Pacific Air Route Plan Deferred

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32032, 5 July 1969, Page 13

Pacific Air Route Plan Deferred

(N.Z. Press Association^—Copyright) WASHINGTON, July 4. President Nixon has again rejected a Civil Aeronautics Board award that would have given Continental Airlines a South Pacific route to New Zealand and Australia.

The President has returned the recommendation to the board for further consideration of cities that might be included on the route. In its latest decision, the C.A.B. voted by three to two to give Continental a new route from Washington-Balti-more, Chicago, Kansas City, Missouri, Denver (Colorado), and Phoenix (Arizona) byway of Hawaii, American Samoa, Fiji, the New Hebrides, New Caledonia, and New Zealand to Australia. In a letter to the board, Mr Nixon said that he disapproved of its decision, after careful review, and returned the case for further action in. accordance with these instructions:

New York should be made a co-terminal on the new

South Pacific route, since it was a leading generator of passenger traffic. 'Washington-Baltimore, Chicago and Dallas-Fort Worth (Texas) should also be on the route, along with other co-ter-minals which the C.A.B. found appropriate in the United States East and Mid-West only. The intermediate points on the way to Australia should be>Hilo (Hawaii), Honolulu, America Samoa, Fiji and New Zealand. There should be no restriction on the ability of whichever airline was selected to carry South Pacific traffic to or from Hawaii.