Boeing’s battery fix

Congressional officials said Boeing is proposing a long-term fix for the 787 Dreamliner’s troubled batteries that won’t have the planes back in the air until April at the earliest.

Boeing officials were presenting their plan Friday to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The officials said the plan will require testing and safety recertification of the plane’s lithium ion batteries, but not a complete recertification.

The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly.

It’s up to FAA Administrator Michael Huerta to decide whether to approve the plan. But the officials said Boeing’s plan is not a surprise because the company has kept regulators closely informed.

Coca-Cola’s board

Coca-Cola’s newest director nominee solidifies a trend for the 100-year-old soda maker’s board. It’s getting younger, more female and more racially diverse.

The company said Friday that Care USA chief executive officer Helene Gayle, 57, will stand for election in April. She would be one of three women and three blacks on a board that includes an Hispanic. The board will have an average age of 66 if she is elected.

In 2007, shareholders elected a board made up of 10 men — one black — and one woman, with an average age of 68.

Retailer on a roll

Abercrombie & Fitch, a teen retailer with more than 800 namesake and Hollister stores, said its fourth-quarter profit more than tripled amid rising international sales.

Net income, calculated using a new system for valuing inventory, advanced to $157.2 million, or $1.95 a share. Sales rose 11 percent to $1.47 billion.