Fare Fight

The battle of plane fares on North Atlantic routes went on last week. Jack Frye, 40, the burly president of Transcontinental & Western Air, Inc., called in reporters in Manhattan to announce: T.W.A. would like to fly passengers from New York to London for $263.80; would start tomorrow if the Civil Aeronautics Board would give permission.

This fare, said Mr. Frye with a meaning look at rival Pan American Airways, is:

1) below prewar first-class steamer rates;

2) less than half the present commercial rate by Pan Am Clippers to Foynes, Eire or Lisbon. T.W.A., now flying the Atlantic for the Air Transport Command, promised also to cut the present flying time from New York to London via Foynes to 22 hours 40 minutes (New York to London without interruption). Said Mr. Frye blandly: "We are not cutting rates for the sake of cutting, but because we can operate at a profit at these rates."

Next day, Pan Am said it expects to drop its New York-London fare to around $148, with a 10% reduction for round trips. This will not come until Pan Am gets its new 128-passenger planes. T.W.A., with a windfall of five Boeing Stratoliners returned by the Army, says it can begin flying seven trips weekly at once.

Actually there will be no passenger flying to Europe for the priority-less General Public until the German war is over, but all this talk was well-timed for CAB's ears. This week, CAB opened hearings on the applications of eleven airlines for postwar North Atlantic routes.

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