Qantas no doubt will be disturbed

at not having been given the right to take traffic between New Caledonia and the New Hebrides.

Here are other recent South Pacific airline developments as the war hots up: New Hebrides Airways Limited, owned by Tanna planter Bob Hall and Sydney freelance flyer Paul Burton, is pushing for a New Hebrides internal service, using Avro 19’s at present in South Africa. But meanwhile, they have made an arrangement to charter a Rapide from Transpac and to pioneer the inter-i sla n d services on a six months’ trial period. Mr. Paul has already built many of his own air strips on private land but in Vila in February he said that “French politics are sinking us, and they don’t want us to get off the ground”.

Transocean's Future Transocean Air Lines, which suspended all its flight operations in January, save those in the US Pacific Trusteeship, has been having economic troubles, and has with drawn from presenting its case for trans-Pacific routes before the American Civil Aeronautics Board, which is investigating a whole jumble of South Pacific route applications. The firm’s lawyer told the board that the company was “actively seeking new financing”.

Transocean’s most popular service was the one it pioneered between Hawaii and American Samoa, at a cheap fare, and which met with competition from Pan American.

Cancellation of TOA’s flights was immediately followed by a fare in crease by Pan American.

South Pacific's Service

• So 1 U n t Jl Pa cific Air Lines, organised i n 195 ?. has announced it will definitely start its Honolulu-Bora Bora service on April 2, PI M’s San * rancisco correspondent Ral n h Craib reported in February. has . acquired a Super after abandoning its plan to lease a Stratocruiser from

(Continued on page 149)

insocean. The Constellation ser will cut more than 2,000 miles in the present route to Tahiti :n Honolulu via Nadi. The com ry plans fares with a saving of 3 for tourist class and $228 for ;b-class, one way between San incisco or Los Angeles, and Bora

mother significant development

;:he Comet IV jet service corn need by BOAC from Lond9n to nte video, via Madrid, Lisbon, xar, Recife, Rio de Janeiro and *nos Aires, placing the West xst of South America within 24 irs of London, in twice-weekly Ihts. It seems probable that this vice is designed eventually to nect with Australia via Easter and, Papeete and Nadi or New Jand.

Samoan Troubles

n February there was no service •rating between West Samoa and ierican Samoa. The service was rted last year from the American i by Samoan Airlines, using a 13 A West Samoan organisation, [ynesian Airlines, using a Percival nee, has been waiting authonsa n to compete.

Jut in February the American craft was damaged, and Poly sian Airlines, thinking that fchorisation had already gone 'ough, started flying passengers to set connections.

But shortly afterwards- the Amen i Samoan Government stopped lynesian Airlines flying, because said approval had not been given id now, the American airline has t permission to fly into Western moa, because it has to await “a 50 permit from New Zealand”, rhere have been suggestions of ersonalities” (Gov. Peter Coleman, American Samoa, is the brother Lawrence Coleman, Samoan Air ies’ chief) but this was officially hited at the American end.

New Guinea Events In early March no official decision ,d been made on the Government an to exclude Qantas from New ainea internal services and replace with TAA and Ansett-ANA ( PIM, •b., p. 19).

TAA and Ansett have arranged i aircraft swap so that they will >th be equipped with DC6B’s to ;e on the Sydney-Port Moresby ik —and the Government was ider fire in Parliament over this.

But a question which had not ;en raised was the point that New uinea people would be far worse f with the ageing DC6B’s (carry ig as many as 85 passengers) than ith the Electras Qantas has pro

mised to put on the run. Electras could beat the DC6B’s by two hours and will have higher standards of comfort.

There was some evidence in early March that Qantas was digging in its heels over the plan to throw it out of New Guinea. New Guinea is an excellent training ground for Qantas pilots, its services there allow the company to spread its costs better, and it also probably needs New Guinea as a base for pro jected operations down through the Solomons to Fiji.

But TAA and Ansett are also aware of the costs angle, which is a reason why they want the ser vices.