Talks on Tokyo air route

Press, 19 April 1985, Page 10

Talks on Tokyo air route

From N.Z. Japan News, Tokyo

Preparations are under way for two rounds of airline talks between New Zealand and Japan. Neither is likely to result in increased capacity on the packed Auckland-Tokyo route. A Japan Air Lines delegation arrives in Auckland next mouth for private talks with Air New Zealand. In June, a mission from Japan's transport Ministry will visit to talk to Ministry of transport officials in Wellington. Though both airlines appear willing to increase seating capacity on the route, they say the real problem is lack of tourist accommodation in New Zealand. Airline sources in Tokyo say Air New Zealand, therefore, will seek a continuation of the 1984-1985 arrangement for 1985-1986, under which the airline will fly a weekly

747 rin, and will increase this to two flights a week from October to March.

Japan Air Lines, according to the sources, will continue to fly two DQOs a week to Auckland, but will reserve the right to use 747 s to meet the high summerseason demand.

Japanese Transport Ministry officials say neither airline can operate a twice-weekly 747 service until loth countries revise the terms stacked, in memoranda of understating, to the bilateral civil aviation agreement signed in 1980.

Under ths agreement, Japan AnLines and Air New Zealand are allowed a weekly seat capacity equal to three DCBs, the type of air craft used whe» the service began. Japan trave 1 . agents say the

accommodation problem in New Zealand will not be solved until New Zealand creates new resorts to take the pressure off Rotorua and Queenstown, or until many more first-class hotels are built.

Some agents say motels could be a substitute for hotels if they were correctly promoted in Japan. “Motel” is synonymous for “Labu hoteru” (love hotel) in Japanese, which does not mean tourist-class accommodation.

Rather than spend huge sums persuading Japanese that motels are fit for tourists, agents say in the long-term it would be less costly and more effective to change the names of all motels to something like “travel inn.” Copyright — N.Z. Japan News Inc.