loadings gone?

But where have all the loadings gone?

By a staff reporter

out of Indonesia) and Canadian Pacific will soon be starting its first weekly service.

Qantas’ general manager. Captain R. J. Ritchie, recently said the 17 per cent, increase in air passenger traffic forecast for this year was “un likely to be achieved”. He said no increase had been recorded so far on the Pacific.

Captain Ritchie said the disappoint ment was a “lull” and “temporary”.

He remained confident that the travel boom predicted for the South Pacific was approaching.

Two results of the current drop in tourist travel between the US and Australasia could be an even closer sales alliance among three Common wealth carriers—Qantas, Air-NZ and BOAC—which might be extended to UTA. This would be prompted by a mutual fear of increasing PanAm services on the South Pacific.

UTA, in particular, would probably not knock back some sort of arrange ment similar to its very successful “pooling” tie-up with Qantas on Sydney-Noumea runs.

UTA sees PanAm as a powerful and far bigger airline, out to domin ate South Pacific services by starting as many improved frequencies as it

Things in Pacific aviation just aren’t what they were supposed to be. Current overall passenger loadings of about 40 per cent, for trans-Pacific commercial air

flights are causing concern

among the six international

carriers—Qantas, UTA, PanAm,

Air-NZ, BOAC and Canadian Pacific.

While individual airlines will not say what actual passenger loadings they are obtaining, all are far from happy with the number of seats they have sold lately.

Reasons given for the slowdown in trans-Pacific travel vary from the first effects of President Johnson’s pleas for Americans to restrict over seas travel to New Zealanders stay ing home because of devaluation effects.

But one fact sticks out —passengers wishing to cross the South Pacific, be it from San Francisco or Sydney, are over-catered for.

Qantas and Pan-Am operate nine services each, BOAC and Air-NZ three each, UTA four (counting its service

This is part of a new block of 89 air conditioned units at Aggie Grey's Apia hotel. Designed and built locally, the spacious new building reflects credit on manager Allan Grey. The pillars are faced with volcanic lava brought from Savaii.

A pool is to be built in the square below.

Photo; Rob Wright.

in before it is joined by another merican airline; probably Eastern txt year.

However, UTA itself would have do the proposing, as the Com onwealth carriers would first con ntrate on strengthening their own ►nds before marrying the French, TO Airways Ltd., which operates HS74B prop-jet services fort ?htly northwards to Nauru, has plied to United States aviation thorities for rights to extend these •vices to Majuro, Marshall Islands, the application is successful, and is unlikely unless US carriers are en added regional air rights in the nth Pacific, it will start the first link between the South Pacific mds and the widely scattered atolls the US Trust Territory. Its im itations for tourism are very big :ause it would mean tourists would able to see the GEIC and Nauru hout having to backtrack their way air.

IR NEW ZEALAND will operate return DCS jet services from w Zealand to Rarotonga as well ‘through” services from NZ to the ited States, via Rarotonga, when -otonga’s jet airstrip opens in 1970, . Frank H. Reeves, chief executive, -NZ, said in September. It was first announcement the Cooks ild get a return jet service as well being a trans-Pacific stopover and mphasised the hopes Air-NZ has the territory as a big holiday ination for New Zealanders.

N indication of the growing struggle to capture South Seas *ists was the announcement in tember that P & O is to run 32 ses out of Sydney in 1969—25 them to the Islands. This repre s an increase of 33 per cent, on year’s 21 cruises out of Sydnev P & O. 0 sell the 41,500 berths available the cruises (which, as far as the ids are concerned, last from six 17 days, and between them take Noumea, Lauloka, Suva, Pago o, Nukualofa, Apia, Savusavu, nara and Rabaul), P & Q ched a massive promotion cam n in late September. me 1,000 postcards were sent to )Ie in Australia and New Zealand 1 Sunny Suva, with the compli ts of P & o, suggesting that receivers get in touch with their est P & O office. & O launched “Cruise Fort

lights” in Australia and New Zea and, together with cruise competi ions. Department stores in major centres featured P & O displays md advertisements were placed in all nedia.

But one publicity problem stumped * & O. At a Press conference to innounce the line’s 1969 fare, •üblicity officer Bill Olson lamented he fact that the aeroplane people lad coined “jet set” to glamourise lying, but that the boat people hadn’t een able to come up with anything d match this. Were there any sug estions, he wondered.

How about “steam set”?

FTTA French Airlines is planning U to extend its South Pacific ser ices from Tahiti to Santiago, Chile, y early 1970. The new service will ike 12 hours by DCB-62 jet, arrently the world’s biggest com lercial aircraft.

UTA moves to enter South America om the Pacific Islands are in direct Dntrast to Qantas thinking, which ;es an Australia-South America air nk a commercial impossibility be mse of the very small trade between ic two continents and virtually no iterchange of tourists.

French ties with South America •e stronger with many Frenchmen ring in several South American mntries. South American-France ade is also significant.

At present LAN-Chile, Chile’s itional airline, operates services om Santiago to Tahiti, via Easter land. LAN-Chile, which had previ isly planned to start non-stop Tahiti intiago services in September this ar (P/M, July, p. 51), now hopes start these services early next year.

No agreements have yet been made tween UTA and the Chilean Gov nment, but Chile may insist on ench help in upgrading Easter and airstrip before UTA is allowed to Santiago. ►LANS are under way to build an airstrip at Parisi, on south alaita, in the Solomons. Malaita, 3 BSIP’s most populous island, is •eady serviced by half-hour air ?hts from Honiara to the island’s pital, Auki, on the north-eastern side the island.

F/M’s correspondent on Malaita d construction equipment was re ally moved to Parisi and VSO remy Lamb was put in charge of tial work.

A FINAL report on the extension of Nadi Airport for the opera tion of jumbo jets and supersonic airliners will be made after a meet ing in October between a working group of the South Pacific Air Trans port Council and the Fiji Govern ment.

During a visit to Fiji in September the Australian Minister for Civil Aviation, Mr. R. N. Swartz, who is also the permanent chairman of the SPATC) which administers the air port) said preliminary sketch plans for a terminal building had already been developed. Final details would be completed after the October meet ing.

THE 19,339 ton flagship of the American President Lines, the President Cleveland, will make its first voyage into the South Pacific early next year. It is due to arrive in Suva, carrying 304 first class and 380 tourist class passengers, on January 28—the same day as the Matson liner Monterey.

The voyage is part of the Ameri can President Lines’ new cruise pro gramme for 1969. The company’s normal route is from the US Pacific Coast to the Far East.

President Cleveland was built in 1947 at the Bethlehem-Alameda Ship yard at Alameda, California. She was one of the America’s first post war liners.