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GRS 309
UNCLASSIFIED
DESKBY KUALA LUMPUR 050400Z
FM CANBERRA 0502302 FEB 79
TO IMMEDIATE FCO
TELEGRAM NUMBER 96 OF 5 FEBRUARY
AND TO IMMEDIATE DESKBY 050400Z KUALA LUMPUR
Hkk184/1
No 1 Joke A
INFO IMMEDIATE SINGAPORE, BANGKOK, JAKARTA, MANILA, HONG
KONG (@GOVERNOR AND BCARFE) AND ROUTINE WELLINGTON MIPT:UK/AUSTRALIA AIR SERVICES
THE FOLLOWING IS THE REPORT BY ANDREW FOWLER IN TODAY'S " THE AUSTRALIAN ""
A NEW RETURN FARE TO LONDON WITH STOPOVERS WILL BE OFFERED TO THE ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH-EAST ASIAN NATIONS WHEN THEY MEET FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AIR FARE NEGOTIATORS TODAY.
IT IS NEARLY AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS 100 LESS THAN AN EARLIER OFFER OF AUSTRLIAN DOLLARS 1000 RETURN IN THE OFF-PEAK SEASON,
WHICH WAS REJECTED BY ASEAN,
THE NATIONS ARGUED THE AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS 1000 PROPOSAL WAS TOO. HIGH AND WOULD NOT ENCOURAGE TOURISTS TO STOP ON THEIR WAY TO
LONDON.
AUSTRALIA WILL TODAY OFFER ASEAN A FARE OF AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS 914 WHICH WOULD BE AVAILABLE DURING THE NORTHERN WINTER. THERE WOULD BE A PEAK SEASON FARE FOR TRAVEL DURING THE NORTHERN SUMMER OF AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS 1214 AND A MIDDLE-SEASON FARE OF
AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS 1014.
ALL FARES WOULD ALLOW TRAVELLERS A SINGLE STOPOVER
AT NO EXTRA COST ON EITHER THEIR WAY TO EUROPE OR THE RETURN LEG.
THE NEW FARES PACKAGE WAS DRAWN UP BY AUSTRALIAN AND BRITISH
NEGOTIATORS TALKS IN CANBERRA LAST MONTH.
THEY OBVIOUSLY GO SOME OF THE WAY TOWARD DEFUSING THE
POLITICAL STORM OVER THE EXCLUSION OF ASEAN AIRLINES FROM THE QANTAS/BRITISH AIRWAYS CHEAP FARES PACKAGE, WHICH INCLUDES A AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS 568 RETURN TO LONDON WITHOUT STOPOVERS BUT THEY ARE EXPECTED TO BE REJECTED AS STILL BEING TOO MICH.
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/ THE ASEAN