Progress by Newmans Air

Press, 9 August 1985, Page 4

Progress by Newmans Air

By

LES BLOXHAM,

travel editor

New Zealand’s fledgling airline, Newmans Air, has passed its first six months aloft with flying colours. After a sluggish start the airline's loads are now reported to be increasing, with a marked and encouraging improvement in revenue.

“The first six months have gone extremely well,” said the chief executive, Mr Ken McDonald. He confirmed that there had been a big improvement in revenue in recent weeks, the average load factor reaching about 50 per cent

This is expected to improve even further in the months ahead as more overseas tour groups are channelled on the airline’s new de Havilland Dash-7 four-engine aircraft “There are waiting lists as long as my arm for some of our flights from the end of August” said Mr McDonald. One of the most gratifying features of the first six months was the nunwer of letters received eaca day

complimenting the airline for its high standard of inflight service, he said. Mr McDonald produced as proof a file of letters from passengers living in New Zealand and overseas. One American traveller wrote that he considered the service to be the best he had experienced. Newmans Air flies with an all-female complement of cabin attendants — the only airline in New Zealand to do so. The cabin services controller, Miss Linda McCarthy, is a former international hostess who has worked for a number of airlines, including Air New Zealand.

Their impact appears to be bringing about some interesting changes in the Mount Cook Airline.

Three months ago it created a new position — passenger services manager — and appointed Mr Malcolm Park, formerly a marketing and sales instructor for Air New Zealand, whose duties now include the training and supervision of Mount Cook’s cabin attendants.

The airline has just employed 14 new trainees, 11

of them women. Their fourweek training course is longer and more intensive than previous Mount Cook courses, and includes several features already covered by the Newmans hostesses. The Mount Cook Airline originally employed allmale cabin crews, but began introducing hostesses about six years ago. Soon it will introduce new uniforms for the cabin attendants to enhance the refurbished image of its fleet of Hawker Siddeley aircraft. This work should be completed within the next few weeks.

Over the last year Mount Cook has also been progressively reducing its seating capacity from a cramped 48 seats to a more comfortable 44 seats — a decision made before Newmans took to the air.

Mount Cook, which led the way with its inflight snacks and even served — until stopped by the law — complimentary wine, is now “looking at” ’ possible improvements to its meal service.

The airline’s public relamanager, Mr E. G. Beckj-tt, concedes that com-

petition from Newmans Air "has given us a bit of a nudge.”

However, he said “it would have come about anyway, although not, perhaps, quite as fast as it’s being done now.”

Although Newmans Air has been flying for six months, figures show it has not dented Mount Cook’s long established tourist route traffic. Mount Cook carried 178,668 passengers in the first six months this year — up from 143,813 for the corresponding period last year, an increase of 24 per cent.

Both airlines are confident they will both survive, whatever the outcome of the continuing battle for shares. Air New Zealand, a Government-owned organisation, wants to increase its 30 per cent holding in the Mount Cook company to one of total control at 77 per cent.

Newmans Air is also bidding for control by seeking a 51 per cent holding — an issue now being considered by the Commerce Commission. In the meantime. Mount Cook is virtually fly-

ing a holding pattern. Air New Zealand has given a public assurance that, should it succeed in its take-over bid, it would maintain Mount Cook as a “separate entity and profit centre.”

However, one can only speculate on the likely effect of a Koru-charged Mount Cook company on Newman’s two-aircraft fledgling airline.

Both Air New Zealand and the Mount Cook company have shown little friendliness towards Newmans Air. Air New Zealand refused to incorporate Newmans’ services in its worldwide reservations system (Qantas is handling the bookings) and Mount Cook has rejected several requests to allow Newmans to land at its private airfields.

Nevertheless, in true pioneering style, Newmans Air appears determined to “hang in there,” whatever the final decision on the shares issue.

“One thing is certain,” says Mr McDonald. “We are here to stay and that’s definite.”