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Aviation History
1973
1973 - 2782.PDF
FLIGHT International, 15 November 1973 807 NEW DC-10 VARIANTS MCDONNELL DOUGLAS has announced that it is working on three new versions of the DC-10 trijet: a stretched variant, an all-freight version and a long-range version. The aircraft are currently being offered to a number of interested airlines in an effort to obtain enough orders to ensure go-ahead. The stretched DC-10 appears to be the least firm of the three projects. The length of the fuselage has still to be defined—although it will be between 25ft and 40ft longer than the 182ft length of that of present DC-10 versions. The "Super" DC-10, as it has been termed, will have a passenger capacity 28 to 40 per cent greater than that of existing DC-lOs. In an all-economy layout it could carry 433 passengers, compared with the 380 that present DC-lOs can carry. It would be powered by uprated engines— probably CF6s as used on the DC-10-30 or JT9Ds as used on the DC-10-40. First deliveries could be early in 1977. The extended-range version, which is clearly designed to compete with Boeing's 747SP, could be available as early as 1975. It would be' able to carry 225 passengers over 6,500 miles. , The all-freighter, also powered by uprated engines, is designed to carry over 90 tons of freight over routes such as the Atlantic. It could be available to airlines in 1976. EUROPEAN ABCs? THE chairman of the British Civil Aviation Authority, Lord Boyd-Carpenter, has said that he hopes to see advance-booking charters (ABCs) introduced on flights from Britain to Europe in less than two years. Speaking at the annual conference of the Association of British Travel Agents, Lord Boyd-Carpenter said that "the success on the North Atlantic of advance-booking charters sug gests that they could play a major part in European travel too. The CAA is working towards international Air New Zealand operates two DC-IO-30s and has a third on order. Also operated are six DC-8s agreement which is needed before they can be introduced on new routes. International agreement is a thing which is not always obtained very quickly. For this reason I do not think we shall see ABCs in Europe in 1974; we are talking in terms of 1975." If ABCs to Europe are introduced it could mean a reduction in the return fare from London to Paris of £10, from London to Palma of £20 and from London to Bome of £25. It is felt that this could do much to offset the increases in holiday prices anticipated partly as a result of fuel price rises in the wake of the Middle East war. The Tour Operators Study Group has, however, come out against Lord Boyd-Carpenter's proposals. It maintains that they would open the British market to foreign hoteliers and airlines, against whom the consumer would not be adequately protected by law. EASTBOUND ATLANTIC AFFINITIES ACCEPTED THE British Civil Aviation Authority will accept the United States-originating affinity-group charters next year. It is stipulated, however, that the pre-listing period be increased from 25 to 30 days. No flights from the United States will be accepted after October 31, 1974, and all return flights must be completed before March 31, 1975. The continua tion of affinity-group traffic is related to the poor response to travel group charters. While advance-booking charters from the United King dom have proved successful, the American equivalent— travel group charters (TGCs)—have not come up to expectations. ABCs guarantee passengers a seat at a given price, but TGCs do not guarantee a seat and the price can vary. Unless a TGG flight is 80 per cent booked, it will not go. The price is partly made up of a flat charge levied on each passenger, but in addition the cost of operating a flight is allocated to each passenger on a pro rata basis— the higher the load' factor, the lower the price. Meanwhile, Britain's largest advance-booking charter operator—Airfair—hopes that the CAA "will now seriously consider cutting the standard advance registration period from 90 to, say, 60 days to bring ABCs within the reach of more people."
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