manufacturing grew in June at its strongest pace this year, but the expansion was weaker than normal.

Chinese leaders are trying to guide the economy toward self-sustaining growth based on domestic consumption, rather than exports and investment. Those plans have been complicated by weakness in exports, which support millions of jobs.

ON THE MOVE

Turtle Bay Resort has appointed: 

» Tom Gaffey as manager of the Hang Ten Bar & Grill. He has managed Signature Prime Steak & Sea­food restaurant at Ala Moana Hotel and served as wine director and manager of Il Lupino Trattoria & Wine Bar in Wai­kiki.

» Barbara Hamilton as manager of Pa‘a­kai restaurant. She has served in a variety of positions in the hospitality industry, including handling guest services, food and beverage for Benchmark Hospitality International and food and beverage at Hyatt Hotels and Resorts.

Kaiser Permanente’s new clinic in Pearlridge Center has been awarded third-level Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition, the highest level of achievement recognized by the National Committee of Quality Assurance. The distinction is based on team-based integrated care that promotes a relationship between patients and their primary-care doctors.

SHIP AHOY!

Today’s ship arrivals and departures:

HONOLULU HARBOR