IMPERIAL AIRWAYS PLANES

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 43, 13 November 1937, Page 6

IMPERIAL AIRWAYS PLANES

PreBB Association.)

Jraveller Dissatisfied with Service STRONG CRITICISM

(Bjr Telegraph—

AUCKLAND, Last Night. "Uhless Imperial Airways gives a "better service over the section of the Empire air Toute from Singapore to Alexandria, Pan-American Airways will obtain all the air transport business offering between New Zealand and Australia and England," said Mr H. J. Butcher, in an interview to-day. Mr Butcher recently flew from Australia to England by the Empire seririce. * "In deciding to go by the Empire air service to England, a traveller soon discovers that there are many ridiculous and nnnecessary delays, ' ' Mr Butcher said." When planning to fiy to England caTlier this year, Mr Butcher found that his machine was to leave Brisbane oii May 11, involving a waste of eight days instead of a ten-hour flight across the Tasman had the promised air ser.▼ice been ojerating. The flight from Brisbane to Darwin —2023 miies — took two days in a de Havilland machine, which . made 12 landings, and its actual flying time wa» 16J hours. Erom DarsMn to Singapore — 2333 jniles— took two days, only 16 hours of which were Spent in the air. "We left Singapore on the mofning of the flfth day by the Imperial Airways r.^chine Atlanta, which we soon discovered was very slow, fiying at only abont 100 miles an hour, compar«d with the 140 miles an hour of the de Havilland of Quantas on the first section. Mr Butcher continued: — r

"We spent four days in this machise, .spending a night at Bangkok, Calcutta, and Delhi, and changing machiueg again at Karacbi. "The distarce was 3513 miles, "and at was a very dow trip. We left Kar^ mchi at two o'clt-ck on the afternoon of the cighth day by the Imperial Airways machine Hannibal, which we soon diseovertd was even slower than the 'Atlanta we had just left. "We travelled to Alexandria — 2672 miles — in this machine, stopping a iught at Gwadah and Baghdad. "This was the slowest trip of all, the speed being only abont 80 miles an l*mr. "A striking contrast was afforded the -.passengers at Alexandria when . they changed into- the Empire flying boat Cassiope. For the flight of 2300 jnilefe to Sauthampton, with a night spent en xonto at Brindisi, an average speed of 150 miles an honr was maintained' in comfort and silence,. amid luxurious surrOundings. By comparison, the two machines on which we had been passengers since ieaving Singapore seemed as antiquated as ten-year-oJd motor cars alongside the lat■est .model. "The scheduled time of arrival at Bouthampton was three o 'clock in the afternoon and the keel touched the water as the docks were striking three ■— a. tribute to both the machine and the crew. "To my mind there is no reason why flying boats of this kind snonld. notreach Brisbane in. seven days, instead of 12 days, as at present," he conclnded. ' ' This would mean only 12 hours ' flying each day, and 12, hours on a boat of that type would never be ia eomfort. The Duteh K.L.M. Line irksome, as they represenl the latest •ven now takes two Says less than Imperial airways from Singapore to Europe and the Pan-American plan to fly to Ban Exancisco from Auckland in fonr days, with a connection to New York in 174 hours, and a projected Atlantic link in 12 hours, would enable a eomfortable flight to be made from Auckland to London in six days. "