AIR TRAVEL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23687, 20 December 1938, Page 9

AIR TRAVEL

RECORD CHRISTMAS RUSH EXTENDED SERVICES ARRANGED (Special to Daily Times) WELLINGTON, Dec. 19. A record for the number of commercial aircraft using a New Zealand aerodrome in one day will probably be established at Rongotai, Wellington, next Saturday. The Christmas bookings are so heavy this year that many extra trips between Wellington and other centres will be necessary to cope with the passenger traffic offering. So far. 21 Cook Strait Airways machines are scheduled to arrive at Rongotai on Saturday, and 21 are scheduled to depart. ' In addition, Union Airways of New Zealand, Ltd., will have five Lockhead Electras arriving and five departing. This will mean a total of 52 airliners arriving at and departing from Rongotai, Between them, the aircraft will carry more than 352 passengers. Advance bookings for Christmas holiday travel were very heavy several weeks ago, and this year the commercial air lines in New Zealand will carry a record number of passengers. Cook Strait Airways, operating services between Wellington, Blenheim, and Nelson are so heavily booked that, in several instances, the ordinary trips have been more than trebled. Christmas Eve will be the busiest day of all for air travel in New Zealand, and, on that day. the Cook Strait Airways fleet of five Dragon Rapides will be flying almost continuously between Wellington, Blenheim, and Nelson. In addition to Union Airways' usual daily service between Wellington and Dunedin, a Lockheed will make a special trip on Saturday, leaving Wei lington at 8.10 a.m. for Dunedin. via Christchurch. Two flights will be made between Wellington and Auckland, as usual, and an extra trip from Dunedin to Wellington, via Christchurch, has also been arranged. The Lockheed scheduled to leave Wellington at 3 p.m. for Auckland will not take passengers for Palmerston North, and heavy bookings have necessitated a service which is to leave Wellington at 3.5 p.m. for Palmerston North. Advance bookings for Friday of this week, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day are also very heavy, and a number of extra trips have been arranged by Cook Strait Airways. On Christmas Day the ordinary services between Wellington. Blenheim, and Nelson will be doubled. "This will be the busiest Christmas the airways in New Zealand have ever known," said an official to-day. "In spite of the extra trips being planned in advance, bookings are still coming forward, and we shall have to arrange even further extra trips to meet the demand."