Hawaiian Air to fly NFL’s Raiders again

Hawaiian Airlines again will serve as the official airline of the Oakland Raiders.

The state’s largest carrier will use a 294-seat Airbus A330 to fly the National Football League team starting with the Raiders’ game Thursday against the Seattle Seahawks. The aircraft will feature the Raiders’ shield and carry players, coaches and trainers, as well as uniforms and equipment, to eight regular-season games — Seattle, Cleveland, Chicago, San Diego, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Tennessee and Denver — through December.

Hawaiian provides a dedicated catering coordinator to meet the team’s expectations and to handle special requests. Meals are provided along with sandwiches and snacks that include fresh fruit, protein bars and, at the Raiders’ request, products from Hawaii, such as passion-orange-guava juice and iced tea.

Hawaiian has served Oakland since 2008, and provides daily nonstop flights to both Honolulu and Kahului.

Quiksilver seeks buyer, trying to stay afloat

Quiksilver Inc., the surfwear chain that has lost more than three-quarters of its value this year, is looking for a buyer that could help keep the company afloat, according to people familiar with the matter.

Quiksilver has been holding discussions with potential strategic bidders, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the process isn’t public. The goal is a management-led buyout, ideally outside of a bankruptcy, that would let the company retain its stores, two of the people said.

The Huntington Beach, Calif.-based chain replaced its top executives in March after the company had to restate earnings and projected disappointing sales. In June, Quiksilver scrapped its annual earnings forecast, saying a rebound would take longer than expected.

Because of its level of distress, a sale outside of a bankruptcy could be difficult. Filing for Chapter 11 would mean the retailer can abandon costly leases, making it easier for a buyer to rein in costs.

HPU grad to lead Hyundai sales

Derrick Hatami, a Hawaii Pacific University graduate, has been named vice president of national sales for Hyundai Motor America, effective Friday.

Hatami will be responsible for all aspects of sales and distribution of Hyundai vehicles in the U.S., franchised dealer relations, market representation, sales strategies and additional activities, according to an announcement from the California-based operation. Operations of the five Hyundai sales regions also will report to Hatami.

Hatami most recently was vice president of U.S. sales for Nissan, and previously served Hyundai Motor America as general manager.

“Derrick’s strategic outlook, vision, planning experience and commitment to dealers makes him a perfect fit to lead our sales operation,” said Dave Zuchowski, Hyundai Motor America president and CEO, in a statement.

Hyundai Motor America is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co. of Korea.

Hulu launching commercial-free option

Hulu announced Wednesday that it was starting a commercial-free version of its streaming service, costing $12 a month, in its latest effort to enhance its offerings and become a stronger rival to Netflix and Amazon.

To date, Hulu has stood as the exception among the prominent subscription-based streaming services because it included commercials that could not be skipped, even for its pay service.

In the fierce competition for streaming subscribers, Hulu hopes it will lure more people to sign up by offering both a cheaper ad-supported and an ad-free option, said Mike Hopkins, Hulu’s chief executive.

Hulu has about 9 million subscribers, less than a quarter of Netflix’s 41 million paid U.S. subscribers.

Fed reports only modest economic growth

WASHINGTON » While U.S. housing and auto sales showed strength during the summer, manufacturers were feeling pressure from China’s economic slowdown and the oil industry was squeezed by lower energy prices.

That’s the U.S. economic picture that emerges from the Federal Reserve’s latest look at business conditions around the country. The Fed said 11 of its 12 regional banks reported that the economy grew at least modestly in July through mid-August. One of the Fed’s regions — Cleveland — reported only slight growth.

The Fed report, known as the beige book, will be used for discussion when the central bank meets next Sept. 16-17. The gathering will be closely watched because of the possibility it will decide to start raising interest rates from record lows near zero.

The recent stock market turbulence, triggered by worries about China’s slowdown, has led some analysts to lower the odds for a Fed move in September. But other economists still believe a Fed rate hike this month is likely, especially if markets stabilize and Friday’s unemployment report shows strong job gains continued in August.

Tesla to unveil lower-cost car

DETROIT » Tesla Motors says it will reveal its lower-cost Model 3 electric car in March and start taking orders then.

In a tweet Wednesday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the car will start at $35,000, or about half the starting price of its current Model S sedan. Musk said the Model 3 will start production in about two years.

Musk also said deliveries of the Model X SUV — the company’s third vehicle — will begin Sept. 29. No prices were announced.

Musk said each trim level of the Model X will be around $5,000 more than the equivalent Model S because of the SUV’s greater size and complexity.

On The Move

» Servco Pacific has hired John Lee as vice president and corporate tax director. He was a director of PricewaterhouseCoopers’ New York office.

» Keller Williams Hono­lulu has named two new agents:

–Derek Kamm joined the company from Choi International. Prior to that, he achieved the highest sales recognition for seven years with Marriott International.

–Patrick Z. Sullivan had been serving as a project and program manager, overseeing infrastructure installation and upgrades. Before joining Keller Williams, he also worked for Choi International.

Ship Ahoy!

Thursday’s ship arrivals and departures: