TNAG-0862-FCO40-1072-Involvement-of-Hong-Kong-in-air-services-agreements-1979 — Page 124

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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.