points varying from 12 to 83 miles from New York City. By statements made at the hearings and in brief, Air Commuting's original proposal in this respect has been amended to seek authorization to serve only Asbury Park, Englewood, Long Branch, Montclair, Morristown, Passaic, Paterson, Perth Amboy, Plainfield, Princeton, and New Brunswick, N. J.; Danbury, Fairfield, Greenwich, Norwalk, and Stamford, Conn.; and Staten Island and Tuxedo, N. Y. The amphibian plane to be used, the 14-place Grumman Mallard, may be operated with safety at all of the above points. At Fairfield, Norwalk, Stamford, Greenwich, Staten Island, Perth Amboy, Long Branch, and Asbury Park there are protected coves or other areas of calm water for landing and taking off; at the other points land operations are feasible. The eminence of New York City as the commercial center of the world as well as the Nation's principal focal point for business and social travel is so well known as to require no extensive elaboration here. The 1941 figures reflecting highway and ferry vehicular traffic show a total of 71,806,210 automobiles passing through toll bridges or tunnels used by commuter traffic. In spite of curtailed private automobile traffic caused by wartime gasoline restrictions, 22,901,953 automobiles traveled to and from New York City via the Holland Tunnel, the Lincoln Tunnel, and the George Washington Bridge in 1942. The actual number of daily commuters from Danbury, Fairfield, and Perth Amboy is not known, but on the basis of an incomplete count the remaining points, in the immediate prewar years supplied 59,176 persons daily to and from New York City who traveled by means of public transportation. With the exception of those from Staten Island, most of these commuters (of whom there is a record) traveled by railroad. There undoubtedly was a large number traveling by private automobile for which there is no accurate count, but it is reasonable to assume that in normal times the number of commuters who travel by public and private means will greatly increase. Round-trip savings to commuters by air to a central downtown point show averages of 2 hours daily, with savings of more than 3 hours to such points as Long Branch, Fairfield, Danbury, and Asbury Park. A commuter who lives in Greenwich testified that Air Commuting would save him a total of 27 days per year, or approximately 1 month, in effective business hours. A commuter living at a point like Danbury, and who works 5 days per week in New York City, would save time totaling more than 108 8-hour days per year if he commuted by air in preference to the existing fastest surface means. When it is remembered that New York City is the hub of the world's commerce and that such commerce employs the Nation's highest-paid executives, of whom a very great number live in outlying communities to be served by Air Commuting, there is reason to believe that the service offered by the applicant would be of value. Even though Air Commuting's proposed fare of 20 cents per mile appears high in comparison with present air and surface fares, the value just pointed out would appear to override the monetary consideration to such passengers. Moreover, the applicant intends to sell commutation tick 2 The economic characteristics of these outlying points are contained in the appendix. ets at reduced rates to regular passengers, thus assuring them of seats at convenient hours and insuring to the applicant a dependability of service resulting from stabilized income. The service of Air Commuting would provide direct air transportation from each one of the outlying points to Manhattan as the central terminal. The speedy carriage of the passenger from his point of business or social interests and return makes the service of Air Commuting unique in the development of air transportation. For the purpose of Air Commuting's patrons, New York City may be considered as an area specialized as a business community, while the points from which such patrons would come may be considered as specialized residential areas. The fact that Air Commuting will fly into New York City proper rather than LaGuardia, Newark, Idlewild, or some other airport serving the New York City area, indicates that Air Commuting is not competitive with presently certificated carriers. The only certificated points to which Air Commuting proposes service are Stamford and Norwalk on Northeast's route No. 27 between New York-Newark, N. J., and Waterbury, Conn. Northeast, of course, does not have a downtown New York point of landing. Whereas Air Commuting's airtime from these points to downtown seaplane bases is approximately 30 minutes, Northeast, or any carrier which would transport passengers from these points into LaGuardia or Newark, would present its passengers with the necessity of taking surface means from the airports to downtown New York-a combination air-surface trip consuming approximately 1 hour, or substantially the same amount of time which would be required if the entire journey were made by automobile or rail. Thus, the value of air service to New York would be lessened for Stamford-Norwalk passengers if they were required to travel to downtown New York by surface means. It is of considerable public interest that new types of scheduled air transportation be fostered when circumstances portend economic success. In the case of Air Commuting, the territory it seeks to serve, the nature of the pursuits engaged in by the residents of that territory, and the benefits and convenience offered by the applicant lead to the belief that economic success is achievable. Added to these elements is the fact that Air Commuting does not seek Government subsidy in the form of mail pay. All these factors render the proposal a suitable project for experimentation on a temporary basis. We have not heretofore certificated an applicant whose main operational emphasis was put upon the versatility of the aircraft to be used. A carrier may switch from the use of a conventional landplane to an amphibian- or helicopter-type plane without special permission from the Board. The only condition precedent to the use of any particular type airplane is that it be approved for its intended use by the Civil Aeronautics Administration. New types of aircraft may make the commercial transportation of passengers possible in instances where conventional models could not perform. The Board should not be tardy in unlocking communities not heretofore accessible by conventional aircraft if there are carriers fit, willing, and able to serve such communities with new type aircraft adaptable to the purpose. In the instant proceeding it appears that the applicant, through the use of Page Compania Panamena de Aviacion, Air Carrier Permit__. Delta Air Lines, Inc. (Airlines Negotiating Conference). (Kansas City-Memphis-Florida Case). (Mississippi Valley Case).. Detroit-Washington Case.__ Dodson, Jim, Air Service (Consolidation). Duluth Airlines, Inc. (Chicago-Seattle Area Case). Du Pont, A. Felix, Jr., (All American-du Pont, Interlocking Relationship). Consolidation of Routes. (Detroit-Washington Case). (Kansas City-Memphis-Florida Case). (Latin American Air Service) (Middle Atlantic Area Case-Pittsburgh) (Mississippi Valley Case). (Southeastern States Case) Ellis Air Transport (Juneau Mail Routes). Equipment Interchange, T. W. A.-Delta__ Florida Air., Mail Rates. G. I. Airlines, Inc. (Chicago-Seattle Area Case) Grace, W. R., & Company (Pan American-Panagra Agreement). 44 354 825 354 360 554 i ! ! ! !! 726 487 110 647 672 354 580 487 554 65 536 726 585 127 956 857 958 647 50 360 Great Northern Airlines (Chicago-Seattle Area Case). 647 Hanes, John W. (Pan Am. Airways-Hanes, Interlocking Relationship) – 617 Hawaiian Airlines, Limited (Air Mail Service for Hawaii). 10 Certificate Amendment... 632 Independent Air Freight Assn., Inc. (Suspension and Investigation, Air 621 Inland Air Lines, Inc. (Airlines Negotiating Conference). Los Angeles Airways, Inc. (Los Angeles Helicopter Case). Matson Navigation Company (Pacific Northwest-Hawaii Case) 149 Page Melbourne Service (Pan Am. Airways). 547 Michigan Central Airlines (Great Lakes Area Case). 360 Mid-Continent Airlines, Inc. (Airlines Negotiating Conference). 354 National Airlines, Inc., (Airlines Negotiating Conference). 354 Northeast Airlines, Inc. (Airlines Negotiating Conference). 354 Northern Air Service (Consolidation) 110 Pan American Airways Corporation (Pan American-Panagra Agreement) Pan Am. Airways-U. S. Lines Agreement_ 609 Pan American-Grace Airways, Inc. (Pan American-Panagra Agreement). 50 Parks Air Transport (Great Lakes Area Case). 360 (Mississippi Valley Case) 726 Pennsylvania-Central Airlines Corp. (Airlines Negotiating Conference). 354 Pioneer Air Lines, Inc. (Airlines Negotiating Conference). South Central Air Transport, Inc. (Mississippi Valley Case). Southeastern States Case Southern Bus Lines, Inc. (Mississippi Valley Case). Slick Airways, Inc. (Suspension and Investigation, Air Freight Tariffs). Southern Airways, Inc. (Mississippi Valley Case). Southwest Airways Company (Los Angeles Helicopter Case). 621 726 585, 716 726 726 92 963 Page Route Consolidations_ (Cincinnati-New York Additional Service) – (Detroit-Washington Case) (Great Lakes Area Case). (Middle Atlantic Area Case-Pittsburgh). (Mississippi Valley Case). (Pennsylvania Cent. Air., et al., Motions). Translatlantic Mail Rate. Trans-Texas Airways, Mail Rates (Mississippi Valley Case).. United Air Lines, Inc. (Airlines Negotiating Conference). (Detroit-Washington Case) (Middle Atlantic Area Case-Pittsburgh) (North Central Case) (Route Consolidations). 585, 716 621 626 464 138, 169 Transcontinental & Western Air, Inc. (Airlines Negotiating Conference) - 354 152, 603 487 360 536 726 685 28 975 966 726 Turner, Roscoe, Aeronautical Corporation (Great Lakes Area Case). T. W. A.-Delta, Equipment Interchange... (Great Lakes Area Case). 360 857 354 487 360 536 208 28 United-Western, Acquisition Air Carrier Property United States Lines Company (Pan Am. Airways-U. S. Lines Agreement) - 298 609 110 Waterman Airlines, Inc. (New Orleans-San Juan Service). 641 Waterman Steamship Corporation (New Orleans-San Juan Service) - 641 14, 636 West Coast Air., Certificate Amendment. 973 Mail Rates. Western Air Lines, Inc. (Airlines Negotiating Conference) Woodley Airways, (Certificate Transfer). Yellow Cab Company of Cleveland, Inc. (Great Lakes Area Case) 969 354 647 298 14 217 360 8 C. A. B. |