AIR TRANSPORT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 March 1939, Page 6

AIR TRANSPORT

HEAVY PASSENGER BOOKINGS. LONG DISTANCE ROUTES.. One of the significant things about long-distance air transport just at the moment, is the remarkably heavy nature of the passenger bookings reported on the Empire flying routes. This, officials say, applies not only to the Imperial flying boats outward bound from Southampton to Africa, India, Malaya and Australia, but also to aircraft flying homeward to England from points overseas. An outstanding feature of Empire air travel at the present time is, as a matter of fact, the increase noted in the volume of passenger traffic which, originating at points throughout tho Empire, is being air-borne through to Southampton. And here is another interesting point which arises that more and more business travellers are found to be making use of the flying routes for urgent visits to England from Africa, India and the East. It is in this respect that modern longdistance air travel may now be said to be developing a new form ot traffic of its own. In the days before they could invoke the modern magic of air speed, commercial magnates overseas often found that though they would have have preferred a personal visit rather than any exchange of letters or cables, it was impossible for them to spare the time involved in a trip to England and back by surface transport. Now, however, with such journeys shrinking from weeks to days, business men in Africa, India, or the East can make an air dash through to London, and be back again in charge of their affairs, in less time than it would take them to make a journey in one direction only by surface transport. What this growing air travel is now seen to imply is an all-round acceleration and stimulation of inter-imperial commerce, facilitating as it does, in a way impracticable hitherto, a direct and frequent contact between directors, export managers, sales executives, and others. When, for example, they are completing some big new sales’' campaign, any trading organisation' in the home market can now arrange for representatives to make rapid air trips out along the Empire routes, explaining personally to clients the special features of the new programme. And. similarly, clients from territories over•seas, when they find they have special orders to place in the home market, can fly through just in a matter of days to inspect the newest lines of goods and discuss the latest market trends actually in London. An examination of some recent passenger book-lists shows clearly the growth in business travel over the Empire routes, and those studying the influence of air transport on commercial development now attach the utmost importance to the growing facilities it is affording for the personal talks and interviews which are found to be so helpful in fostering modern trade.