American Samoa

New Air Route To American Samoa

From Ralph Craib in San Francisco South Pacific Air Lines in March began a scheduled service to Tafuna, American Samoa, and says it will go on to Nadi, Fiji, “anytime it feels there is a market there”.

THE United States Secretary of the Interior, Stewart Udall, who is responsible for Samoan affairs, de manded recently ( PIM, Feb., p. 57) that any American airline granted new routes into the South Pacific should serve Tafuna.

However, Mr. J. H. Dollar, Jnr., president of South Pacific—which is fighting for the authority to fly from the California mainland to Tahiti— said in San Francisco that its de cision to fly a triangle route of

Hawaii-Papeete-Tafuna-Hawaii was

not related to Mr. Udall’s statements.

South Pacific has been offering one flight weekly between Honolulu and Tahiti. On alternate weeks, the Super Constellation now goes on from Papeete to Tafuna, stops three hours, then returns to Hawaii. There will be no increase in fares, so that the ser vice will allow tourists to enjoy a side trip to Samoa, if they desire, without additional travel expenses.

Pago Pago is, however, not in the running with Papeete as a tourist attraction, which company officials admit.

The company’s extension into Samoa at this time, Mr. Dollar said, “is made because of the apparent need that has been developing for some time, and also because of the rapid expansion of the tourist market that is expected during 1962”.

A spokesman told PIM privately that the firm was also desirous of showing the Civil Aeronautics Board of its intentions to develop business as aggressively as it can. The CAB will decide soon whether Pan American World Airways or South Pacific is allowed to compete with TAI on direct California-Tahiti ser vice.

South Pacific is already certificated to provide service to Fiji from Samoa.

The company has no immediate plans to serve Nadi, the spokesman said “but we’ll begin service any time we feel that there’s a market there”. .

The new jet runway at Tatuna is expected to be ready for visual flying in June. The runway is 10,000 ft and will eventually be equipped for night landings.

The road between Tafuna and Pago Pago, about eight miles, has been widened and tar-sealed.