Air Services

RNZAF to Run Pacific Air Services At Reasonable Fares

BEST news for South Pacific travellers is the recent announcement that the New Zealand Air Force will operate an interim air service to Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and the Cooks until such time as New Zealand National Airways Corpora tion (the New Zealand Government) takes over.

Three separate runs will be made out of Auckland, at first by Dakota land planes, and when they have been over hauled, Sunderland flying-boats. The first run will provide a fortnightly ser vice to Rarotonga with calls at Norfolk Island, Fiji, American Samoa, Western Samoa, Aitutaki and Rarotonga. The plane leaves Whenuapai (Auckland) every second Monday and finally reaches Rarotonga the following Saturday. The return flight commences the following Wednesday.

The second service will operate to Western Samoa, leaving Auckland every second Monday and reaches Faleolo field (outside Apia) the following Friday.

The third service is a weekly run to Fiji—the flight being direct and accom plished in a little over eight hours. At present the Fiji terminal is Nausori.

When the Sunderlands are in full opera tion the terminal will be at Laucala Bay, near Suva.

Fares are another delightful surprise.

They are not cheap, but they are much cheaper than those travellers have learned to expect from trans-Pacific hops.

They are calculated on actual direct mileage—and not on a round trip basis.

Thus the fare from Auckland to Tonga is £22/10/-, although several stops are made between those two points and the former RNZAF fare to Rarotonga of £66 has been reduced to £34, although the same round about route is followed as previously.

Fares to the various places serviced by the interim network are (approximately) Auckland-Norfolk island, £9/10/-- Auck

land-Suva, £2B/10/-; Auckland-Noumea, £25; Auckland-Tonga, £22/10/-; Auck land-Apia, £32/10/-; Auckland-Pago Pago, £32; Auckland-Rarotonga, £34.

Travellers who are used to the luxury of international airliners would be foolish to expect the same standard from the service Dakota. However, the seating accommodation is being altered in the Sunderlands and when conversion is complete in these flying-boats passengers may be a'sured of reasonable comfort.

The first of the four Sunderlands to be used in the weekly NZ-Fiji air service. The flying boat arrived at Laucala Bay, Fiji, on June 6, with 24 passengers and a crew of eight. —Photo by Fiji Public Relations Office.