Passengers not bothered by new United carry-on rules
     DES MOINES, Iowa -- December 1, 1997 9:06 p.m. EST -- There was
 little grumbling among United Airlines passengers flying out of Des
 Moines on Monday as the carrier started limiting passengers paying
 low fares to just one carry-on item rather than the standard two.
     The rule, which affects only United flights departing Des Moines
 International Airport, is aimed at speeding up boarding and satis-
 fying business travelers longing for more space.
     "It's an inconvenience for people to jam that (carry-on bags)
 in and then try get up and down the aisle," said Jack Trant, who
 was returning to Virginia Beach, Va., with his wife. "This will
 help us move efficiently into the plane."
     The airline hopes to eventually extend the policy to all flights
 to free up carry-on space for business travelers, who usually pay
 more and sometimes complain they can't find room for their bags.
     "We'll probably board a little quicker and probably get off a
 little quicker," said Doug Cooprider, a business traveler from
 Nevada, Iowa, flying coach to Chicago.
     United spokesman Tony Molinaro said the airline chose Des Moines
 to test its new rule because of the area's high percentage of busi-
 ness travelers.
     Des Moines has four times the business travelers using United to
 fly out of comparably sized cities such as Omaha, Neb., and Kansas
 City, Mo., Molinaro said.
     Laptops, briefcases, purses, coats, reading material and baby
 bags do not count toward the one item rule.
     Last month, Northwest Airlines began permitting travelers just
 one carry-on bag plus a small addition such as a purse or laptop. A
 recent American Airlines change requires attendants to determine the
 number of acceptable carry-ons for all flights by gauging the
 passenger load.
     The Federal Aviation Administration is asking airlines to amend
 and clarify their carry-on policies as regulators work on developing
 guidelines.
     Charles Jackson, who clutched a large garment bag as he waited
 for a United connecting flight back to Chicago, said such a rule
 wouldn't make him look to other airlines.
     "It doesn't affect me because I always take only one bag,"
 Jackson said.
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         British Airways says Laker suit thrown out of court
     LONDON -- December 2, 1997 1:59 p.m. EST -- British Airways Plc
 said on Tuesday a Florida court had thrown out a legal suit brought
 against the airline by Laker Airways Inc. and its owner Freddie
 Laker.
     Florida-based Laker Airways sued British Airways in U.S. Dis-
 trict Court in Miami in June, alleging British Airways had used its
 dominant position to prevent Laker from getting desirable takeoff
 and landing slots at London's Gatwick Airport.
 ------------------------------------------------------------------
             Air industry hopes to cut accidents in half
     LONDON - December 2, 1997 10:35 a.m. EST - Faced with the risk
 of one accident a week as air traffic soars, the industry aims to
 halve the number of air losses by the year 2004, International Air
 Transport Association director-general Pierre Jeanniot said on
 Monday.
     "Our accident rate has remained relatively flat over the last
 few years ... and with our traffic volumes doubling every 10 years
 ... we could well be witnessing one air accident a week ... by the
 year 2010," Jeanniot told a conference on the future of air
 transport.
     "Such a vision of the future is totally unacceptable," he said.
 "So ... as an interim measure ... we aim to halve the accident rate
 ... as measured by hull losses ... by 2004.
     "This is IATA's most important strategic objective ... the cred-
 ibility of our industry is at stake," he said.
 --------------------------------------------------------------------
              Israeli airline to add female pilots
     JERUSALEM - December 2, 1997 06:29 a.m. EST - The cockpit of
 Israel's national airline is no longer an all-male bastion. El Al
 Israel Airlines said Tuesday it was dropping a requirement its pilots
 serve in the Israel Air Force, where, to date, only men have flown.
     It announced the change in a Tel Aviv labor court on Monday where
 32-year-old Orit Katzir, an Israeli woman pilot with 10 years of
 experience flying commercial planes abroad, had challenged the
 policy.
     "We say this policy is, apart from other things, sexual discrim-
 ination because women couldn't qualify," said Hadas Tagari, a lawyer
 for Katzir. The airline first rejected Katzir's application in Sep-
 tember 1993, the lawyer said.
     El Al spokesman Nachman Klieman, citing changes in company ob-
 jectives, said Tuesday: "We have no problem in seeing them join the
 ranks of El Al employees.
     "It makes no difference as long as they are capable of operating
 the equipment and pass the test," he said.
     Tagari, a lawyer for the Association for Civil Rights in Israel,
 said: "We know they've canceled this prerequisite but we don't know
 all the details ... Hopefully it will bring about a change of this
 policy."
     Israel's High Court ruled in 1995 that the air force must accept
 women into its pilot training program, but none have yet received
 military wings.
     Israeli women are drafted at age 18 for two years of army service
 but are barred from most combat units. Men do three years of manda-
 tory service and many years of reserve duty.
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