TRAVEL BY AIR.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13540, 19 April 1937, Page 7

TRAVEL BY AIR.

NEW ZEALAND —LONDON. SEVEN DAYS OR DESS. Flights from New Zealand to London m seven days or less, under commercial conditions, have been lifted from the realm of conjecture as the result of the first survey flight of the Pan-American Airways Clipper from San Francisco to Auckland and the conclusion of an agreement on trans- Atlantic air services. New Zealanders will soon have no need to worry about spending so much time in travelling; when they decide to visit Britain, fen;- they will be able to reduce that time to six or seven days, instead of one month. If the proposed air services across the Pacific and tlie North Atlantic are in operation by next year it will be possible for travellers to be in San Francisco four and a half days after leaving Auckland, and in London a day and a half later. MACHINES TO BE USED. The first stage of the journey will be made in Martin Clipper flyingboats, which are expected to bring Auckland within four and a half days of San Francisco instead of the 16 days by steamer. Passengers will then transfer to machines which will fly across the United States all night, arriving in New Y'ork before noon on the next day, cutting down the three and a half days by train to only 17 hours. Twice-weekly round trips between New York and Southampton with giant passenger-carrying flying-boats are contemplated by Imperial Airways and Pan-American Airways, and when this service is in operation the last stage of the flight to Don don will jmobably be made in 20 hours. For six months of the year the flight will probably take longer, as the southern route of 5000 miles via Bermuda and the Azores will be used instead of the 3500-mile route via Newfoundland. COST OF THE JOURNEY. The cost of flying from New Zealand to London in a week or less probably will not seem great when the saving in time is taken into consideration. Basing the fares on those charged by the companies now operating air services across the North Pacific and the United States, it is probable that the journey will not cost more than £375. This compares

with about £153 for a long journey which takes nearly four times as long. Pan-American Airways now charge 799 dollars, or about £l6O, for a Uight from San Francisco to Manila and the fare from Auckland to San Francisco will probably be near that amount. It is now possible to fly across the United States from Uos Angeles to New York for 140 dollars, or £2B. The fare for the final stage by air has been estimated at £IOO, as 282 dollars, or £56, is the minimum fare on the Queen Mary, and those who can afford to travel on such ships are most likely to patronise the air services.