Pacific Air Services Will Soon Be

Like Heyday Of Trans-Atlantic'

By a staff writer

The South Pacific air travel boom, which has been predicted for years, is right on the door step now according to three airline chiefs who all visited Sydney in April. They said the next few years would be “like the heydays of the trans-Atlantic run”, and economies of the Islands terri tories could expect to benefit in a big way.

OWER return fares and more to I come; package air tours, faster mbo jets, plus the lure of the cific as a different kind of holiday im Europe, will mean tourists in iter numbers.

Phe three top executives were all Sydney to arrange for a bigger :e of the new business.

Phe executives, Sir Giles Guthrie, tirman of BOAC, Mr. J. C. Gilmer, sident of Canadian Pacific Airlines, 1 Mr. J. G. O’Donnell, a vice sident, Pacific sales, of PanAm, ned up in Sydney within days of i another.

Jir Giles was inaugurating BOAC’s t service across the South Pacific m San Francisco to Sydney ough Nadi and Honolulu. It rted on April 1, with Boeing 707’s.

lATA fares

BOAC flew out nearly 60 travel ters from Europe and the United tes to promote the flight and pub se the South Pacific. At a Sydney ss conference, none of the writers flayed the slightest interest in the ith Pacific, and instead bombarded Giles with questions about the icorde and the Boeing 747. Never less, the Pacific travel build-up has too much money behind it to dr. Gilmer was in Sydney to :nd the Pacific Industrial Con mce held at Qantas’ new Went -th Hotel. dr. O’Donnell flew to Sydney for lAm’s celebrations of its 20 years trans-Pacific flights to Sydney.

'he three discussed their reactions the new lATA fares, the 747 ibo jets and what each airline had mind in the way of South Pacific /ices. ir Giles Guthrie said BOAC ex ted revenue from its new run dss the South Pacific to be worth i. 10 million by 1972-73. This ued to indicate that BOAC has is. not in the too-distant future.

for increasing its three-a-week flights to make that sort of money.

Sir Giles felt travel potential in the South Pacific was “fantastic” and noted that two-way passenger traffic in the air between Australia and the United States was growing at a rate three times greater than that of the Atlantic run.

The lATA fares were “pretty reasonable” and the new package deal fares would be a major factor in the big travel increase.

Later, speaking in Melbourne after he had noted that cheaper fares were an important question to Australia and the Islands, Sir Giles said that a further cut of 25 per cent, in Pacific fares could occur within two years.

The cuts would be discussed by lATA within 12 to 18 months.

Sir Giles also had a word to say about hotel investment, and said that

while BOAC was not committed like some big airlines, such as PanAm, it was looking at the hotel situation in Fiji with the British Development Corporation.

There was need for more hotels there, he said. He added that he could say no more.

Canadian Pacific’s Mr. Gilmer said the lATA fare reductions, which had taken effect in April, had not gone far enough. He believed that ordinary fares and return fares, without any conditions, could have been lowered by at least 45 per cent, and up to 50 per cent.

Another 25 pc cut?

The new fares could be cut by a further 25 per cent, and airlines could still make a profit. Mr. Gilmer went on: “We want to get the wage earner or the average man to fly and for this the existing fares are still too high. Canadian Pacific operates a fortnighly service from Vancouver to Sydney and can make a profit on this run. We would be prepared to cut our fares more if lATA would agree to it.”

He said Canadian Pacific had been overruled by the six other inter national air carriers at last year’s lATA conference when it urged 45 and 50 per cent drops in fares.

“All we managed to do was force the operators to reconvene the con ference in 1968,” Mr. Gilmer said.

Canadian Pacific, although in the South Pacific for 18 years, is still small fry in this area. In May it was negotiating with the Australian Gov ernment for a weekly air service across the Pacific. Mr. Gilmer met the Prime Minister, Mr. Holt, in Can berra and no doubt raised the matter.

He said in Sydney he was “honeful” the weekly service would be apnroved because the current fortnightlv run was not a service, but an “infre quency”.

Canadian Pacific wants a greater

Sir Giles Guthrie.

frequency on its present run and m new stops at present in the Sout] Pacific.

It will continue using DCB’s am has not ordered any Jumbo jets. Lat this year it expects delivery of th new DCB-63 jets, which will carr 205 passengers (the present DCS’ carry 141 people).

However, the DCB-63’s will fl south only as far as Hawaii and ther are no plans to put them in the Sout] Pacific.

Jumbo Jet Boeing 747’5, capable o carrying 350 passengers, will fly th South Pacific in 1970, possibly lat 1969, on a United States-Australi run if Pan Am’s current applicatioi to the US Civil Aeronatics Board i approved.

Mr. O’Donnell said as PanAm wa the first airline to order the Jumbi jets it will get the first delivery am so be ahead of its six rival inter national air carriers in the Sout] Pacific.

Hie Jumbos, so called because o their immense size, are being built a the Boeing company’s plant nea Seattle. They will be the world’ biggest commercial jet airliner am fly at 625 mph. The first prototyp is scheduled to be ready early nex year and fly before the end of 1968 Cabin arrangements at presen include nine-abreast seating, split b two aisles.

The 747 is seen as an air-bus o the future on long-distance route around the globe, although thi problem of airports to take them ha not yet been solved.

Jumbos daily

Mr. O’Donnell, said the Jumb< 747’s would fly daily from Lo Angeles to Sydney and Melbourm via Honolulu and return.

“Hie 747’s will only need the om stopover on the run from the UJ and we are hopeful they will neec only one stopover, at Honolulu, oi the way back to the States, but thi: is not certain yet,” he said.

PanAm at present stops off at Fiji American Samoa and New Zealanc on its trans-Pacific runs with Boeing 707’s and in June will also operafi through Noumea. (See p. 49).

Mr, O’Donnell said 707’s would b( retained when the 747’s went intc service and the 707’s would continue stopping off in the South Pacific.

To PIM questions, Mr. O’Donnel said PanAm had examined the idee

a triangle route from Honolulu to go Pago and then on to Guam, or yajalein in the Marshall Islands of : US Trust Territory. The three ps were well within the flying ige of a Boeing 707, he said. ‘We just don’t have any immediate ns to fly a commercial service 0 the Trust Territory because flic doesn’t warrant it,” he said, ut we certainly haven’t ruled out ; idea.”

Te said the lATA air fares, which ne into operation in April, were ;11 of a good progress” towards jviding cheaper fares for trans :ific travellers, but he had nothing say about moves to lower them 1 further.

Meanwhile, with all fares pegged der the lATA agreement, and liliar jets in service on all lines, thing which will win or lose itomers in the South Pacific is the ndard of service. [n a battle for the tens of thousands travellers who will spend millions dollars in the South Pacific, some ng like an original menu, a genuine ile or a comfortable seat could ke an awful lot of difference.

Footnote : Pacific managers of the inch airline UTA were to meet in dney early in May to discuss plans ■ coping with the increasing tourist crest in the region. The airline’s siness manager, Mr. Gilbert Mas , was to come from Paris for the :eting.