Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-03-08
EXTENSION OF
LINES CERTAIN
Demand For Speed Assures
Network of Air Routes
Over Country

NEW YORK, March 8.-Just as
the frequent repetition OF the true
statement that the air mail system
of the United States is superior TO
that of all other countries has tend
ed to build up the erroneous impress
sion that the transportation OF mall
through the air is perfect, so, con-
yersely, the frequently stated fact
that passenger carrying on air lines
in this country is far behind that OF
Europe has led many people to be-
lieve that there is no air passenger
business to speak of in the United
States today.
This is far from true. There are
thirty-five long-distance air lines in
the country at the present time
operating on regular schedule which
carry passengers. Many more are
expected to be added during 1929,
which is likely to see an interesting
and exciting race by three separate
groups for the through air travel
business between the Atlantic and
Psrifin cnnete
Railroads. Participate in Race
The race, which will involve to a
certain exten the railroads by virtue
of the air-mail tie-upS, has already
started, although the transcontinen-
tai air passenger systems are still in
a formative stage. There were two
indications last week that for at
least two Of these systems the pre-
paratory stage was drawing to 9
close. The Universal Air Lines,
which have demonstrated their ell
ficiency in the Middle West in a ter
ritory extending from Cleveland to
Kansas City, brought a part OF their
flying equipment to the Newark air.
port to demonstrate their method OF
operation to prospective ATRIAL
passengers in the New York district.
S~peediest Service Demanded
In addition to establishing feeder
and connecting lines the impending
period Of intense competition is like
ly to lead to a rapid elimination of
the railroad links from the projected
air and rail systems. The 7. A. I.
system was the first to propose a
combination of rail and plane travel
which would permit the transporta-
ton Of passengers across the con-
tinent in forty-eight hours. This
was to be achieved by carrying the
passengers on trains for the two
nights Of the run, the Pennsylvania
Railroad to handle the Eastern por-
ton of this traffic and the Santa Fe
railroad the second night.
But while this plan was still in a
preliminary engineering stage T. A.
It. was forced to announce the in
tention to establish a new one-day
and one-night service, which would
eliminate the Western railroad link
by carrying the passengers all the
way by plane from Columbus. Ohio.
justification for the belief that
competition will be keen for the new
business of transcontinental air
travel is to be found in the time Of
fered for the air journey from coast
to coast in the plans for four differ
ent proposed services. These are
thirty-six. forty, forty-two and for
ty-eight hours.
Universal to Establish Link
The Universal Air Lines have
been carrying passengers OF regular
scheduled operation for some time
between Cleveland and Chicago,
Cleveland and st. Louis and Kansas
City and Chicago and the twin
cities, st. Paul and Minneapolis.
This company. which has developed
rapidly. has a working agreement
with the Western Air Express, which
has announced its intention Of ex-