Evening star., 1939-12-24


The European war is proving the
greatest spur to development of inter-
tional airline service under the United
States flag in the II years since the
first American airliner set out CONNER
cially on trs 9O-mile route between
Key West and Havana.
With great part of all transatlantic
mail now going by air and with pas
senger seats in the Atlantic clipper fly
Ing boats at premium, plans are being
made for increasing the frequency and
speed of the air schedules between the
United States and war-torn Europe as
rapidly as new equipment can be pro-
duced, with daily service in both di-
fections as the goal
An even greater expansion of air
transportation between the Americas is
In process; service across the Pacific also
Il being stimulated, and mail and pas
-h4hGer reservations already are piling
Up for regular air service soon to be
haugurated between the United States
and New Zealand, down through the
heart of the great Southern Pacific.
Despite ar-time embargo restrictions
and the multitude of international legal
complications, some of them based upon
maritime laws dating from the days of
sailing Ships created by the transforma-
ton OF the peaceful Atlantic again into
naval arena, commercial air transport
between the United States and Europe
now is thriving, difficulties are being
lroned out, and progress is being made
TN weeks which in normal times would
have required years.
Tooth Flight Completed.
Although commercial airline service
across the North Atlantic was inaugu-
rated during the past summer by Pan
American Airways, the Tooth flight al
ready has been completed between the
Old World and the New, and service
has settled down with amazing rapidity
TO matter-of-fact daily routine.
Matter-of-fa that is, insofar as the
mechanical operations of the worlds
newest and in some respects most daring
concerned. Far from matter of fact,
however, is the type of business the
transatlantic airline is carrying on.
Its passenger lists, safeguarded as a
matter OF wartime emergency include
Ambassadors. government couriers and
Dig businessmen on emergency assign
ments having to do with the war, and
the very life of the belligerent nations
and the welfare of the anxious neutrals
everywhere. There are movie stars, busi-
ness travellers of all descriptions, war
refugees all seeking to avoid the dangers
Of surface travel in these days of sub
marine attack, floating mines and COM
merce raiders.
Already, the drama of the Atlantic air.
line-most difficult of all the pioneering
jobs of air transportation-has become
subordinated to the drama of the traf-
fic it is handling and technical advance
ment of the new service, greatly expe-
dited, has become mere background to
the colorful and growing flow of war
time traffic along the airline between
the continents.
''The war in Europe has proved to be
the biggest spur to the United States
international airlines in their IL years
of history" it was explained informally
by officials of Pan-American Airways.
"The war is making not only possible
but Immediately necessary-faster serv-
ice, more schedules, larger aircraft on
the whole web of aerial trade routes
improvements which. under normal con-
ditions would require several years to
effect.
Pressure Spreads to All Routes.
"And that pressure is affecting not
only the transatlantic route-on which,
because of drastic curtailment of all
normal transport and communication
service, the airline is must as this
country's first line of contact with Eu-
rope, but equally so on the inter-Amer-
lean routes, where trade activity is at a
fever pitch; on the long run to the
Orient, where the same element of con-
tact, applying to the Atlantic, is becom-
ing more vital; and, trade-wise again on
the South Pacific, where pressure is
mounting to get service under way as
quickly as possible to New Zealand"
Unlike the World War, the present
European conflict began at time when
international air service was an actual
ity-a very new fact in the vitally i'm
portant North Atlantic naval cockpit of
war. During the World War the United
States was virtually cut off from the rest
of the world-not only from the war;
ring nations, but also from many of the
neutrals which were mutually interde-
pendent for supplies. 1t was not unit
after we entered the war ourselves anc
began conveyed ship traffic across the
Atlantic that full communications were
restored-and then only for the business
of war.
The start of the present war last Sep
tember found the old wartime formula
once more going into operation against
normal surface shipping across the At
lantic. Steamship services of the bel.
figerent nations were withdrawn. Since
these services had dominated the At.
Iantic sea lanes, this meant curtailmen1
Of normal traffic amounting to nearly 6
virtual abandonment of scheduled serv.
ice. Even the ships of the neutral ma.
tions became virtual fugitives to the
great detriment of normal schedules
The United States, invoking rigid neu.
trality laws, barred its shipping from tht