HAREWOOD HAS WORLD’S ONLY ANTARCTIC COUNTER

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29330, 8 October 1960, Page 16

HAREWOOD HAS WORLD’S ONLY ANTARCTIC COUNTER

Christchurch International Airport can claim to be the> only airport in the world with a special Antarctic-flights counter. < Located in the overseas wing of the airport terminal building, next to the T.E.A.L. counter, it is expected to prepare and-weigh-in more than 4000 passengers and aircraft crew to and from McMurdo Sound between August and April. The counter was established on August 2, of this year and is staffed by both United States Navy men and airport specialists from the Air Force Aerial Port Squadron. To give the counter an Antarctic atmosphere for the first flights of the season this week,,a mounted penguin was borrowed from the bar of a Christchurch hotel and placed on the counter. Named Clyde, the penguin gave Rear-Admiral D. M. Tyree, commander of the Antarctic support torch and the other passengers on the first flight to McMurdo Sound a silent farewell.

The Antarctic flights staff inform New Zealand customs, health, argriculture. and banking

authorities and also the police when each incoming flight is due. Customs, insecticide spraying, and currency exchange methods similar to those used when aircraft arrive in Christchurch from Australia allow the Antarctic flights staff to handle 50 passengers in about 15 minutes. Departures arg handled in a similar way. Passengers check into the counter two hours before their flight with baggage. Utmost care is taken in weighing the baggage because of the length of Antarctic flights. Each pound must be carefully recorded to ensure complete safety in the 2000-mile flight to McMurdo.

An attempt is made to coordinate Antarctic flights with T.E.A.L.’s flights to Australia so that the two do not poincide. The only confusion caused so far by the Antarctic flights counter has been when the occasional Australian-bound passenger has attempted to check his baggage through to the Antarctic. When informed of his mistake, he invariably grabs his bags and hustles over to the T.E.A.L. counter, startled, but relieved.