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Aviation History
1961
1961 - 0537.PDF
FLIGHT, 20 April 1961 545 When the big jets were first proposed six years ago it was suggested io Douglas that the runways at New York International might have to be extended into ]amaica Bay. A representative was quoted as saying, "All right—so fill up the lousy bay." Although this has not been necessary so far, plans are now in hand—as this picture shows—for Idlewild to be "updated" by extending the runway system into the bay THE BIG HEARING POSTPONED POSTPONEMENT of the date set for the Cunard Eagle NorthAtlantic case is announced by the Air Transport LicensingBoard. Originally to have started on Tuesday of this week, April 18, the hearing has been "postponed to a date yet to be decided."The reason, it is believed, is that the new chairman, Prof D. T. Jack, wishes to take the chair at this important meeting—the mostimportant to-date—and would like to have more time for their necessary preparations. Among a list of new applications for inclusive tours publishedin the Board's Civil Aviation Licensing Notices No 17 is one from BOAC for a winter-sports service from London to Zurich, startingnext December and continuing at a weekly frequency until late March. It remains to be seen whether any objection will be lodgedby BOACs sister corporation; BEA might well feel that their European inclusive-tour business is not for sharing with BOAC. Among the applications granted by the Board, as recorded inthe same edition, is the one that was put in by BEA for the right to include Birmingham as an additional optional stop on itsManchester-Milan service. Permission to operate Comets as well as Vanguards has been granted, though not BEA's application tooperate Tridents. The hearing was summarized in Flight for April 6 (page 454 "Dogs in BEA's Manger"). The applicationhad been opposed by Cunard Eagle and by British United. BATTLE OF THE BAHAMAS A NUMBER of significant events have taken place since, lastDecember, Mr Eric Rylands of Skyways sold back to BOACthe majority interest in Bahamas Airways that he and David Brown had bought 18 months previously. As we remarked at the time(Flight, January 13, page 67) this move was surprising in the light of the BOAC Associated Companies' policy to dispose of, ratherthan to acquire, financially burdensome subsidiaries. Mr Rylands was confident early last year that his new investmentwas going to prove profitable; he said in January 1960 that the Bahamas as a tourist resort "will eventually become an extension ofFlorida." In February 1960 the new Bahamas Airways introduced two ex-Skyways Hermes 4s, luxuriously appointed at a cost ofmore than £15,000, into service on the routes from Nassau to Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach—all rich touristcentres in Florida whence holiday-making Americans like to make the "side trip" to the Bahamas. What was the reason for the failure of this private enterpriseventure and for BOAC's rescue operation? The reasons are not easily pinpointed, but one is certainly BOAC's desire to protect itstraffic rights. It was thought that BOAC's 20 per cent share was (we quote Sir George Cribbett at the time) "sufficient to safeguardour interests." But this was evidently an assumption made on the basis of a thriving Bahamas Airways, and it is necessary to probe alittle more deeply. Undoubtedly stiff competition for Bahamas Airways was provided by Eagle, whose Bahaman subsidiary—against strong opposition from Bahamas Airways—was licensed by the Colony to operate parallel services to Miami. These began shortly after Bahamas Airways' revitalized Hermes services, andwere operated with Viscount 707s chartered from Eagle Airways Bermuda. Cunard Eagle Bahamas was allowed by its US foreigncarrier permit to operate only to Miami, and not to Fort Lauder- dale and West Palm Beach. Nevertheless its Viscount servicesprovided stiff competition on the route to Miami, and a fares war developed. Eagle reduced the return tourist fare from $33 to $23,forcing Pan American—the competing US carrier on the route— to do the same. It is probable also that the passenger appeal of theViscount, notwithstanding the luxurious appointments of the Hermes, gave Eagle a competitive edge. Bahamas Airways askedpermission to increase fares during the tourist season (December- April), since it was believed that the American tourist market couldstand such an increase, but this was refused. Bahama? Airways had never been happy about the licensing ofa second Bahamas airline, especially as the newcomer, Eagle, was not burdened by the inter-island social services operated on asubsidy by Bahamas Airways DC-3s and smaller types. Mr Rylands had hoped, for reasons reviewed in Flight for January 13 1961, thatthe Bahamas Government would increase this social subsidy once the airline was no longer in BOAC hands. But although such asubsidy was recommended to the Bahamas Government by inde- pendent assessors, it was never forthcoming. And to aggravate thesituation, there were increases in wages of about £50,000 a year which Bahamas Airways felt were forced on it by the BahamasGovernment. Now it is learned that the US Government has amendedCunard Eagle's foreign carrier permit to include also Fort Lauder- dale, Tampa and West Palm Beach, thus allowing it to double-trackwith Bahamas Airways the routes to these rich sources of American tourists. This is in spite of the opposition of Mackey Airlines, whooperate DC-4 services linking these points and Miami with Nassau. Yet another new move is the reported decision by BOAC AssociatedCompanies to transfer the three Viscount 702s operated by Kuwait Airways (who may take over three of MEA's Viscount 745s) toNassau for operation by Bahamas Airways. It appears that BOAC does not intend to let Bahamas Airways and the US traffic rightsthat it enjoys fall by the wayside. Whether or not Cunard Eagle are making money is a matterfor speculation. One thing is certain: Eagle's presence has certainly been a factor in Bahamas Airways difficulties, and it will be feltincreasingly now that the airline has got its long-sought additional rights in Florida. DC-8F FOR FREIGHTER FIRST official Douglas suffix to the DC-8 is "F" -for freighter.Douglas have just announced this new cargo-passengerversion of the DC-8 (which may be called the Trader), and it will reportedly fly in August 1962 with deliveries to airlines scheduledfor the end of 1962. The powerplant will be JT3D-3 turbofans, and the project would appear to be a version of the standard com-mercial DC-8-50, though with considerably greater payload. No information is available as yet about door-sizes; it can be assumed BOAC have just placed an order with Standard Telephones ond Cables Ltd for an electronic ticketing system to provide the corporation's ticket offices in the UK. and Europe with up-to-the-minute information on the availability of seats. Here a BOAC reservations girl "interrogates" her key set so that she can give the customer a quick answer on space- availability. The central store of flight information is at BOAC Airways Terminal, Victoria; at first the system will serve about 100 sales personnel within the building, being extended next year to other UK centres and later to European cities. Cost will be about £325,000
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