Skybus office for Chch

Press, 29 May 1981, Page 6

Skybus office for Chch

The Aqua Avia Society, promoter' of the cheap air fare Skybus concept, plans to open a branch office in Christchurch “in about three weeks.” Office space has been leased in premises formally occupied by the Government Bookshop at 130 Oxford. Terrace. and an Auckland man. Mr Michael Booth, has been appointed the society's South Island manager. The office will contain management and communications centres to handle bookings and membership recruitment. Mr Booth said that between 20 and 25 Christchurch people would probably be employed to staff the office. The Christchurch office would service the. South Island until a Dunedin office was opened "in the near future.” Mr Booth said. The society planned eventually tc establish a network of

representatives throughout New Zealand. Mr Booth said yesterday that the society had had few opportunities to market in the South Island, and not many South Islanders really knew what Skybus was about. South Island membership was important to the success of the Skybus concept. Working from temporary offices in Lichfield Street, Mr Booth and one helper from Auckland have answered about 80 inquiries about Skybus in the last two days. Aqua Avia is going ahead with the lease of two 76-seat Viscount aircraft, one to be used for back-up, from Brit-ish-Air Ferries. The aircraft are> expected to arrive in New Zealand on August 30 and Mr Booth said the inaugural Skybus domestic flight should take-off in mid-Sep-tember. " $