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Aviation History
1962
1962 - 0235.PDF
FLIGHT International, 15 February 1962 in How Many Will Fly Foreign? FROM a correspondent with long commercial experience of Britain's independent airline industry comes a comment on our February 1 article under the above heading. It is, he says, good to see this question reviewed, but he believes the conclusion, namely that the situation is not serious, to be wrong. For one thing, he says, the author did not adequately cover the creative tour-operator market in his survey; for example, he spoke to the Creative Tourist Agents' Conference and also to Poly, whereas the latter only use CTAC facilities, a body which is not in any case a large promoter of inclusive-tour holidays by charter aircraft. "With the exception of Swans," our correspondent writes, "the other people mentioned are all very small in this field and I am surprised that no reference was made to the pioneers of this business—for example, Lunns, Wings, Horizon, Ellis, etc." He further believes that the replies were vague and that it is incorrect that Flightways make use of ITX fares [fares made available to agents only by scheduled airlines like BEA as the basis of all-in holidays]. Flightways, he says, are not IATA-appointed agents and the facility of these fares is not therefore available to them. "I cannot believe," our correspondent writes, "that British tour operators would really prefer to deal with people like Societa Aerea Mediterranea (SAM), Airnautic and Aviaco in preference to British operators." In his experience British tour operators unquestion ably prefer to use a British airline for reliability and cheapness. But these tour promoters are not prepared to risk delays to their programme by the long gestation period of a British application— with a possible result of a rejection, due eidier to the upholding of a scheduled carrier's objection, or to a poor financial position. On the latter point, he says, "the Air Transport Licensing Board's attitude seems difficult to fathom when companies in trouble, like BKS and Tradair, are granted approvals." In his view the situation is made worse for the tour operator by the fact that the Board seems to be rejecting a higher percentage of applications that did the old Air Transport Advisory Council. "I believe, however," he con cludes, "that the Ministry have a strong card, if they care to use it. The passengers concerned are British, and they are badly needed by the countries they are visiting. This could enable the Ministry to insist on their flying in British aircraft by and large. The Ameri cans are certainly not slow to make capital out of this situation when it involves them." A note on the Ministry's recent letter to British travel agents appears on the previous page. More About Euravia IS there still a place for the little man in British air transport? In the past the small men have contributed much, and it is a pity that the abuses of a few have invoked laws which have sent the good to the wall along with the bad. That faith still exists in the place for the small man is manifest in the advent of Euravia, about which some preliminary details appeared in Flight International for January 11, page 69. How does this company, which will start operations on April 1 with three Constellations based at Luton, hope to succeed where so many others have failed ? There is no smart, simple answer to this question; but if it had to be given in one sentence it might be this: the new company is run by professional air transport people, and it is backed with substantial financial interests in the travel industry. Some sections of this industry paid a high price in £ s d and reputation last summer for the scandalously bad service given by certain operators. Tour promoters, and indeed the independent airlines, found that cut-price air transport does not pay in the long ran. Flight International asked the managing director of Euravia, Mr J. E. D. Williams, why he thinks he will succeed. He replied:— "We have the right aircraft, the right customers and the right management. We are not out to make fast money. We don't have high overheads and our object is to give reliable, dependable service. We have a guaranteed market with people who are prepared to pay that little bit extra for the dependability which we shall give. The idea for Euravia arose out of studies by Universal Sky Tours Ltd and ourselves for a formula whereby the inclusive-tour operator can provide customers with airline standards of regularity, depend ability, and safety in the transport element of the package at a price the customer is prepared to pay." The men running Euravia are Mr J. E. D. Williams and Mr J. C. Harrington. These two are partners in a company of air transport consultants, J. E. D. Williams and Company (which still carries on). Mr Williams, before he formed his consultancy business, was from 1952 to 1958 with El Al. He was manager of planning and develop ment and later technical adviser to the chairman and managing director. He is a well-known authority on air transport operations and air navigation. He was previously with Swissair and Aerolineas Argentinas and also with Air Service Training at Hamble. Mr J. C. Harrington was, before he joined J. E. D. Williams, general service manager of the Bristol Aeroplane Co, having previously been deputy New airline markings seen recently at London Heathrow belong to the new Finnish airline Finlantic, whose DC-6C was operating a racehorse charter flight
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