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Plaintiffs join lawsuit over food poisoning

Seven more people have joined a lawsuit filed on behalf of a Florida man who claimed Honolulu airline caterer Gate Gourmet served food that sickened him on a flight to the mainland last year.

The caterer, which has been admonished by the Food and Drug Administration in April for unsanitary conditions at its Honolulu facility, has been linked to 45 cases of food poisoning, including that of Ernie Lyon of Florida. The new alleged victims come from Michigan, Maryland, California, South Dakota and Washington state.

Seattle law firm Marler Clark LLP, created by attorneys involved in the 1993 case that won $15.6 million from fast-food chain Jack in the Box over tainted hamburger, is representing the plaintiffs, who are seeking unspecified damages.

Gate Gourmet provides meals to 10,000 to 15,000 airline passengers leaving Honolulu every day for Northwest, Delta, United, Hawaiian and Aloha airlines. The company, which passed its most recent FDA inspection, has said it has fired its Honolulu general manager, hired more staff and fixed all problems.

United raising fares on most flights

UAL Corp.'s United Airlines, the world's second-largest airline, is raising fares by 3 percent on most U.S. and international flights.

The increases are a result of higher oil prices, which have surged 57 percent in the past year, the Chicago-based carrier said in a statement.

Major U.S. airlines have been raising prices since January, saying that increases would help cover higher jet-fuel costs. In those instances, all the major airlines went along with the increases. When some carriers roll higher prices back, competitors usually follow suit to remain competitive.

Toys 'R' Us executives will quit

Toys "R" Us said its chief executive, John H. Eyler Jr., and its chief operating officer, Christopher K. Kay, would step down if the company is acquired by private investors, as is expected.

Eyler and Kay would stay until the sale closes, probably in the end of July, said Susan McLaughlin, a Toys "R" Us spokeswoman. Richard L. Markee, vice chairman of the company and president of Babies "R" Us, will act as interim chief executive when Eyler leaves, McLaughlin said.

Movies aren't dead, merger shows

Sure, ticket sales are slumping. But movie theaters are hardly calling it curtains. AMC Entertainment, the No. 2 theater chain, announced yesterday that it would merge with the Loews Cineplex Entertainment Corp., its next-largest competitor, in what some analysts described as a show of faith in moviegoing.

Together, AMC and Loews would offer audiences 5,900 screens across 30 states and 13 countries, the companies said in a joint statement. This compares with the 6,200 screens operated by the industry leader, Regal Entertainment Group of Knoxville, Tenn.