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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 0407.PDF
THURSDAY MARCH 2 1, 1963 Number 2819 Volume 83 Official Organ of the Royal Aero Club First Aeronautical Weekly in the World Founded in V909 Editor-in-Chief MAURICE A. SMITH DFC Editor H. F. KING MBE Technical Editor W.T.6U NSTON Air Transport Editor J. M. RAMSDEN Production Editor ROY CASEY Managing Director H. N. PRIAULX MBE In this issue World News 388 Air Commerce 390 RIVATE AND EXECUTIVE FLYING: 18-page special feature 396 Straight and Level 414 Letters 415 Industry International 416 Missiles and Space-flight 417 Service Aviation 420a Stand by for Stand-by Fares TWO national newspapers have given catch-names to the new stand by-fare facilities which BEA are to provide on domestic trunk routes in eleven days' time. The Guardian calls them "take-a-chance" fares; the Daily Mail has dubbed them "on-spec" fares. Both terms underline the difference between this scheme and the guaranteed-seat "Air Shuttle" services introduced in America two years ago by Eastern Air Lines. As an exercise in airline economics BEA's new stand-by fares can be shown to make sense. If the scheme goes according to BEA's carefully laid plans it will fill a few seats that would otherwise fly empty. Additional revenue will accrue for little or no extra scheduling or selling effort. This may be good for the airline; but is it good for the public ? And if it is not good for the public, is it—in the long term—good for the airline ? The success of the scheme depends on the willingness of citizens to make the journey to the town air terminal or the airport, and to be prepared to wait, perhaps for several hours, in the hope that they will be among the lucky dozen or so who, on the average, are statistically likely to get a seat on each flight. It does not really matter all that much to BEA whether these people turn up or not; the economics of the corporation's services are in any case based on the attainment of a high load factor at the regular, and recently increased, fares. Moreover, the scheme is to be tried out in the summer, when high domestic load factors are at their highest. The discounted revenue yielded by the chance-takers will be a welcome bonus, like the two-bobs of those who queue for the "gods" at the Old Vic or Drury Lane, but it may be gained at the cost of some lost goodwill. For example, most would-be stand-by passengers will, naturally enough, telephone BEA to check on their chances before set ting off for the airport or the terminal. But they will not, it is under stood, be given any indication of how good their chances are. Iliffe Transport Publications Ltd, Dorset House, Stamford Street, London, SE1 ; telephone Waterloo 3333 (Telex 25137). Telegrams Flightpres London Telex. Annual subscriptions: Home £4 15s. Overseas £5. Canada and USA $15.00. Second Class Mail privileges authorized at New York, NY. Branch Offices: Coventry. 8-10 Corpora tion Street; telephone Coventry 25210. Birmingham, King Edward House, New Street, Birmingham 2; telephone Mid land 7191. Manchester, 260 Deansgate, Manchester 3 ; telephone Blackfriars 4412 or Deansgate 3595. Glasgow, 62 Bucha nan Street, Glasgow CI; telephone Central 1265-6. New York, NY : Thomas Skinner & Co 'Publishers) Ltd, 111 Broadway 6; telephone Digby 9-1197. © Hiffe Transport Publications Ltd, 1963. Permission to reproduce illustra-tions and letterpress can be granted only under written agreement. Brief extracts or comments may be made with due acknowledgement. Take a Chance There is a limit to how far a public-service transport industry can adopt this sort of approach towards its public. If it is right, as BEA will agree, that "take it or leave it" as a philosophy for a public-service industry is wrong, then there is something even more wrong with a doctrine which seems to be: "take a chance or leave it." Most unfortunately, British civil aviation law omits to mention the public interest, the raison d'etre of civil air services. The Air Transport Licensing Board (which actually heard BEA's stand-by-fare proposals in closed session) is by law concerned first —indeed only—with the good of the airlines. The BEA stand-by-fares scheme will, paradoxically, fail if it tempts too many new people to buy air travel. It tends, however courteous BEA's harassed staff may be, to be indifferent to the inconvenience and disappoint ment of perhaps large numbers of the public; and because it is not first and foremost considerate of the public interest, it may not in the long run —to answer the question posed above—be good for the airline itself. We give currency to the words of Mr Hans Heymann, the noted American air transport economist. Addressing a IATA meeting (see pages 394 and 395 of this issue), he says: "Take a second look at your . . . hostility to radical experimentation: and above all. . . take a ride on the Eastern Air Shuttle between Washington and New York."
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