“Tourist” Air Fares to UK

UK and USA

A TOURIST air-service from Sydney to London will be intro duced by Qantas Empire Air ways from April 3; and now they have the approval of the Govern ments concerned, Pan American, BCPA and Canadian Pacific Airlines will begin tourist services across the Pacific from Sydney to North America about the same time.

Tourist fares will be 20 per cent less than first-class fares —which is about £AIOO saving on the Sydney- London return fare, and a similar saving on the return fare Sydney- San Francisco.

Qantas will run one tourist plane per week and, in conjunction with BOAC, five first-class services per week.

For tourist-class, there will be 60 seats per plane instead of about 40; meals will not be so lavish; and the free baggage allowance will be slashed to 44 lbs.

It is a different set-up with the Pacific operators who will provide for their tourist passengers in the same planes as first-class passengers —the tourists will simply occupy a special compartment.

Although few people will boggle at travelling in an all-tourist plane,

there probably will be some con siderable boggling when first and tourist passengers are accommo dated in the same plane in first and tourist compartments.

One of the most pleasant things about international air travel has been the first-class service that goes with it. The introduction of a tourist rate on first-class planes cannot help but result in two dif ferent standards of treatment from airline personnel.

The move for tourist travel is, of course, the airlines’ effort to bring air travel to the people. But the people who can find £537 for an air fare, tourist class, are not likely to be put off by having to find £637 for a first-class fare.

The only advantage so far as the Pacific air services are concerned is that it might encourage more American tourists to Australasia.

Would-be tourists from Down Under to America cannot get dollars in any event.