Travelers, of course, were happy, flooding airline switchboards with calls to book at the new rock-bottom fares or to exchange existing tickets before the June 5 cutoff date for booking.

Some experts share Mr. Hinson's view that the rock-bottom fares that caused such heavy losses at Midway are not sustainable over the long term.

The travel agencies usually can't match rock-bottom fares, but offer greater security.

At better-known travel agencies you may pay slightly more than a rock-bottom fare in return for security and peace of mind.

These people say they would not use a discount travel service to get part of the agent's commission because what they want is service rather than a rock-bottom fare.

But passengers paying rock-bottom fares - whether keeping the same legroom, on British Air and United, or getting slightly more, on American - will find fewer seats available.

Travel agents say that the heightened security has been well accepted, and that, in combination with rock-bottom fares, has helped bring passengers back on board.

And these minuscule sums could have easily been added to such rock-bottom fares as $232 round-trip Miami-Seattle.

That is because a certain percentage of demand, mostly leisure travel, has been driven in recent years by rock-bottom fares.

With hindsight, it's clear that People expanded too rapidly, foolishly relying on a policy of unrestricted, rock-bottom fares to make up for frequent lapses in service.