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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 1456.PDF
272 FLIGHT International, 22 August 1963 Last-minute checks are made by Rolls-Royce engineers of the RAC One-Eleven's Spey powerplant on the eve of the first flight, which is due to take place at BACs Hum base as this issue goes to press AIR COMMERCE routes. Table 1 summarizes the traffic estimated by the relevant airline in each case. The BEA figures make no account of any diversion if CEA began operations. CEA, however, claimed that their mere presence on the route and the increased activity resulting from two sales forces concentrating on one market, plus the extra capacity, would possibly generate some 50 per cent of the traffic CEA would be carrying after the first year. Mr Marking repeatedly questioned Mr W. H. Hodgson, the CEA commercial director, on this assumption, finally asking him if it was grasped from air, to which Mr Hodgson replied: "Just as much as presumably you grasped some of your figures from the air." Mr Harvey of the Board asked Mr Marking how far he associated himself with the propos ition that the introduction of a second carrier necessarily generated extra custom, to which he replied, "not at all." Mr Harvey said "CEA have prophesied that they will generate 50 per cent of their own traffic. Have you any figure you wish to substitute for that?" To which Mr Marking replied: "No, but I have a word—rubbish." Referring to CEA's proposed schedule on the two routes (Table 2) Mr Marking asked Mr Hodgson how a daily commuter could go from either Scottish city by the CEA service and spend a useful time in London. It was admitted that purely by CEA service this Tabic 2s CEA Initial Operation Commence No of services per week Days of service Departure times London - Edinburgh June I, 1964 10 Monday-Friday London - Edinburgh 0845, 1700 Edinburgh - London 1130, 1905 London - Glasgow 1963 November 18 14 Daily London - Glasgow 0900, 1745 Glasgow - London 1105, 2000 was not attractive, but Mr Hodgson did not think that commuter traffic from these cities to London would be more than 20 per cent of the total. The next route to be discussed before the Board was London - Liverpool. In this case there were applications from three airlines —Cambrian, CEA and Starways—and representations by Liverpool City Corporation. Cambrian Airways were applying for a licence to operate 14 services a week on the route. Similarly, CEA were applying for the equivalent of ten services per week, using their 124-seat Britannias. Starways, who have long sought for a licence to operate more services on the route, were asking for an increase from 25 to 35 services per week. Starways' application was heard first. In presenting his airline's case, Mr J. A. Wilson, a director of the company, reminded the Board that BEA had once served Liverpool and that when the corporation suspended the service there had been a gap of a few years when Liverpool had no air link at all with London. Starways began operations in May 1955 and started to break even between 1958 and 1960. It was, he said, "the backbone of our network." In round figures the airline had spent about £300,000 on the route, including another Viscount recently pur chased, new hangars, equipment and other premises. Present utilization was only 4£hr per aircraft per day on weekdays, a figure which ought to be 8£hr. There had been substantial pro motion of the services and it was probable that an additional Viscount would be bought. Mr G. Holmes, for the Liverpool Corporation, cross-examined Mr Wilson. If Starways broke-even on the 13,000 passengers carried in 1959, he asked, were not Starways "doing extremely well" on the 69,000 passengers estimated for this year ? Mr Wilson replied that the economics depended on load factor. Asked whether Starways aimed to keep load factors high, Mr Wilson said he aimed to keep them at an economic level. Pressed for something more specific, he said he thought that 85 per cent would be the load factor they would like to have. Asked whether Starways was making a good profit, Mr Wilson said that it was "making a profit." Mr Holmes asked Mr Wilson whether he put his company's interests before the interests of the public. When Mr Wilson said that they did not, a Board member, Mr Harvey, asked: "Why don't you? Isn't it your job to make money? I don't understand it." Mr Holmes asked whether Mr Wilson was aware that the Liver pool Corporation had been "critical of the quality of your service." Mr Wilson agreed; and when asked about rusty sheeting on Star- ways' new hangars, some of it with holes in it, he explained that there had been difficulties with a building contractor. Did he not agree, asked Liverpool's representative, that the appearance of Starways' base was important in creating a good public image 1 Mr Wilson replied that he did not think this was a point that concerned the public in general to the extent Mr Holmes might be trying to indicate. Questioned about the inclusion of Hawarden (Chester) on some of Starways' daily London - Liverpool flights, and whether this caused the majority of Liverpool-originating passengers to suffer for the minority embarking at Hawarden, Mr Wilson said that the intention was to increase load factors, though he agreed that there was a disadvantage for some in having to stop at Hawarden. Mr Holmes pointed out that last year, out of 1,800 Starways' London - Liverpool flights, only 789 had been made by Viscounts and that the proportion so far this year was 562 out of 1,029, Asked whether he regarded this as satisfactory on a main routs such as London • Liverpool, Mr Wilson said that the proportion of Viscount flights had been gradually increased and that it was hoped next year to replace the midday DC-3 service with a Viscount flight. (To be continued) TABLE I: TOTAL PASSENGERS ON ROUTES Year 1963-64 1964-65 1965-66 BEA: Present trafl London - Edinburgh BEA 308,000 364.000 419,000 ic estimate ( CEA 20,000 80.000 93.000 no allowance London - Glasgow BEA 495.000 595,000 678,000 for diversio CEA 29.000 120,000 139,000 i to CEA). London - Dublin BEA 172,000 195,000 218,000 CEA: Fig CEA 29,000 120,000 139,000 ures based o London - Belfast BEA 339,000 383.000 423,000 n applied-for CEA 29,000 120,000 139,000 capacity anc London - Manchester BEA 372,000 452,000 520,000 a load facto CfcA 25.000 100,000 116.000 r estimated Glasgow/Edinburgh • Manchester/ Birmingham , BEA 128,000 147,000 169,000 >y the ATLB CEA 30,000 139,000 240,000^
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