AIRLINES: The Loner Who Lost

United Air Lines, the nation's biggest, rounded out a year of record losses last week with an announcement that shook the industry like a sudden downdraft. After several days of boardroom skirmishing, George E. Keck was bumped as president of United and chief executive officer of UAL, Inc., the line's holding company. Almost as surprising was the choice of Keek's successor: Edward E. Carlson, the chief of Western International Hotels Co., which was acquired by UAL only last August. Carlson, 59, has never before been in the airline industry. In that troubled industry, there may be several more top-level...