Stirs Qantas, Pan Am

Mr Laker S Cheap Fares Act

Cheaper air fares, and changes in certain package structures, are at the centre of attention in international line aviation circles. A PIM correspondent reviews the latest developments, with special reference to the Pacific.

Englishman Freddie Laker started something with his plans to introduce a new ser vice between the UK and Australia offering a cheap fare of $530 return Qantas and Pan American World Airways are now also getting into the cheap fares act.

Qantas proposes to offer a return fare between Sydney and Fiji of $245 (down $6l), while Pan Am has decided on a 40% reduction in fares be tween the US and the Orient.

A Pan Am spokesman in Sydney said the airline would be happy to extend a cheap scheme to the South Pacific, to terminate in Australia or New Zealand and take in Hawaii, American Samoa and Fiji.

However, it has yet to submit a proposal to the US Civil Aeronautics Board. It would also have to secure approval from other countries affected.

But Pan Am has applied to the Australian Government for approval of a new type of fare an advance-re servation budget fare for travel between Australia and Honolulu and the major cities on the US west coast. This may herald cheaper fares to Fiji, American Samoa and NZ.

Should Australia approve the new fare, passengers will be able to fly from Sydney to Los Angeles and return for $706. The normal economy fare is SAI 494, so the cut is 52%. The Sydney/Honolulu fare would be $A492, down 60% on the normal economy fare of $A 1 240. The Melbourne/Los Angeles return fare would be SA74O (down 53%) and the Melbourne/Honolulu return fare would be $A522 (down 61%).

These proposals involve what is known as a “standby” fare. The intending passenger advises Pan Am 21 days ahead of intention to travel around a particular time. The airline then allocates a flight that suits it close to, or at, the pro posed flight time.

The cut in the Qantas Sydney-Fiji return fares is ac companied by a number of other fare changes. The fare

scheme has been approved by an International Air Transport Association con ference, but is subject to government approval and any major change in world oil

prices.

Qantas would like to in troduce the new fares from February 1, but is in the hands of the government.

Qantas also plans to replace the present structure of separate excursion, individual tour and group tour fares by a single advance purchase ex cursion fare. This will be $245 for most of the year, but will rise to $295 in three peak periods: May 7-20, August 25-September 7 and Decem ber 15-January 15 from Australia, and May 15-25, August 27-September 15 and December 19-January 31 from Fiji. If a passenger tra vels one way on a peak period and the other way in an off peak period the fare will be $270.

The new fare will be availa ble for a wider range of lengths of stay six to 28

days, instead of eight to 23 days. Normally, it will have to be bought 28 days before the date of travel, but special ar rangements may be made for groups.

Qantas, in February, is eliminating the Nadi stop from all trans-Pacific flights, and to compensate will run four Sydney-Nadi return flights a week. At present there are two Sydney-Nadi flights, while three Sydney- San Francisco flights call at Nadi.

In over-flying Nadi the airline will avoid high landing fees and much of the indus trial trouble which plagues Nadi.

Pan Am, at the direction of the US CAB, has cut the econ omy fares from the US to Pago Pago by 20%. The CAB said Pan Am’s economy and excur sion fares between the US and Pago Pago were excessive in relation to cost. The normal economy fare, said the CAB, should be 5.73 c a mile instead of the 7.25 c charged.

The CAB also barred Pan

Transport

Am and Continental Airlines from charging youth, family and student fares on Pacific flights because they dis criminated against other passengers. But it invited the two airlines to ask for new rules which would allow them to have free or reduced fares for natives of Samoa, Guam and the Trust Territory, which would help Pacific Islanders who had to travel to the US mainland for educa tional purposes.

The board said the airlines had failed to show that their family, student and youth fares were any different from similar fares which it had several years ago declared discriminatory and illegal on the US mainland.

The first of two F28 1000 jets purchased by Air Niugini from Air Nauru stands on the tarmac at Jackson Airport Port Moresby, following its delivery flight. The aircraft were bought at a total cost ot K 7.5 mil lion, including K 1 million worth of spare parts. Taking Air Niugini's domestic network into the jet: age, the F28s will fly from Port Moresby to Nadzab, Madang, Wewak and Manus. On international routes, they will fly from Port Moresby to Cairns and Honiara.