Into Thin Air

By Elizabeth L. Bland; Heather Won Tesoriero

With all the anxiety in the air these days, the airlines are having a tough time getting customers to fly their formerly friendly skies. They are doing what they can--cutting rates (as well as staff), doubling frequent-flyer miles, installing titanium cockpit doors and, in the case of an Irish airline, offering an in-flight comedian. If it is fear of flying that is keeping folks home and not a new fondness for the hearth or a plummeting portfolio, perhaps there's help. As a matter of national interest, TIME has enlisted several advertising agencies to devise campaigns to return us all to the frequent-flyer position.