Evening star., 1947-10-05
Britain Worries
World Airlines
Pleasure Travel Ban Less
Likely to Hurt u. S:
Companies
Companies
by DonoId A. Schwind

LONDON.-This is worry week"
for airline officials watching to see
whether normal curtailment of win
ter Embellishments for most
lines-can absorb the punch which
Britains ban on foreign pleasure
travel gave their services last We'd
nesday.
The three American lines, Pan
American, Trans World and Amer
lean Overseas Airlines, are in the best
position since they normally carry
much larger proportion of busi-
ness people to pleasure seekers. Sew
eral of the intra- European lines,
however-notably the swedish-ex-
pect to be hard hit.
British lines already had slashed
to the bone in anticipation Of the
far ar-reaching measures announced by
the government late in August. The
British allowance of foreign cur
rency, cut from rs pounds $4,000 to
IS pounds ($140) by an earlier rul-
ing, was wholly suspended" We'd
nesday, and the treasury announced
"stricter controls" will be main
tanned over allowances for business
men travelling abroad.
Uncertainty over possible relaxa-
tions by the British government
make this week-long period Of
marking time still more difficult
for lines attempting to gauge in ad-
vance the full effect of the ban on
their business.
Discrimination CHARGED
The II lines working through
Britain have made joint representa-
tions to the Bank Of England, al
leging that the ban discriminates
in favor Of British lines.
The Swedish airlines have slashed
their London Stockholm service
from 308 seats q week to SO as Of
tomorrow. A spokesman said the
travel ban was "the main reason"
for the drastic cut. |
The British move, the spokesman
said, also had forced scrappings of
plans to boost Swedish airlines seat
ings to $50 per week in the spring
A spokesman for the Swiss line
Swissair said a tentative" winter
schedule trimming the lines three
services to one daily round trip for
each had been worked out, but might
have to be reconsidered in the light
of developments this week.
The Swiss spokesman said his firm
was banking on a general business
improvement in Europe to hold the
revenues steady. 1t Is hoped Swiss
airs present proportion Of roughly
40 per cent business seatings to so
per cent tourist will settle down at
go and 40, respectively.
A spokesman for the Dutch kim
lines declared I'VE do not subscribe
to the present defeatism" and added
that the first winter pruning of
schedules would be no greater than
last year. However, he added, I'VE
are quite prepared to review the
matter in the light Of develop
ments."
KIM Adds Three Runs
kim. cutting It's tratnc between
London and Amsterdam to four
runs each way per day, Is adding
three new services, however, from
Amsterdam to Marseille, Gothen-
burg and LYDIA.
A TWA spokesman said his line
had closed its advertising and pub
licity offices in Cairo and Paris, but
claimed the cuts were a policy
matter aimed at centralizing these
operations in New York.
Personnel affected, he said, largely
had been shifted to other areas and
very few people have actually left
the company"
The spokesman said TWA ap-
parently would be little affected by
the British ban since the line car
ried little pleasure business. He
added few people could 60 to the
United States on rs pounds and still
fewer on 35" The company had no
cancellations for October, he said.
The spokesman termed TWA
winter reductions normal" Pan
American Anyways also has cut out
its Paris public relations setup, an
operation which q spokesman in
London said was merely . "regroup-
ing" in that personnel had been
shifted elsewhere. The spokesman
said his firm had mo clear picture"
Of what would happen to It's reve-
nues as q result Of the British ban.
distributed By the Assoeisted PressJ !