Airlines: Skyful of Trouble

For travelers in a hurry, Eastern Air Lines' hourly "air shuttle" has been a boon from its inception eight years ago. The service, which links New York-Newark with both Washington and Boston, guarantees passengers a seat even if they show up at the last minute. When passengers fill one of the jet planes to capacity, Eastern simply rolls out a second-section backup craft—usually a propjet Electra—to handle any overflow. The shuttle drew 3,200,000 passengers in 1968. But Eastern last week advised the Federal Aviation Administration that "the life of this service is...