THE PIED MONITOR
Vol. 1 No. 6. - Piedmont Sets The Pace - September 1, 1951,
= AUGUST TRAFFIC -
The pace was set this month with our biggest traffic day since the beginning of operations
occurring on August 31, when we carried a total of 929 passengers. Approximate monthly
passenger count rests at 20,350p which is about 841 above the quota for August. Our load
factor for August is in the vicinity of 57.09%. All in all, this is really the most record
breaking month in our history. What with the largest passenger count and the biggest single
day, and the best load factor, we can look back to August with justifiable pride.
(Last minute ‘facts and figures’ item; OnSeptember 3, a total of 926 passengers were board
ed along our system without any extra sections. We are waiting anxiously to see what the
load factor is for this one day.)
- PAI RENEWAL CASE HEARING -
The first half of the C.A.B. Hearing on our Certificate Renewal Case was held in Winston-
Salem on August 20, 21, and 22. This portion of the Hearing was for the taking of testimony
of representatives of the Cities and States we serve. The Hearing will reconvene in
Washington on September 10, at which time the Company will present its case and the other
airlines, American, Delta, Eastern and Capital, will present their views. As you know. Eastern
and Delta had previously filed an application with the C.A.B. for our routes and asked that their
applications be heard along with our Renewal application. At the opening of the Hearing in
INT, however, both Eastern and Delta formally advised the Board that they did not intend to
press their applications. Without exception, all of the SOodd City and State witnesses praised
Piedmont’^ operations in most glowing terms. Danville and Goldsboro requested additional
flights. All Cities urged the Board to make our new Certificate permanento Tri-Cities,
Roanoke, and Lynchburg, urged the Board to continue American Airlines’ service to those
points, but at the same time they were highly complimentary of the service we had been
rendering. Richmond and Knoxville argued that American Airlines should suspend service
at Tri-Cities, Roanoke, and Lynchburg, and turn the route over to us. LouisVille, Richmond,
Roanoke, Lynchburg, Danville, and the Kentucky Department of Aeronautics strongly urged
the Board to grant us the route extension between Beckley and Lexington. The New Bern
witness strongly supported our request for authority to operate between New Bern and
Wilmington. All in all, we feel this portion of the Hearing was highly successful. Gordon
BROWN and Lee FULLER, along with the help of others, have done an outstanding job in
gathering all the facts to make our case one of the best ever presented. Witnesses who will
testify in Washington for the Company will be T. H. DAVIS, R. D. HAGER, and C, G. BROWN.
We will let you know in the next PIEDMONITOR how the Hearing in Washington comes out.
Of course, there are still several procedural steps to be taken and it appears that about the
earliest we can expect a final decision will be February or March of 1952.
- COMMUNICATIONS CHATTER - W. D. Rollick
Frank GRANT has been promoted from Jr. Radio Technician to Radio Technician. He has
worked hard to obtain the necessary qualifications. Congratulations, Frank.... George
LAVRINC CVG Technician, will spend his vacation in INT taking an Instrument Rating
Course... Ralph MONEY is now a home-owner on “Mortgage Hill” in Ardmore. On a re
cent trip through some of our stations I was surprised to learn that some of the Piedmont