TASMAN AIRWAYS SERVICES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26242, 28 August 1946, Page 4

TASMAN AIRWAYS SERVICES

Daily Schedule for New Planes

(Specially written for the Otago Daily Times by Leo White)

From tbe beginning of next momh Tasman Empire Airways will provide a two-way daily service to Sydney, Which means that an air traveller from Otago can leave Dunedin on' one day and arrive in Sydney the next. It also means that the same traveller can proceed without interruption right on to London, or, for that matter, anywhere in the world. From Sydney he joins Qantas Empire Airways and then links up with the airlines of the British Overseas Airways Corporation, which is quickly creating services linking the whole world. The new type of Tasman flying boat is being used on the expanded service These aircraft have accommodation for 30 passengers, compared with the maximum of 19 carried by the Awarua and Aotearoa, the two Short Empire boats which, since the Aotearoa made the inaugural flight on April 30, 1940, have made over 1400 crossings of the Tasman without the loss of one passenger or any mail freight. It is an outstanding record, with 98.45 per cent, of schedule trips flown, which is one of the highest figures for any civil airline service in the world. Those two flying boats operated the only civil air service over the Tasman during the war and, in addition, they were used for reconnaissance work in the Pacific.

ticular attention to passengers who may be making their first trip. Once the flying boat is in the air the passengers receive newspapers and lose luggage is stowed away. They receive chewing gum, barley sugar and even cotton wool for their ears. They are also handed travelling rugs, books and magazines as required. Women and children are the responsibility of the flight stewardess. With the flight steward she serves meals to the 30 passengers as well as the six members of the crew. Dishes have to be washed and then mothers are relieved of the major responsibility of looking after children. The preparation of meals for children and caring for them in every way is regarded by the airline as a task of the first importance. Arduous Duties A flight stewardess will be required to make only one return trip a week, but each trip will involve 12 hours of continuous duty. On the day before departure she has to report to base, and on the day after her return she has to report again and make a flight report similar to that made by other members of the crew. All those details show that the duties are mot easy. Both the steward and the stewardess have to be able to tell a passenger ho,w long the flight will take, the height and speed of the aircraft, the

Figures tell much of the story abou: the trouble-free Tasman air service, and figures also show the great expansion that is now taking place. During the greater part of August, the old boats were affected by westerly winds and could only shift eight or nine passengers on westbound trips. It will be the exception rather than the rule if the new Tasman boats do not leave with their full load of 30 passengers and their full load of freight and mail. Since its inception in 1940, the service/ has carried about 22,000. passengers. The new boats should exceed that number inside one yeat. Six daily trips each way will carry 360 passengers a week and occasionally the total will be raised to 540 by special trips. Appointment of Stewardesses

time of arrival, details' about the airline’s history, the make and the horsepower of the engines, and other details such as the quantity of petrol carried, All those points go to show that the comfort and welfare of the passengers are being given careful consideration by the airline. That is also reflected in the menus prepared for flights. Menus have come to be regarded as legitimate souvenirs and the airline is planning to have one available for every passenger. Attractive fare is provided aloft, and two electric ovens on the new boats have simplified the preparation of food. The passenger can have his breakfast fruit, cornflakes or rice bubbles. Then there arc such items as scrambled eggs on toast and grilled bacon. ; He can have also breakfast rolls and scones and brown or white bread. There is tea and coffee and. milk hot or cold. After breakfast comes morning tea. and then luncheon with soups carrying names like consomme Celestine. The passenger can pass on to braised fillet of beef or roast pork, or, if he prefers, can order cold dishes with salads in season. •' ■ -

Various innovations have been introduced for the expanded service, and. one that .has caught the public imagination has been the appointment of stewardesses. There were, over 800 applications for the six positions. But even though the position of flight stewardess has been accorded a considerable amount of glamour, the duties will not be altogether easy. The flight stewardesses were required to undergo an intense course of training, and the subjects included even New Zealand history and geography. Most of the girls had had nursing experience, and one was even a staff nurse and a graduate in plastic surgery. They were all put through a course in meal “ preparation and the serving of meals. They were taught health and Customs regulations and the airline’s own regulations. During a trip the • work of a stewardess comes under the supervision of a flight steward. It is the flight stewardess who instructs passengers in life-belt drill prior to take-off, and while the aircraft is getting into the air she pays par-

There, are many other details that could be mentioned in a story about T.E.A.—the initials by which the airline has become known. Whole articles could be written about the work done by the staff of 94 in the engineering division, about the problems connected with the. handling of passengers and freight, about the conversion courses that have to be undertaken by members of a crew before they' can fly the Tasman boats, and about the strict regulations governing the operation of the airline. Those are all stories' in themselves, and sufficient has been written to show that at long last New Zealand is about to obtain a daily air link to London which will be operated on standards of safety, efficiency and comfort that cannot be bettered anywhere in the world.