CAB flays airline rivals

The United States Civil Aeronau tics Board’s Bureau of Enforcement strongly criticised two applicants for the Saipan-Japan air route when it made a recent recommendation about allocation of the route. The applicants were Pan American Air ways and Continental Air Micro nesia.

The CAB had reopened its in vestigation into the case to examine the conduct of carriers seeking sup port for their applications, and to discover the views of local civic and government parties. The CAB, be fore it makes its recommendation, has to sort out differences of opinion between two of its agencies. The Bureau of Enforcement favours Continental Air Micronesia, while the Bureau of Operating Rights wants PAA to operate the service.

The Bureau of Enforcement used strong language about the campaign conducted by PAA and Continental Air Micronesia for support for their claims.

“The violations involved in this proceeding are far more subtle and

therefore insidious, directed as they were to the solicitation of local civic and governmental support through misrepresentations, threats, and offers of favour, and which, by their nature, tend to corrupt the purpose of carrier preference testimony”, the bureau said. “Working in the fertile ground of trusting and often un sophisticated minds, both Pan American and Continental sought local support for reasons well out side of the service proposals in the record . . .”

“Both carriers encouraged its sup porters to bring their cases to all possible United States Congressional and Executive Department personnel . . . pressures were exerted by the applicants themselves on US execu tive departments to take or not to take positions before the board. In short, pressures, whether they be labelled ‘lobbying’ or otherwise, were exerted which could have no other effect than to introduce extra-record considerations into the board’s hear ing process . . .”