AIR TRAVEL

Evening Star, Issue 25425, 5 March 1945, Page 8

AIR TRAVEL

PROPOSED PACIFIC SERVICE MATSON LINE SURVEY (P.A.) AUCKLAND, March 3. With the vist to New Zealand of Mr D. G. Sissons, the company's general for Australia and New Zealand, a°further step has been taken in connection with the Oceanic Steamship Company's proposal for a Pacific nrir service between the Pacific coast ol \meriea and Australia, with a call at Auckland. Mr Sissons's trip is connected with a .survey he is making in Australia and New Zealand of prospective travellers who are likely to travel on the new service if a license to operate it is granted by the Civil Aeronautics Board at Washington. The data that he has been gathering is in the form of a questionnaire) both by personal contact and by mail, seeking answers from business men, organisations, and other former well-known travellers of the Malson Company. Among the questions which the company says will help it in planning postwar air transportation- botweon New Zealand and California via Fiji, Samoa, and Hawaii is one asking if people expect to travel to America by way ol California after tho-war for pleasure, business, or both, and how frequently. Intending travellers are also asked il they would like to lly by day and stop ashore overnight, or ily by night in a sleeping-berth piano and spend! tho daytime ashore. There is also a proposed express schedule, and tho company suggests that it will bo able with modern aircraft to run an express sorvieo in two days or less between New Zealand and America.

Mr Sissons stressed in an interview the value of this service for express air freight. Among tho list of things which could bo shipped by air express were bees, bridal outfits, dogs, live tropical fish, flowers, fruit, medical supplies, all samples, surgical supplies, records, and all manner of machinery. Before leaving for Australia this morning, Mr Sissons said tho response from prospective travellers had been very heartening, and tho data he lied collected and would collect would oventuallv be submitted in support of the application beforo the Aeronautics Board at Washington at a public hearing.