Hawaiian Airlines, the most punctual airline in the United States for the past 12 years, continued that trend in February.
Flights by the state’s largest carrier arrived on schedule 91.9 percent of the time to easily beat the 83.6 percent average of the 12 reporting carriers, according to data released Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Alaska Airlines was second at 89.3 percent and Southwest Airlines was third at 87.8 percent.
A flight is counted as “on time” if it arrives within 14 minutes of the scheduled arrival time.
Hawaiian also ranked first in fewest flight cancellations with 0.1 percent, representing three cancellations out of 5,851 flights.
In other categories, Hawaiian had the fifth-fewest mishandled baggage reports with 2.21 per 1,000 passengers, representing 1,742 reports for 786,993 passengers, and had the sixth-fewest consumer complaints with 0.85 per 100,000 passengers, representing seven complaints out of 827,635 passengers.
Hawaiian also had one pet death during the month when a Great Dane was found unresponsive upon arrival on Feb. 29 at the end of a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu.
Dave Segal, dsegal@staradvertiser.com
Regulators give 5 big banks failing grades
WASHINGTON >> Federal regulators say five of the biggest banks in the U.S. failed to develop adequate plans for how they might reshape themselves in case of bankruptcy, which could leave them unable to survive without another taxpayer bailout.
The Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. cited the banks Wednesday for gaps in their bankruptcy plans known as “living wills” that they were required to submit. The five banks — with a total of about $5.6 trillion in assets — were among eight Wall Street behemoths whose plans were evaluated.
Are women-only car services legal?
BOSTON >> Ride-hailing companies catering exclusively to women are cropping up and raising thorny legal questions, namely: Are they discriminatory?
Michael Pelletz, a former Uber driver, said he started such a company with his wife, Kelly, in response to instances of drivers for ride-hailing services charged with assaulting female passengers.
He believes their business plan is legal, and he’s prepared to make his case in court, if it comes to that. The couple have pushed back the launch of their business in Massachusetts to make sure their app can handle demand they say has exceeded expectations.
Amazon’s latest Kindle most expensive
NEW YORK >> Amazon’s latest Kindle is its smallest and lightest yet. But it’s also the most expensive, at $290 — almost a hundred bucks more than the current champ, the $200 Kindle Voyage. Now the company is betting that its sleek frame and a cover that doubles as a rechargeable battery will attract dedicated e-book users to its eighth-generation device, called the Kindle Oasis.
Amazon says the new Kindle is 30 percent thinner and 20 percent lighter than previous Kindles. It’s also asymmetrical, with a grip on one side for one-handed reading. (Lefties can just flip the device over.)
JPMorgan profit falls 8 percent
JPMorgan Chase said its first-quarter profit fell more than 8 percent, and the bank tried to soothe investor concerns after it failed a key regulatory test designed to prevent another financial crisis.
JPMorgan, the nation’s largest bank by assets, was hurt by weak results at its investment-banking division and by loans to oil and gas companies that are now struggling to make payments because of low energy prices. The results were released Wednesday as regulators announced that JPMorgan, as well as four other banks, failed to meet a regulatory requirement put in place after the financial crisis.
Napster co-founder joins cancer battle
TRENTON, N.J. >> A project to speed development of cancer-fighting drugs that harness the immune system has academic and drug industry researchers collaborating and sharing their findings like never before.
The newly created Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy is being funded by a $250 million grant from Sean Parker, co-founder of the file-sharing site Napster and Facebook’s first president. It brings together partners at six top academic cancer centers, dozens of drugmakers and other groups.
Peabody seeks bankruptcy protection
ST. LOUIS >> Peabody Energy, the nation’s largest coal miner, filed for bankruptcy protection Wednesday as a crosscurrent of environmental, technological and economic changes wreak havoc across the industry.
Mines and offices at Peabody will continue to operate as it moves through the bankruptcy process.
Volkswagen to cut managers’ bonuses
BERLIN >> Volkswagen said Wednesday that its top managers’ bonuses will be cut significantly, citing the need to send a “signal” on executives’ pay following the automaker’s diesel emissions scandal.
The company, which has yet to release 2015 earnings figures, said in a statement that different models are being discussed. The cut to the 2015 bonuses would apply to the management board, a group of executives that helps run the company day to day and includes the CEO.
ON THE MOVE
Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert has hired Megan Lim as an associate.
She has joined the firm’s Estate Planning & Probate Practice Group.
Lim was previously serving in the Tax, Estate Planning and Wealth Management Practice Group at a law firm in Honolulu.
Hawaiian Airlines has promoted Noel Villamil to vice president of financial planning and analysis.
He has extensive airline finance experience, including as a consultant and principal of management consulting for Simat Helliesen & Eichner, and as director of fleet planning and manager of financial planning and analysis for Virgin America.
Villamil started as an analyst in the Transportation Group at Lehman Brothers.
