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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 0687.PDF
FLIGHT, 20 May 1955 685 Recent progress and pre-sent activities of Ameri- can Airlines, pioneers inair-freight development, are discussed in this, thefirst of two articles. The subject of the second willbe transatlantic freight- ing, with particular refer-ence to the new services of Airwork Atlantic. INTRODUCTION TO AIR FREIGHT Part 1: The American Domestic Scene By ROBERT J. BLACKBURN CIVIL aviation is the only major form of transport con-cerned more with people than with goods. Air cargo—the carriage of property by air—represented about three-tenths of the airlines' total traffic in 1954. This propor- tion is smaller by far than was predicted with such optimism and assurance in the immediate post-war era. More signifi- cant, however, is the fact that between 1952-1953 air freight traffic expanded by only four per cent and that the rate of increase further declined to three per cent in 1954. Notwithstanding the success achieved with cargo aircraft inisolated areas where, for geographical reasons, they enjoy an economic advantage over surface transport, it remains broadlytrue that air freighting is incidental and supplementary to the carriage of passengers by air. Every form of transport has passed through the stage where theflow of goods surpassed in volume the flow of passengers which preceded it. It is widely assumed that aviation will follow theevolutionary path of other forms of transport and that in time air freight will produce more revenue than air passengers. This isa comfortable assumption but its correctness depends on a great deal of intensive and intelligent planning by aircraft manufacturersand operators alike. The future of air freight lies ultimately in the development ofaircraft capable of working economically at a fraction of present rates—and immediately in the degree of effort made to attract newbusiness with present equipment. Even in air-transport circles it is not yet fully appreciated that air freight must be sold far moreintelligently than any other service offered by aviation because so many of its advantages are hidden. The first serious steps towards operating scheduled air freightservices in competition with highly developed surface transport began in the United States about ten years ago. North America sustains more than half the world's scheduled air transport, and itsairline industry is not only the largest but, economically, the healthiest. The major carriers are financially independent andtheir services are cheaper, relative to the value of personal time and to personal earnings, than in any other region of the world.This fact is frequendy illustrated by quoting seat-mile costs for different countries, but straightforward comparisons on this basisdo not tell the whole story. It is pertinent to observe that the average weekly earnings of an employee of one major Americanairline are approximately equivalent to the cost of a one-way air ticket from New York to San Francisco (2,600 miles), whereashis counterpart with one of the better-paid European airlines earns in the same period a sum equivalent to the single fare foran air journey from London to Frankfurt (400 miles). The dis- parity between these distances is not due solely to differences insalaries nor to differences in travelling cost, but to a combination of both. Only under exceptional circumstances will a piece of freight bearthe same transport cost as a passenger. Lower rates, therefore, must be offered in order to attract a worthwhile volume of cargotraffic. Fortunately, the airlines can afford to do so since a cut-rate load in the cargo compartment is better than an empty spacebeneath the cabin floor. The amount of freight normally carried by a passenger aircraft is not large, rarely exceeding four or five tons.The frequency and density of service, however, over the United States' domestic network represents a sizeable airlift of freightalone, even though the services are operated primarily for the benefit of passengers who make up the majority load. Thus, there has existed in America for some time a firmfoundation for the construction of an all-freight air network— initially on the densest routes between major centres of populationand industry. It is a well-known fact that most of the world's airlines are still experiencing great difficulty in making passenger Surrounded by typical items of loading equipment, the DC-6A Liftm aster above is one of three operated by American Airlines. (Below) About 65 per cent of American's freight traffic is carried on "combination" aircraft, including the DC-6B (right) and Convair 240. AMERKAM k* f 1 t »"f"» MT
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