Bank of Hawaii has introduced a locally inspired set of emojis for its new app — from smiley faces with pink plumerias to an aloha shirt to a surfboard and ukulele — that can be used with Android and Apple smartphones. The Hawaiimoji app features 25 emojis and four animated gifs, and includes built-in social media access for Facebook and Twitter. Users also can share Hawaiimoji via text and mail, as well as copy and paste them.

“Hawaii is such a distinctive place, with a lexicon all its own,” said David Oyadomari, Bank of Hawaii’s senior executive vice president of the Alternative Channels Division. “We saw an opportunity to take our most beloved cultural references and make them digital. Emoji has become the universal language for communicating, and we hope that our local emoji will enhance digital discussions in a way that shows love for Hawaii and all that our islands represent.”

Hawaiimoji is available for download through Android and Apple app stores.

Nike cans Pacquiao for anti-gay remarks

Manny Pacquiao’s latest disparaging comments about gays have cost him a contract with Nike.

It may not be the only endorsement Pacquiao loses, even as he and promoter Bob Arum scramble to contain the damage done by a television interview in the Philippines in which the boxer said gay people “are worse than animals.”

Nike issued a brief statement Wednesday saying it was severing its ties with the boxer over his comments about gays. The company said it no longer will have any business dealings with the boxer.

EU court expands late-flight liability

Employers of business travelers left in the lurch by delayed flights can claim compensation from airlines, the European Union’s top court said in another ruling beefing up passengers’ rights.

Air carriers can’t avoid paying for losses suffered by employers, the EU Court of Justice said in a binding judgment Wednesday, referring to the Montreal Convention, an international treaty that covers air travel. A group of airlines attacked the ruling.

“The concept of consumer” under the convention “may include persons who are not themselves carried and are therefore not passengers,” the Luxembourg-based EU court ruled. The convention “must be interpreted as being applicable not only to the damage suffered by a passenger, but also to the damage suffered by a person in its capacity as an employer.”

The case is the latest in a long line of rulings on airlines’ obligations when schedules aren’t met. The EU court has clarified in previous cases, involving carriers such as Deutsche Lufthansa AG and EasyJet Plc, that passengers who arrive “three hours or more after the scheduled arrival time” have a right to compensation, except in “extraordinary” circumstances.

Sea-Tac Airport workers sue over $15 wage back payments

SEATTLE >> Workers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport filed more than a dozen class-action lawsuits Wednesday, saying they have not been paid a $15 minimum wage.

Their Seattle lawyers estimate the employees are owed as much as $20,000 each in back pay since the higher wage went into effect more than two years ago. They say about 5,000 airport workers are affected by the minimum wage ordinance, which now requires an hourly wage of at least $15.24.

An estimated 1,500 workers have not been paid the correct wage, the attorneys said. Calls to several of the employers targeted by the lawsuits were not immediately returned Wednesday.

SeaTac was the first city in the nation to adopt a $15 minimum wage, but it only applies to transportation and hospitality workers. It was soon followed by measures in Seattle and San Francisco that apply to all workers, but those cities are phasing in the higher wages.

Airport employers have fought the wage in court, saying the facility run by the Port of Seattle is a federal port that is not subject to local laws. The courts have disagreed.

These employees work a variety of jobs at the airport. They range from baggage handlers to the people who clean the planes and refuel them.

Global turmoil worries Fed, minutes show

WASHINGTON >> Federal Reserve policymakers expressed growing concerns at their meeting last month about potential threats to the U.S. economy, including turbulence in financial markets, plunging oil prices and slowing growth in China and other emerging markets.

Minutes of their discussions released Wednesday showed Fed officials acknowledging that the developments made it difficult to forecast growth and inflation.

The officials said their outlook had grown more uncertain, and they stressed that the pace of any interest-rate increases would hinge on the latest economic data. The Fed raised rates from record lows in December, the first hike in nearly a decade.

On The Move

First Insurance Company of Hawaii has appointed two new assistant vice presidents:

>> Reynold Doi to assistant vice president of claims in charge of property, claims operations, appraiser and total loss teams. He has served at FICOH for 16 years in multiple positions, including senior adjuster, supervisor of property, PIP and subrogation units, and claims manager.

>> Drew Nagai to assistant vice president of risk and safety management. While at FICOH, he has served as a senior technical specialist and manager of the risk & safety management department.

Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center has named Toni Rojas as marketing director. She has extensive hospitality experience, including in meeting planning and event management as well as resorts, visitors bureau and destination management.