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Aviation History
1974
1974 - 0018.PDF
WO Ft t,D At K VifA s- 9 18 FLIGHT International, 3 January 1974 THE PLIGHT OF THE US SUPPLE MENTALS Revenue rost 'C=^.^ *^ 1963 1965 1967 1969 1971 1973 Left and above, the supplementals in general are finding their own charter rates unremunerative. They are pioneering the mass transport of passengers in large aircraft—a trend which will carry over to sched uled airlines if load factors rise HEADACHES OF AIRLINE PLANNING effect of charter competition and this is the biggest prob lem for the airline industry at the present time. What has been happening in the past five years is that we have chased the rates charged by the charter operators without getting the essential cost reductions to maintain profitability. Furthermore, on the North Atlantic the scheduled airlines' yield has been diluted by the intro duction of promotional fares and an ever-increasing per centage of traffic using these low fares. It seems to me to be quite clear that solutions to the financial and economic problems of the industry will only be found by a joint approach to the relationship between scheduled and charter operations. I am very much in favour of the first tentative steps which were taken this summer by the lata airlines and the charter carriers to get together to seek mutually needed solutions to their pricing problems. The initial results of these meetings may not have appeared very encouraging, but the vital fact is that the dialogue has been opened. The third problem area of scheduled airline operations is the continuation of a situation in which load factors are reduced to wastefully low levels because we cannot find a solution to the chronic problem of excess capacity. Even in the worst combination of circumstances it is difficult to accept that average load factors below 55 per cent are other than wasteful. And in the most favourable combina tion of circumstances fully adequate public service can be provided with average load factors of 70 per cent or more. I should like to mention two possible solutions. The first is that the lata traffic conferences should explicitly adopt higher load factor targets as a basis for fixing fares and rates. The second—and perhaps more controversial— solution is the extension to international operations of the capacity regulation agreements which have now been widely adopted in domestic operations in the United States. The acceptance of these capacity regulation agree ments by the US CAB is perhaps the most remarkable development in regulatory policy of the past few years. Opposition to any form of capacity control has historically been one of the bulwarks of US aviation policy. Ten years ago it would have been regarded as heresy for the US authorities to talk about the need for capacity control. The problems of excess capacity on domestic routes made it essential to change this attitude, and capacity agree ments—though still under attack—have been accepted. It may well be that this change of heart towards domestic problems will be reflected in a new attitude towards in ternational agreements. The current acute fuel crisis may have beneficial long- term advantages in bringing about a new approach to the rationalisation of capacity on international routes. Let me make a final point on the question of load factors. British Airways has been pressing for the accep tance of the concept of part-charter in international rate making. This new philosophy—involving the carriage of scheduled passengers and charter groups in the same aircraft—could, in our view, have an enormous effect on the average level of load factors achieved in international operations. continued from page 9 Fuel-funding problem The following bald statement was issued by the UK General Aviation Fuel Allocation Working Group on December 20. "The group has developed an agreed system of fuel allocation based on previous aircraft utilisation, with separate consideration for new aircraft and recent additions to the register. The administration of such a system will require funding which is the sub ject of representation by the group to relevant government department". The group was originally led to believe that money for an acceptable scheme would be provided by the government, so the apparent with drawal of support has caused con siderable despondency, especially after the mammoth effort and unpaid time which has been put in to set up the scheme, which was due to be operative by February 1. The alloca tion between general aviation factions commendably has been agreed, and questionnaire forms and dockets (coupons) designed and printing organised. The associations which make up the group are non-profit making and do not have funds to make up the £10,000 required to run the scheme for a year, so printing of forms and dockets has had to be postponed. A week has already been lost by what is hopefully only an administrative hiccough which can be quickly put right. -iHMssvum.'^ iw^; One-and-a-half seat T-40. This highly modified Turner T-40 was built over the past 8 years by Walter Lane, Secretiry of Experimental Air craft Association Chapter 7 in California. Basically a single-seat design, this aircraft has a rear seat which has a design load of 1101b. Coincidentally, Mrs Lane weighs a mere 971b. The engine is a Lycoming 0-290G, which gives a climb rate of I.OOOft/min and top speed of 190 m.p.h.
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