Call for lower air fares to Orient

Press, 7 July 1977, Page 7

Call for lower air fares to Orient

NZPA Hong Kong The possibility of a change in air fares between New Zealand and Hong Kong has been raised by an official of the Hong Kong-based airline. Cathay Pacific. The airline's general marketing manager, Mr Keith Sillet, said that Alp Airlines, based in Hong Kong, had agreed that new fare levels should be set. A:r New Zealand flies between Auckland and Hong Kong twice a week. Mr Sillet said Cathay Pacific was suggesting to the Heng Kong administration that ail fares in the Asian region be made up to the official level or that new levels be set compatible with what the market wanted. "The current fare basis on many sectors out of Hong Kong are completely

out of step with what is happening.” Mr Siller’s comments were made against a background of increasing dissatisfaction among travellers at the high fare structure between Hong Kong and New Zealand in comparison with the fares charged for travel from the Crown colony to Europe. Hundreds of Hong Kong holidaymakers, who each year fly thousands of miles to vacation in different parts of the world, reject New Zealand as a destination because of the high fare levels. They find it much cheaper to holiday in Europe. Mr Sillet also disclosed that the Orient Airlines Association has set up its own private watchdog to catch travel agents and other airlines selling cutprice air tickets. “Because airlines don’t trust each other very much

we have established a fund of money and charged a reputable company with the task of buying tickets and informing us of the general position in the market.”

He said nine travel agents had been found selling tickets below price levels recommended by the association. T ravel agents in Singapore. Malaysia and Thailand had been suspended under the arrangement.

Such suspensions were generally for 15 days. The agent was still allowed to sell standard first-class and economy-class tickets. “If ah airline is the culprit it must pay a fine to the common fund equivalent of 50 per cent of the face value of the ticket.

‘This is an earnest attempt to maintain a standard level of fares over various routes,” Mr Sillet said.