Comair president quits after Christmas fiasco

The president of Delta subsidiary Comair Inc. resigned Monday, weeks after the failure of an overloaded computer system shut down the carrier’s flights nationwide on Christmas.

Randy Rademacher made a personal decision to leave, Comair spokesman Nick Miller said.

An internal memo from a Delta executive says Rademacher stepped down to pursue other unspecified opportunities, Miller said.

Delta Air Lines Inc., which owns the carrier based at the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport, appointed Fred Buttrell, head of the Delta Connection group, as president of Comair.

Comair’s approximately 1,100 flights were canceled on Christmas, stranding hundreds of passengers who couldn’t arrange other flights. The company blamed numerous passenger scheduling changes because of an ice storm for overloading the computer system.

Rademacher, 48, had been Comair’s president for five years and joined the airline in 1985.

Manufacturing

Goodrich takes charge as Boeing ends 717

Goodrich Corp., a supplier of services and systems to the aerospace and defense industry, said Monday that it expected to take a fourth-quarter charge on Boeing Co.’s decision to conclude 717 aircraft production in 2006.

Goodrich estimates the charge at less than $7 million, or 6 cents a share, for the period.

The expected charge has not been factored into the company’s previous guidance for 2004 earnings of $1.45 to $1.50 a share on sales of $4.7 billion to $4.75 billion, issued in October.

That prior guidance also did not reflect an expected charge of 11 cents to 17 cents a share on a settlement with Northrop Grumman Corp. related to Northrup’s acquisition of TRW Inc.’s aeronautical systems business.

Communications

Verizon calls upon content from Yahoo

Subscribers to Verizon Communications Inc.’s high-speed Internet services will be able to access customized and premium content from Web giant Yahoo Inc. under a multiyear agreement that combines the companies’ offerings into a single brand.

The deal, whose terms were not disclosed, was announced Monday and is the latest example of an Internet provider teaming with a content company to offer more than just a fast connection. For their part, content providers receive greater exposure and a slice of monthly per-subscriber fees.

Verizon is the second major U.S. phone company to partner with Yahoo. Since 2002, Yahoo and SBC Communications Inc. have been bundling their offerings.