THE UNITED STATES IN THE 1960s had been plagued by so-called skyjackings, but none had turned deadly. For some experts Flight 1320 on St Patrick’s Day, 1970, is a dividing line in aviation history. Before it, major carriers could treat the threat of hijacking as barely more serious than an air-traffic delay, and let passengers walk on to planes without screening them. After it, everybody knew better.
THEY SPRINTED ACROSS Newark Airport in New Jersey, two middle-aged men desperately trying to make their 7:30 p.m. flight, home to Boston. By the time they got aboard Eastern Airlines Flight 1320, they were sweating. As the stewardess secured the passenger door behind them, Lloyd Pedersen looked back to his colleague Al Cavalieri and said, “How lucky are we?”
Within minutes, this shuttle flight on 17 March 1970, with its 68 passengers and five crew members, was in the air. It was scheduled to land in Boston in under an hour.
About 30 minutes into the flight, Pedersen, a plant supervisor, and Cavalieri, a mechanical engineer, were talking shop when two stewardesses, one blonde, the other brunette, both in their 20s, appeared at their row pushing a cart. Passengers didn’t need reservations for the shuttle, and they paid in the air—the fare was $21 (₹1,541).
The brunette greeted Pedersen and Cavalieri. Her name tag read Sandy. She was pleasant and efficient and soon moved on to the row behind them.
Denne historien er fra November 2020-utgaven av Reader's Digest India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra November 2020-utgaven av Reader's Digest India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
BOOKS
Books review
STUDIO - Off Lamington Road by Gieve Patel
Oil on Canvas, 54 x 88 in
NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF MEDICINE
FOODS THAT FIGHT DEMENTIA
TO HELL AND BACK
The Darvaza crater in Turkmenistan is known as the Gates of Hell. I stood on its edge - and lived to tell the tale
THE SNAKE CHARMERS
Invasive Burmese pythons are squeezing the life out of Florida's vast Everglades. An unlikely sisterhood is taking them on
Sisterhood to Last a Lifetime
These college pals teach a master class in how to maintain a friendship for 50-plus years
...TO DIE ON A HOCKEY RINK
ONE MINUTE I WAS PLAYING IN MY BEER LEAGUE, THE NEXT I WAS IN THE HOSPITAL
Just Sit Tight
Broken, battered and trapped in a ravine for days, I desperate driver wonders, \"Will anyone find me?\"
Allow Me to Mansplain...
If there's one thing we know, it's this: We're a nation of know-it-alls
THE BITTER TRUTH ABOUT SUGAR (AND SUGAR SUBSTITUTES!)
It's no secret that we have a serious addiction. Here's how to cut back on the sweet stuff, once and for all.