Continental is flying

down the Pacific

Transpacific air services took on a new meaning late in July when President Jimmy Carter of the United States gave approval for Continental Airlines to operate from the US west coast to Australia and New Zealand via Honolulu, Pago Pago and Nadi. Continental will become the second US carrier on the route, probably early in 1978. There were two US carriers, PAA and American, from 1971 to 1974. American incurred losses of SUS 32 million in that period and in the end exchanged its Pacific ser vices for Caribbean services in a deal with PAA.

PAA’s immediate reaction was to increase its services across the Pacific from eight to nine a week in each direction. Qantas, along with PAA, said it was happy to compete with Continental, but was concerned that with the extra capacity all would lose money.

Continental proposes to fly four DCIO services a week into Australia and three into New Zealand, which will lift US capacity on the route by about 40%. Mr Michael Merlini, managing director of PAA in the south-west Pacific region, described President Carter’s decision as “un sound and destructive”. He recalled that the US Civil Aeronautics Board, only two years ago, unanimously approved the with drawal of American Airlines from the route.

The CAB said that the decision would have the effect of strengthen ing the overall position of the US operation in the South Pacific.

Sir Lenox Hewitt, chairman of Qantas, said the question of how much additional capacity would be introduced would be the subject of discussions between the Australian and US Governments. Qantas would be extremely concerned if an in

crease of 27% in capacity, a figure the airline had heard, resulted from Continental’s arrival. Such a large increase would be financially destructive for the economics of the route for all the airlines involved.

PAA will fly five services from Australia and four from New Zea land to Los Angeles from October (at present PAA services terminate at San Francisco). Two flights from Australia will be non-stop, and three from Australia will be via Auckland, and then non-stop to Los Angeles. The two non-stop flights from Australia will be in direct competition with Continental. The remaining four services, from Auck land to Los Angeles, will be some thing of a “mix”. They will put down at Nadi, Pago Pago or Honolulu.

At present PAA is operating at about 80% capacity on non-stop flights from Australia to the US, and about 50.8% capacity on all flights between the US west coast and Australia or New Zealand.

Other airlines operating a variety of services from the South Pacific to the US are Canadian Pacific Airlines, Air New Zealand and

Uta.

Continental, on October 1, will take up its rights on the Saipan- Japan services, operating a daily service with a Boeing 727. The squabble over this service, with PAA and Continental as the pro tagonists, dragged on for about five years, and twice reached the White House, from where it was once turn ed back to the US CAB for further consideration.

Alkinoos’ Crew’S

Brush With Death

The three crew members of a yacht grounded on the Great Bar rier Reef on May 6 spent seven days in an open liferaft before being dis covered by a passing prawn trawler.

The men, Alf Bradshaw, 53, his son Christopher, 24, and friend Michael Locblee, 24, were making the crossing from Honiara to Cairns (Queensland) when their yacht, the 12-metre sloop Alkinoos slid on to an unmarked reef and turned on her side.

Heavy seas swept the men away on the liferaft with only nine litres of water and half a tin of survival biscuits in the way of supplies.

For six days they drifted north wards and finally made a landfall on

tiny Croquet Island where they broke an automatic navigation beacon to attract attention.

The prawn trawler Kennedy in vestigated and found them at 5.40 pm on May 12, but sheltered nearby until the men could be transferred to the tanker Pacific Explorer and then to the pilot vessel Matthew Flinders.

Alf Bradshaw, well-known on Nauru and in the New Hebrides for his skill as an engineer, had an earlier brush with death when he was in a Britten Norman aircraft which crashed on White Grass Plains, Tanna. A visiting friend from Nauru was killed in the crash, and he and the pilot were seriously injured.

Reports suggested that Alkinoos was not seriously damaged.

Fiji Imposes

Airport Tax

The Fiji Government has in troduced a $2.50 service charge for all passengers leaving Fiji airports.

The charge, which is expected to yield $4OO 000 a year, follows a January recommendation from the South Pacific Air Transport Coun cil.

Because of the increasing number Df overflights, the income from landing and parking fees had not risen in line with the costs of op ;ration. The additional revenue will iclp the Nadi Airport admin istration to continue to provide a ligh standard of service to passengers and aircraft using the lirport. Service charges are applied it airports in several other coun ries.

Samoans Spread

Fheir Wings

A Western Samoan carrier may Hy direct to Auckland, and Polyne sian Airlines may run a service to Rarotonga under the first Western Samoa-New Zealand bilateral air igreement initialled in Wellington.

Fhe signatories were Mr Tuala Karanita Enari, who led the Western Samoa delegation in talks setween officials, and Mr Burt Ed wards, secretary of the NZ Ministry

Df Transport.

The Western Samoa Minister of Economic Affairs and Com munications, said the agreement was :he first ever negotiated between Western Samoa and any other coun ty.