New Air Services Begin On Monday: No Extra Expense

Greymouth Evening Star, 26 September 1947, Page 6

New Air Services Begin On Monday: No Extra Expense

The elimination of Greymouth, after the end of this month, as a stopping place for the daily ail' service from Hokitika to Nelson and the North Island, will not mean a financial loss to Grey district residents for all extra costs will be borne by the National Airways Corporation, which will take over the service on October 1.

Passengers booking from Greymouth will travel by railcar to connect with the aeroplane at Hokitika and this expense will be met by the corporation? The actual, plane fare will be 10s lower than that for Hokitika passengers, in spite of the extra travelling. Similarly, freight from Greymouth will be taken to Hokitika and loaded on to the plane at the usual Greymouth rates. This decision of the corporation has removed some of the objection to the closing of the Greymouth aerodrome, until its size has been increased, but the time lost in the extra and slower travelling remains a serious handicap to Greymouth passengers. The new West Coast air service will commence operations as from next Monday, instead of Wednesday, but it will be conducted by Air Travel Ltd," until October 1. As a resuit both plane services, to and from the province, will call at Greymouth to pick up passengers and freight on both Monday and Tuesday. After then, however, the plane will leave Hokitika and fly direct to Westport. On Monday and Tuesday of nex. week, the plane services will stop al Greymouth at 8.25 a.m. and 1.25 p.m. A further improvement in the service from the West Coast will become effective on November 3, when a Dominie plane will be used from Westport. This means that th-_ present Rapide will take passengers from the Grey and Hokitika districts to Westport, where they will tranship to the Dominie, and the night will be continued direct to the Nortn Island without the need for a transhipment at Nelson, as is the position at present. The use of the larger * plane will also mean that an additional 10 seats will be available for passengers from the West Coast.