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(28
GRS 425
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL*
FM HONG KONG 120845Z JAN 79
TO IMMEDIATE F C O
Spoke to George Faut
Wilmer
TELEGRAM NUMBER 90 OF 12 JANUARY
INFO PRIORITY CANBERRA.
üs
ки
12/1
Hkk 184/1
A
JANGAN
OFFICER
PA
NO. 51
Acti
so paw 1d
CANBERRA TELNO 13 TO FCO: AIR SERVICES NEGOTIATIONS
1. NOW THAT THE NEW LOW APEX RETURN AND ONE-WAY FARES BETWEEN
AUSTRALIA AND THE UK HAVE BEEN AGREED AND WILL COME INTO EFFECT
ON 1 FEBRUARY 1979, WE ARE KEEN THAT SIMILAR ARRANGEMENTS SHOULD BECOME AVAILABLE ON THE HONG KONG-AUSTRALIA ROUTE.
2. THE MONTHS OF FEBRUARY, MARCH AND APRIL ARE TRADITIONALLY
RATHER SLACK ON THIS ROUTE AND CPA ARE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE
PROSPECT OF LARGE NUMBERS OF AUSTRALIAN PASSENGERS FOREGOING OR DEFERRING A TRIP TO HONG KONG IN PREFERENCE TO THE UK (OR THE US) TO WHERE THE FARE WILL THEN BE CHEAPER THAN TO HKG. WE HOPE, THEREFORE, TO MAINTAIN THE PRESENT FARE RELATIVELY BETWEEN UK, U.S.
AND HONG KONG BY THE INTRODUCTION OF AN APEX FARE BETWEEN AUSTRALAL AND KONG KONG TO BECOME EFFECTIVE 1 FEBRUARY 1979.
DUCTORY
3. THE FARES CPA PROPOSE AS A ''SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY ARRANGEMENT''
WHICH WOULD BE ADDITIONAL TO EXISTING FARES, ARE :
HIGH SEASON
LOW SEASON
SYD/MEL/BNE
PER
AUS DOLLARS 706
AUS DOLLARS 544
AUS DOLLARS 586
AUS DOLLARS 450
THE FARES WOULD BE INDIVIDUAL POINT TO POINT, SAME PLANE, AND
SALEABLE ONLY ON A ROUND TRIP BASIS REQUIRING FULL PAYMENT
AT LEAST 21 DAYS PRIOR TO TRAVEL. TO OVERCOME THE SHORT · LEAD TIME, THE ADVANCE PAYMENT PERIOD COULD BE REDUCED TO 7 DAYS
FOUR JOURNEYS BOOKED IN JANUARY AND 14 DAYS FOR JOURNEYS BOOKED
IN FEBRUARY. CPA EXPECT THAT SEASONALITY CAN BE ESTABLISHED WITH QANTAS WITHIN THE NEXT FEW DAYS AND ALSO THE PROPOSED FARE FOR HONG KONG/DARWIN.
CONFIDENTIAL
4. ALTHOUGH WE.