Reopening of Manele Bay resort delayed

The reopening of Four Seasons Resort Lanai at Manele Bay has been pushed back into early next year.

The Lanai Chamber of Commerce notified its members of the postponement via email Tuesday after being informed by billionaire Larry Ellison’s management company, Pulama Lanai. Ellison owns 98 percent of the island.

The 217-room Manele Bay resort has been under renovation since it closed one of its wings in January. The remainder of the resort closed in June. The resort was scheduled to reopen in early December in time for the holidays.

Lanai’s other top resort, the 102-room Four Seasons Lodge at Koele, also has been closed since January to house construction workers and expedite the renovation at Manele Bay.

The shutdowns have hurt Lanai’s economy. Lanai visitor arrivals were down 20.3 percent in August while spending plunged 67.3 percent during the month, according to Hawaii Tourism Authority data. Through the first eight months of the year, arrivals were off 2.6 percent and spending was down 20.1 percent.

Hawaiian Airlines passenger traffic up 3.1%

Hawaiian Airlines’ passenger traffic rose 3.1 percent in September from the year-earlier quarter even though the company filled a lower percentage of its seats.

The state’s largest carrier said Wednesday it transported 848,252 people compared with 823,008 in September 2014. Its load factor, or percentage of seats filled, dipped 0.4 percentage points to 82.1 percent from 82.5 percent.

Available seat miles, or one seat transported one mile, increased 2.8 percent to 1.44 million from 1.40 million. Revenue passenger miles, or one paying passenger transported one mile, rose 2.3 percent to 1.18 million from 1.16 million.

The company also revised its third-quarter outlook and said it now expects its cost per available seat mile, excluding fuel for the third quarter, will improve relative to prior guidance. Hawaiian now says it expects its cost per available seat mile to rise in a range of only 1.5 percent to 2.5 percent from 7.80 cents a year ago. Its prior guidance for the third quarter was that its CASM would increase in a range of 2.5 percent to 5.5 percent.

In addition, Hawaiian said its operating revenue per available seat mile will be on the favorable end of its prior guidance range. Hawaiian now expects its operating RASM to decrease in a range of 4.5 percent to 5.5 percent. That compares to its previous guidance of being down 4 percent to 7 percent.

California Pizza Kitchen to open in Kapolei

California Pizza Kitchen will be opening its first West Oahu location at a regional mall under construction in Kapolei.

DeBartolo Development announced Wednesday the first restaurants and specialty food chains that have signed leases to open at Ka Makana Alii, the 1.4 million-square-foot complex currently under construction in West Oahu.

CPK will open a 6,200-square-foot restaurant, with other local eateries opening at the mall to include Luibueno’s and Nagoya Ramen. Luibueno’s specializes in Mexican food while Nagoya Ramen sells homemade ramen broth and fresh pastries. Other national chains on the roster include Auntie Anne’s and Cinnabon, as well as Australia-based gourmet coffee company Gloria Jean’s Coffee.

The mall, which will be anchored by Macy’s, also has leases with H&M, Forever 21, Victoria’s Secret Bath & Body Works, Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, AT&T, Rix Island Wear, Town & Country Surf Designs, Reyn Spooner, Plus Interiors, Consolidated Theatres, and Hawaii’s first Hampton Inn & Suites.

Construction is underway on the first phase of the mixed-use complex, with a grand opening set for late 2016.

Gannett buys Midwest, South newspapers

MILWAUKEE » Gannett Co. has reached an agreement to acquire newspaper company Journal Media Group for $280 million, giving the media giant control of publications in more than 100 local markets in the U.S., company officials announced Wednesday.

Journal Media publications dot the Midwest and South and include the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Memphis (Tenn.) Commercial-Appeal and Knoxville (Tenn.) News Sentinel.

The merger adds 15 daily and 18 weekly papers to Gannett’s portfolio.

Isle window tinter T&T honored

Honolulu-based T&T Tinting Specialists, Inc. has been recognized by Window Film Magazine as the top auto-tinting company in the U.S. for the third consecutive year.

The company grossed more than $1.6 million in auto tinting work in 2014, which made up some 55 percent of its revenue for the year. The figure is complemented by residential, commercial and other work, which includes auto-body graphics.

“This is a testament to the men and women of T&T,” President and CEO Tommy Silva said in a statement. “It’s their hard work and dedication to high quality and excellent customer service day in and day out that makes receiving this award possible.”

T&T has two locations, one at 1014 Kawaiahao St. in Kakaako and the other at 3035 Koapaka St. near the Honolulu Airport.

The industry publication released its latest national rankings in its September/October issue this week.

Hawaii Kai parts store to reopen

Hawaii-based Larry’s Auto Parts will reopen in the 30-acre Hawaii Kai Towne Center complex in November.

The company, which will be located in the Hawaii Kai Corporate Plaza, offers automotive parts of all types, ranging from engine parts to light bulbs, and has been absent from the center for between six months and a year, according to a spokesman.

“We love that our Hawaii Kai customers will no longer have to drive to Kaimuki,” General Manager Vern Isono said in a statement.

The relocated store will be between Satellite City Hall and Central Pacific Bank.

Volkswagen diesel values fall

DETROIT » Resale values are plunging for Volkswagen diesels.

Kelley Blue Book says the average resale value of Volkswagens with two-liter diesel engines is down 13 percent since mid-September, when VW admitted it cheated on U.S. emissions tests using software installed on 11 million diesels worldwide.

Used-car values often drop in the fall, since demand for them is stronger in the summer. But VW’s diesel decline is unusually large. The price of gas-powered Volkswagens dropped 2 percent in the same period.

On The Move

» Bank of Hawaii has announced the following:

— Robert O’Neill has joined the bank as a senior vice president of the Mortgage Banking Division. For the past 10 years, O’Neill has provided consulting and financial expertise to various financial institutions and mortgage companies, including Black Knight Financial Services, the U.S. Treasury, Capital One and Fannie Mae.

— Susan Ing has been promoted to senior executive vice president and chief marketing officer from executive vice president and director of marketing, and has also joined the bank’s managing committee. She began her career at Bank of Hawaii as a management trainee. Ing has more than 20 years of marketing experience in the financial services industry, and was formerly vice president of sales and marketing for DTRIC Insurance Co. in Honolulu.

— David Oyadomari has been promoted to senior executive vice president from executive vice president and has joined the bank’s managing committee. Oyadomari joined the bank in 2008 as vice president and manager of the Internet Department.

Ship Ahoy!

Today’s ship arrivals and departures: