Briefs: United fills seats more efficiently
CHICAGO -- United Airlines reported Tuesday its preliminary traffic results for August showed its highest-ever for the month for passenger load -- 86.3 percent. Total scheduled revenue passenger miles increased in August by 2.3 percent on a capacity decrease of 1 percent in scheduled available seat miles, compared with the same period in 2006.
Zebra Technologies CEO retires
VERNON HILLS -- Zebra Technologies of Vernon Hills announced Anders Gustafsson will become chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors, effective Tuesday. Gustafsson succeeds Edward L. Kaplan, Zebra's chairman and CEO who is retiring after 37 years. Kaplan co-founded Zebra with Gerhard Cless, who is executive vice president and a member of the board of directors. Kaplan has agreed to remain on the board through the next annual stockholders meeting in May and will serve as a consultant to Gustafsson.
AT&T plan limits child's phone use
SAN ANTONIO -- AT&T Tuesday unveiled a new Web-based feature that allows parents to stay in touch with their kids while controlling their children's mobile phone use. AT&T Smart Limits for Wireless allows a parent to set usage limits on a child's talk time, text messages, instant messages and downloads, manage how and when a child can communicate, restrict access to mobile Web sites and allocate minutes among users of shared wireless plans. Smart Limits is available for $4.99 a month for each line for AT&T wireless customers who subscribe to a new or existing postpaid rate plan.
Allstate practices eyed in New York
NORTHBROOK -- Allstate may be fined for dropping residential coverage for New York state customers who didn't have other types of policies with the company, New York Insurance Superintendent Eric Dinallo said Tuesday. The Northbrook-based insurer must appear at a Sept. 19 hearing to defend its actions. The size of potential civil penalties wasn't specified. Allstate spokeswoman Krista Conte said the company was reviewing the matter.