BUSINESS BRIEFS
Long probe of Hawaiian Tel
Advertiser Staff and News Services
The state Public Utilities Commission yesterday said its investigation into problems with Hawaiian Telcom's customer service will last until at least September. The agency launched an investigation into customer service issues in October in the wake of the $1.6 billion sale of Hawai'i's major phone company in 2005.
The transition from Verizon Hawaii to new owner Hawaiian Telcom occurred on April 1 and since then some customers have had to deal with inaccurate bills and longer than normal waits for customer service.
SAN DIEGO-MAUI SERVICE LIMITED
Hawaiian Airlines said yesterday it will suspend daily service between San Diego and Maui from Jan. 9 to March 15.
The state's largest airline announced in May that it would fly daily San Diego-to-Maui flights year-round when it acquired four Boeing 767-300 aircraft from Delta Air Lines.
But Hawaiian, which had been flying between Maui and San Diego only during the summer, said it ran into delays in modifying and certifying three of the new planes, forcing it to suspend the daily service.
Hawaiian said it will accommodate travelers affected by rebooking them on San-Diego-Honolulu service with an interisland flight to Maui, or by making other travel arrangements.
A&B PURCHASES PHOENIX CENTER
A&B Properties Inc., the real estate subsidiary of Alexander & Baldwin, said yesterday it bought a three-story office building, the Concorde Commerce Center, in Phoenix for $24.7 million.
"A&B is again investing in Arizona as a result of the area's consistent job growth — which exceeded 5 percent last year — increasing population, commitment to expanding its transportation infrastructure, and a relatively low cost of living," said Norbert Buelsing, executive vice president of A&B Properties.
APPLE'S STOCK DIVES, RECOVERS
News accounts that Apple falsified documents to cover up backdated stock options for its executives caused shares to drop as much as 6 percent yesterday before rebounding. They closed at $81.52, up a penny.
However, in after-hours trading, the shares fell back to $79.20 after a second report suggested that founder Steve Jobs had received options in 2001 without the required authorization of Apple's board of directors.
