Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-15
Washington, Philadelphia and
New York Line Carries
1,557 in 10 Days.
AVERAGE NEARLY FIFTH
OF TOTAL FOR 20 ROUTES
About Half of Passengers Are
Women and Many Are Children,
Miss Earhart Says.

What is claimed to be world record
for number of passengers carried in
interstate traffic by any air passenger
line has been established by the New
York, Philadelphia e. Washington Air
ways Corporation during the first 10
days Of operations, it was announced
here today
During the 10 days a total of 1857
paid passengers have been flown on
regular schedule in planes of the line,
which started service September /, fly
ing every hour in each direction from
am. to pm.
If the average number of passengers
flown were to be maintained for six
months, the total would be nearly 3D.
600 passengers, as compared with 1885,
900 passengers carried by the 90 major
American air lines during the first six
months Of this year.
Total Mileage $4,000.
During the To-day period the tri-
motored planes of the line few a total
of nearly $4,000 miles, making 191
complete flights between the New York
and Washington terminals. Ninety
five per cent of all flights scheduled were
completed, seven having been Cancelled
because of weather and two having
been incompleted. The planes carried
so per cent passenger capacity on all
flights, according to figures announced
by the company.
In carrying an average of 155 pas
Sengers per day the new line is flying
more passengers and more passenger
miles per day than any other passenger
line carrying passengers only between
two terminals, exclusive Of short dis
lance ferry service, it is claimed.
Americans are apt to think of the
air passenger movement across the Eng
lish Channel as a high-water mark in
air transport" one of the officials of
the new line said. According to the
statistics of a well known trade journal,
a total passenger movement of all COM
panies across the English Channel for
1928 was 43,179, an average of lib a
day, as compared with 155 a day on
the New York, Philadelphia and Wash
ington line"
Motor Trouble Only Once.
Only once in $4,000 miles of flying
has the line experienced motor diff
Guilty, according to Paul Collins, vice
president in charge of operations. In
that case q nut broke loose and fell
into the crankcasef necessitating re-
placement of the engine. The replace
ment was made during the night with
out affecting the schedule. The plane
was flown on two motors from Phila-
delphia to Washington, it was stated.
Nearly half the seats sold so far have
been occupied by women and quite a
few children have been flown, 1nclud-
ing several babies-i arms, according TO
Miss Amelia Earhart, vice president of
the line, in charge of public relations
and first woman to cross the Atlantic
by air.
I'VE have been too busy to keep
exact statistics as regards the sex of
our travellers" Miss Earhart said, but
we know pretty accurately that thus
far little less than half of those who
bought tickets we're women. Personal
ly, believe that the percentage of
into more general use, for, of course,
its particular advantages are for bust
ness men who want to save time be-
tween the three cities.
Twenty Planes Daily.
81 know a woman who came up
from Washington on the first plane
the other morning, shopped for sew
eral hours in New York and was back
in Washington for dinner that night
The new line, operating 20 planes a
pioneering effort in air transportation,
it is said. There is no other American
line, aside from a short ferry service
between Oakland, Calf, and San Fran
cisco, a distance of about is miles,
which is operating on so frequent a
schedule and no interstate air line in
the world maintains such service, 1t is
claimed.
This is really an experiment in air
transportation-a genuine laboratory
test on a generous scale" declared c.
T. Ludington, chairman of the board
of the company. 1T will be many
months before we can know with any
accuracy how it works out. Thus far
in aviation there have been no profits
in straight passenger transport, without
mail subsidy or its equivalent, but we
agreed to finance this enterprise with
the clear realization that it may have
to be carried at loss for some time to
come. We believe implicitly in the ulti-
mate business future of air transport
and we are ready to stay with it."