Business: 17 Fares Across the Sea

Air travelers between New York and London now have 17 fares to choose from—more or less. More, because including charter rates increases the number; less, because some of the scheduled-airline fares apply only at certain times of the year. In the following rundown of round-trip fares, the first is offered by Laker alone; the rest have been authorized for the six other and much bigger lines flying the route (Air-India, British Airways, El Al, Iran-Air, Pan Am, TWA):

$236, SKYTRAIN One-way tickets sold first come, first served, beginning at 4 a.m. on day of departure only. Meals on plane extra.

$256, STAND-BY Tickets...