HB Archive December

1980 Announcing the Arrival of American Airlines

In Hawaii Business' December 1980 pages, we found an ad for American Airlines, proudly introducing services to the Aloha State with three daily flights to Los Angeles. Now the largest U.S. carrier, according to Fortune magazine, the company says it offers 15 weekly round-trip flights from four islands to four continental destinations (including Las Vegas, a Hawaii must).

1980 Electric Avenue

In 1980, Hawaii Business featured a Hawaiian Telephone Co. and the University of Hawaii project testing a fleet of electric vehicles under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy. The cars, which were said to sound "like golf carts and handle like sporty imports," were conventional models that used battery-operated motors.

Although the energy efficiency of the electric cars vs. gas-using counterparts was debated, the Natural Energy Institute's Dick Neil optimistically predicted the "electric vehicles will comprise 60 percent of Hawaii's ground transportation by the year 2000." With diminishing funding from the Department of Energy and with battery technology not quite up to par, the project lost power. Sony's 1991 introduction of the lithium-ion battery recharged interest in electric cars and, in 1994, the Institute began a second project. Headed today by specialist Bor Yann Liaw, the research aims to promote electric and hybrid vehicle use while assessing battery technology. In 2005, the electric hybrid from car makers such as Toyota, Ford and Honda, may be "the precursor before full use of electric vehicles," says Liaw.

1985 When Banking Got Better

Banking on a laptop may not have been possible in 1985, but that year First Hawaiian Bank advertised its OnLine Business Banking in Hawaii Business. Promising that electronic transactions are "user-friendly," the bank closed the "gap between business and banking" with 24-hour, 7-day-a-week service. For the technology deprived, First Hawaiian leased computers for a monthly charge and offered a "hands-on demonstration." With Internet capabilities advancing, banking whenever progressed as First Hawaiian, along with other financial institutions, created more online services and security options, allowing users to "pay your electric bill, mortgage or even your babysitter online."

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