SPANZ TO MAINTAIN FULL TIMETABLE THIS WINTER

Taupo Times, Volume XIV, Issue 42, 1 June 1965, Page 10

SPANZ TO MAINTAIN FULL TIMETABLE THIS WINTER

South Pacific Airlines of New Zealand will maintain its full timetable during the July-August overhaul of one of its 32-seat Viewmaster aircraft. It will do this following agreement to lease one of the National Airways Corporation's standard, 26-seat DC3 aircraft I for five weeks. NAC en- | gineers will also carry out the estimated £14,000 6000-hour overhaul of the Spanz Viewmaster at the Christchurch workshops of the corporation. The company has already published its scheduled flights out of Taupo's new airport, which will open not later than July 5.

Spanz is now operating | a six-day-a-week service j between Auckland and InI vercargill. Under this timetable it flies 28 sectors a day. The ability of Spanz to maintain a stabilised six-day-a-week timetable has been assisted materially by the Post and Telegraph Department's decision to award the company an airmail contract. It is too early to estimate how much

[ revenue Spanz will get from airmails. However, the award of this contract will enhance the company's standing with the travelling public and will assist in maintaining a reasonable earning rate, • especially during the winter months. Again, the stabilised sixday timetable has contributed toward the upswing in passengers carried by Spanz since economy fares were introduced. Agents are now able to do much more forward selling of seats, helped by a new saies drive started under the control of Captain Robert Anderson, recently appointed saies director by the Spanz board. The new Spanz

saies office in Wellington has also greatly boosted saies out of the capital. The economy fares offered betwTeen Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch continue to be popular and are returning the company on average more than £1000 a week. This is the earning pattern Spanz predicted when it applied for permission to introduce economy fares. Spanz is continuing to keep a close

check on passengers availing themselves of the economy fare plan, and the effect these saies may be having on NAC. As far as Spanz is aware, ' the economy fares have had no significant effect on the availability of seats on ' NAC flights. NAC aircraft between the three main centres continue to be heavily booked, especially in peak loading periods.