Greyhound to offer priority seating

CHICAGO -- Greyhound Lines Inc. said Monday it is expanding its priority seating program to 30 cities, including Chicago. Customers can pay $5 extra to sit in the seat of their choice and board before all non-priority riders, the Dallas-based company said.

American to add 250 workers

HOUSTON -- American Airlines, the world's largest carrier, plans to recall or hire as many as 250 maintenance employees because of increased work and vacancies from departures. The work-force additions will start this month and will include employees for its main repair bases in Fort Worth, Texas; Kansas City, Mo.; and Tulsa, Okla., the AMR Corp. unit said Monday. Workers also will be hired for airport maintenance facilities nationwide, American said.

Comcast hires strategy consultant

PHILADELPHIA -- Comcast Corp., the biggest U.S. cable-television provider, said Monday it has hired an executive from the Boston Consulting Group to head strategic and financial planning, two weeks after cutting its revenue and subscriber growth forecasts. Robert Victor, who has worked at BCG since 1988, will become a senior vice president and report to Chief Financial Officer Michael Angelakis. Victor, a managing director in BCG's Washington office, heads the consulting firm's technology, media and telecommunications unit on the East Coast. He starts Jan. 7.

Illinois Tool reduces forecast

GLENVIEW -- Illinois Tool Works Inc., maker of Duo-Fast nail guns, reduced its full-year earnings forecast by four cents to a range of $3.32 to $3.36 a share as lower-than- expected sales in North America and acquisitions hurt profit, it said Monday. For the fourth quarter, Illinois Tool forecasts earnings of 82 cents to 86 cents a share, down from a November projection of 86 cents to 90 cents. Analysts, on average, expected earnings of 88 cents.