Some Tasman fares cut hard but others up 5p.c.

Press, 26 May 1979, Page 1

Some Tasman fares cut hard but others up 5p.c.

By

LES BLOXHAM,

travel editor

Some Tasman air fares will be substantially reduced for the next two months, but others will be increased from Monday.

From June 8 to August 15, a new low epic fare of $l4B return will be available for flights between New Zealand’s three international airports and Sydney. The new fare is $53 cheaper than the present low-season fare of $2Ol, and requires a minimum stay in Australia of seven nights.

Similar reductions will apply to flights to Melbourne and Brisbane. During the same period, the fare content of group and inclusive tours will be reduced from 5194 to $l2B.

The new round-trip, lowseason epic fares from Christchurch to Melbourne and from Christchurch to Brisbane will be $164 and $166 respectively.

The new low-season fares were part of a good news-bad news interim agreement on Tasman rates announced jointly by Air New Zealand and Qantas yesterday.

The had news is a 5 per cent increase on these incentive fares after August 15 and on normal economy and first-class fares as from Monday. Cargo rates will also rise 5 per cent from Monday.

The existing half-fare discount for children aged between two and 12 will no longer apply to the lowseason rates, but the concession will be available again after August 15.

The 10 per cent fare for infants under two will be available all year.

From Monday the return economy fare to Sydney will rise $l6 to $336, and the first-class return rate by $24 to $474.

From August 16, the epic fare will be increased from $224 to $236 and the group and inclusive tour rate, from $194 to $204.

The airlines have agreed to waive the normal 35day prepayment condition on epic tickets for flights until July 5 to allow travellers the new cheap fare advantage from the time of its introduction on June 8.

Travellers who have already bought epic tickets for travel between June 8 and August 15 will be eligible for refunds on the presentation of their ticket butts after they return home.

Travellers who leave New Zealand during the low-fare season but who return after August 15 will have to pay the new higher rates as, at this stage, no agreement has been reached on an appropriate fare to cover a "split” or shoulder season. Airline and Government negotiators agreed in Sydney yesterday to an interim arrangement on fares to cover the low-season midwinter months. It is believed that the Australian Government would not ap-

prove some of the fares proposed for the rest of the year because it considered they were too high. Air New Zealand’s deputy chief executive (Mr J. B. Wisdom) said it was important that the public understood that the interim measure would be followed by another announcement after further negotiations between the two countries. “We were concerned that we should pass on the benefits of the ‘through’ season on the Tasman to the consumer, and this would not have been possible if we had delayed any announcement until we

reached final agreement on all fares and conditions for this route,” he said. “The 5 per cent increase represents another interim measure to assist the airlines to stay abreast of the rising costs affecting the industry. It should be noted that this is the first commercial increase on the Tasman since March, 1976.” Children’s fares were not being offered because the fare had been reduced to such a level that it could be viable only if anyone who occupied a seat was asked to pay the complete fare, Mr Wisdom said.