Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-29
AIR FERRY SERVICE,
UNIQUE VENTURE
1881 Passengers Carried
Between San Francisco and
Oakland in 80 Days.

Proposed hourly airplane passenger
service to be inaugurated August Is
between the National Capital. Phila-
delphia and New York has its prece-
dent in frequency of service in one of
the most unusual air transport ventures
yet undertaken. an aerial ferry service
between San Francisco and Oakland,
Calf.
Not only in point of frequency of
service, but in the number of passengers
carried air ferries are unique. The expe-
riences on this line are expected to have
profound influence on similar air
transport development in this part of
the country.
The most comprehensive story of
the romance of the air ferries project
yet received in the National Capital is
embodied in report to the Department
OF Commerce by Alvin C.. Eichholz
commercial agent of the Bureau of
Foreign and Domestic Commerce at
San Francisco.
The planes operated by the company
Mr. Eichholz reported cross the six
miles of water separating the two cities.
landing passengers at the edge of the
downtown districts. The ordinary 40
minute boat and train trip between the
cities is reduced to a siX-minute flight
For the past two months" Mr.. Eich-
holz said. Approximately 400 persons
have been carried daily between the two
cities. The scheduled route is I'M
doubtedly the shortest and the service
the most frequent in the realm of air
transportation.
1881 Passengers in 30 Days.
During the first 80 days of opera
ton the record total of 1891 paving
passengers we're transported over the
DO eV@SA 1F hal IoS,
tons on flve occasions due to fogs.
At the end of two months &C operation
the air ferries had carried 1900 pas
sengers.
ON Sunday, February Is, all records
for passenger transportation BY any
operating airline on permanent
scheduled route were broken when CAT
passengers were transported during the
day A crossing was made from each
terminal every seven minutes, with a
record total of 148 crossings for the
day. Seventy-four crossing are made
daily on normal schedules, which call
for plane every 20 minutes during the
forenoon and every Is minutes during
the afternoon. This schedule is often
advanced to accommodate heavier de-
mands for service.
"A QUESTIONABLE presented to all
paying passengers during period of
SGNcH udyS TcNedlcu SOIlle very
interesting figures Seventy-one per
cent of the passengers making the six
minute fight across the bay were on
business errands. TWenty-eight per
cent were women, % per cent used the
service to save time and 40 per cent
were making their first flight. After
80 days of service nearly 35 per cent
OF the traffic was composed of persons
who had previously used the air ferries.
h. R~eA l. 1t
the new service carried approximately
5,400 persons who had never been in
an airplane before. Despite the fact
that a large percentage of the traffic
continues to be attracted by the nov
city, 81 per cent Of the passengers are
now making the trans-bay trip by air
instead Of via the train-ferry service"
Franchises For Other Lines.
The company found the original line
so successful that after approximately
two months of operation a service was
inaugurated over the 22-mile route be-
tween San Francisco and Vallejo and
the company has obtained franchises
for terminal facilities for five other
lines and when additional equipment.
now on order, becomes available, Mr..
Eichholz told the Department of Com
merce, services will be inaugurated
from San Francisco to Sacramento, 80
miles; to Stockton, 81 miles; Richmond,
8 miles; Sausalito, SIS miles, and Ala
media, 90 miles.
Air ferries uses Keystone Looming
amphibion planes, each carrying two
pilots and seven passengers. novel
landing button" or float was designed
and built for the line at a cost of
$4,000. A semi-circular ramp slopes
off into the water. The planes taxi up
on the ramp under their own power
from any direction to disembark and
take on passengers, mechanical details
having been so perfected that pilots
Of ground crews
Freq0ency Of services, which has
been one Of the keystones CT the success
of AIR ferriaA A "a Ia thu iI,aioiIa faa