New air-charter plan fails

Press, 24 November 1980, Page 31

New air-charter plan fails

By

KEN COATES

in London I The hopes of a Jersey-; ;based textile manufacturer,; ;Mr S. J. Weaving, negotiat-' ing a new low air fare between Britain and New Zealand for family reunions! have been dashed by the: failure of airlines and gov-' ernments to co-operate. In September. Mr Weav-i ing, the founder and president of the Friendship Foun-I dation. the world's largest! reunion travel club, began a‘ f campaign in national newspapers and magazines seek-.' ing public support. The scheme is based on; the fact that even with Apex

'and super Apex fares, thou-; jsands of empty aircraft! • ;seats are flown every year ,ito destinations such as New. ■ Zealand and Australia. To; - use these seats, Mr Weaving (proposed, the airlines be; ; I allowed to charter a section! i.of an aircraft instead of a 'complete aircraft as regu-j lations now demand. ■ ) “But the reaction of air-! ; lines, including Briitsh Air-; I ways, was abysmal.” said! (Mr Weaving. “We received; i-encouragement from a few.! such as Sir Freddie Laker.! but the others said that under I.A.T.A. rules they i)could not consider the prd- : posal.” i

■ • Mr Weaving had hoped tod ;! introduce a cheap London-! • New Zealand fare using theb low-budget Laker fare from* ij London to Los Angeles andil chartering part of an Air is New Zealand aircraft from! Los Angeles to Auckland. ; . But Air New Zealand told ■ i his organisation that it could i ’not co-operate without Newjl 'Zealand Government back-L ; ing. is ( To stimulate interest in I)family reunions, the Friend-ji /'ship Foundation offers a £50 ; ( .‘voucher to each of 120.000.', members in Britain which; entitles them to £25 off the 1 cost of a member's fare and J i £25 off for a member of the $

; family. ! A spokesman for the foundation said that this was not much off a £5OO or £6OO [fare but it was a start. . “\ve still intend to keep i the pressure on airlines and governments to use these seats for people who want to visit friends in New Zealand. Australia, and South (Africa and vice-versa,” he [said. The right to charter part iof an aircraft would reintrodu““ the economy of aircraft charter, which had been mostly lost as aircraft had become too big for one organisation to fill completely.