Qantas Supplants BCPA

on Trans-Pacific Service S-W Pacific Retains Flying- Boats

FIRST major development in Pacific airline re-organisation, announced last month, will occur on May 15 when Qantas Em pire Airways will take over the trans-Pacific service formerly run by BCPA.

From that date Qantas will operate the service in its own name, using the first two new super Con stellations the company has pur chased in US.

It expects to have another two of the new planes by July, and another four early next year.

Provision has been made to carry 15 tourist class and 39 first-class passengers for the start of the new service which will run the old BCPA route, Sydney-Suva-Canton-Hono lulu-San Francisco-Vancouver.

BCPA’s through service from Auckland to Vancouver, every Tues day, will be discontinued when Qantas takes over on May 15. It will be replaced by a twice-weekly feeder service which will connect at Nadi with the Super Constella tion services from Sydney.

TEAL will run this feeder service, the planes leaving Auckland on the same day that the Super Constel lations will leave Sydney—that is, Saturdays and Wednesdays.

As in the past, one of the four services from Sydney each fortnight will terminate at San Francisco, the other three going on to Van couver.

BCPA will now go out of exist ence, but its various booking and administrative offices will be re tained for the time being, as the Pacific Division of Qantas. Later, Qantas will integrate all its offices.

Qantas has also assumed respon sibility for the continued employ ment of the BCPA staff.

Teal’S Use Of Dc6’S

Under the rationalisation scheme, the DC6’s which have been used on the service by BCPA are to go to TEAL. The transfer will begin on May 15, but TEAL are not ex pected to use all DC6’s across the Tasman for some weeks. Solents will run some of the Auckland- Sydney services and all Wellington- Sydney services.

Flying-Boats Still On S-W

Pacific Services

Officers of the companies in volved have no knowledge of any other immediate developments. De spite rumours to the contrary, Qantas is still operating the flying boat services from Sydney to Noumea, Suva and New Hebrides, but it is expected that the Sydney- Suva service will be discontinued about June.

f The Rev, C. J. Keightley, the first New Zealand Methodist missionary to take part in mission work in New Guinea Highlands, was farewelled by leaders of his church in Auckland in March. He will take a course at the George Brown Missionary College in Sydney before going on to NG with his wife and infant daughter.

Mr. and Mrs. Schindler have re turned to Aiyura. New Guinea, by flying-boat after spending eight months in Australia, U Mr. Ross Henry has taken up duty in the George St. branch of the Commonwealth Bank, Brisbane, after having served two years with that Bank at Rabaul.