Stuck buckles prompt Graco child car seat recall

Graco is recalling nearly 3.8 million car safety seats because children can get trapped by buckles that may not unlatch. But the company has drawn the ire of federal safety regulators who say the recall should include another 1.8 million rear-facing car seats designed for infants.

The recall covers 11 models sold from 2009 through 2013 by Graco Children’s Products Inc. of Atlanta. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration warned that the problem could make it “difficult to remove the child from the restraint, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a vehicle crash, fire or other emergency.”

But the NHTSA also criticized Graco in a letter dated Tuesday, saying both the company and NHTSA have received complaints about stuck buckles on the infant seats, too.

Mainer Les Otten ‘in talks’ on redeveloping N.H. resort

The owners of the Balsams Grand Resort in Dixville Notch, N.H., said Tuesday they’re in talks with a businessman and former part-owner of the Boston Red Sox on how to redevelop the storied North Country hotel.

Owners Dan Dagess and Dan Hebert said they’ve entered into an agreement with Les Otten. Any final deal depends on a “number of conditions” and will involve other interested parties.

Otten founded the American Skiing Co. after starting in the business at Sunday River in Maine.

McDonald’s sales fall for third straight month

McDonald’s, the world’s largest restaurant chain, said sales at its established U.S. stores fell for the third straight month as severe weather and waning consumer confidence kept diners at home.

Sales at stores open at least 13 months slid 3.3 percent last month in the U.S., Oak Brook, Ill.-based McDonald’s said in a statement Monday. Analysts estimated a 1.6 percent drop. The January decline follows drops of 3.8 percent in December and 0.8 percent in November.

Travelers happier despite worse air service in 2014

Complaints filed by air travelers about commercial airlines dropped by 14 percent in 2013 compared to the previous year, according to federal statistics released Tuesday.

During last year, airline passengers filed 13,168 complaints with the U.S. Department of Transportation, down from the 15,338 complaints filed in 2012, the agency said.

The decline came despite a drop in the overall on-time performance by the nation’s largest carriers. In 2013, the carriers reported a 78 percent on-time arrival rate, down from 82 percent in 2012, according to federal data.

For all of last year, the carriers also lost, damaged or mishandled luggage at a rate of 3.22 bags per 1,000 passengers, up from the 2012 rate of 3.09.