Change In Handling Air Passengers

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31327, 25 March 1967, Page 1

Change In Handling Air Passengers

(New Zealand P„ress Association)

BLENHEIM, March 24.

The National Airways Corporation plans changes so that eventually air passengers will be handled only at airports.

The new system will be introduced first in Christchurch this year. At present passengers are handled at air centres as well as at airports. The deputy manager of the corporation, Mr L. L. Ford, said yesterday that ultimately N.A.C. would opt out from the responsibility of bringing passengers to airports. “We want to get out of double handling of passengers and concentrate passenger facilities at airports,” Mr Ford said. Pick-up Service The corporation would still be responsible for transport from the town to the airport, but, instead of assembling at

an air centre, passengers would assemble at the depot of the coach line providing the service between town and airport. When the change is introduced in Christchurch passengers will have to assemble at the depot of Midland Motorways for their trip to the airport. Mr Ford said that the new passenger policy arose from the trend for passengers to go to the airports independently. 11115 followed the development of airports, their extensive facilities, such as shops and restaurants, attracting more and more people. At Auckland the number of passengers using the N.A.C, bus service fell substantially after the switch from Whenuapai to Mangere which has greater passenger facilities.