13. BOTH SIDES NOTED THAT THE MAIN PRESSURES IN AUSTRALIA RELATED TO THE VFR TRAFFIC BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND EUROPE: AND THAT THE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF DISSATISFACTION ABOUT THE FARES ACTUALLY BEING CHARGED ON THE ROUTES BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND HONG KONG. WE SAID THAT WE WOULD NOT NECESSARILY WISH TO HAVE THE SAME REGIME ON BOTH ROUTES AND THAT WE FOUND NO DIFFICULTY IN HAVING DIFFERENT REGIMES ON THE ROUTES RADIATING FROM THE UK. HALTON INDICATED THAT EVEN IF THEY WERE TO ACCEPT CHARTERS BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND POINTS IN EUROPE THEY WOULD NOT NECESSARILY INTRODUCE THEM ON OTHER ROUTES AND WOULD CERT ANLY NOT REGARD THIS AS, A REASON FOR ACCEPTING THE AMERICAN DEMANDS REGARDING CHARTERS REPORTED IN MY TELNO 96.
14. THE AUSTRALIANS ARE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE QUESTION OF PASSENGER COMFORT ON THE LONG JOURNEYS WHICH WOULD BE INVOLVED IN
WHETHER BY CHARTER SERVICE A QUOTE 3RD/4TH FREEDOM UN QUOTE REGIME
OR IN THE KIND OF SEATING DENSITIES THAT QANTAS ARE PLANNING FOR THEIR 747S IN ORDER TO MATCH LAKER'S PRICES. THEY HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED A NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE INSUFFICIENCY OF TOILETS ETC EVEN WITH QANTAS'S EXISTING CONFIGURATION AND THEY DO NOT BELEIVE THAT THIS ASPECT OF TRAVEL CAN BE LEFT TO THE MARKET PLACE. ROWLAND SAID THAT THIS WAS A POINT ON WHICH THEY INTENDED TO PRESS LAKER DURING HIS ORAL EVIDENCE NEXT WEEK AND THAT THEY HAD LEARNED ON A CONFIDENTIAL BASIS THAT LAKER HIMSELF WAS INVESTIGATING THE POSSIBILITY OF REDUCING THE NUMBER OF SEATS AND INCREASING THE
TOILETS ACCORDINGLY.
15. THE AUSTRALIANS EXPRESSED THEIR APPRECIATION OF THE OPENNESS WITH WHICH OUR TEAM HAD DISCUSSED THESE MATTERS WITH THEM
WHICH THEY
HAD FOUND EXTREMELY HELPFUL. THEY WERE PARTICULARLY APPRECIATIVE THAT THE CAA HAD WITHHELD DECISIONS BOTH ON LAKER'S APPLICATION AND ON BRITISH AIRWAYS' PROPOSALS FOR 3RD/4TH FREEDOM FARES AND SAID THAT IT WOULD BE MOST HELPFUL IF WE COULD AVOID COMING TO
A CONCLUSION UNTIL THEY HAD CARRIED THEIR OWN THINKING FURTHER. BOTH
MR NIXO N AND HIS OFFICIALS WENT OUT OF THEIR WAY TO REASSURE
ROGERS THAT THERE WOULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION
WITH '' RE THEY CAME TO ANY FINAL DECISION.
BEFO
16. SEE MIFT,
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