Eastern Airlines needs 1,300 flight attendants.

The airline, which laid off 1,010 flight attendants less than six months ago as it faced bankruptcy, announced a campaign to hire 1,300 new flight attendants by October because of a high attrition rate and a significant expansion of routes. In another development, the Transportation Department has accelerated the process for Texas Air Corp. to purchase Eastern. The department plans to issue an order that will call for a show-cause proceeding on the merger case instead of a more time-consuming evidentiary hearing.