m
NEW TICKET COUNTER and operations facilities are a pleasure
to INT-F based agent Bud Sizemore and the entire Winston-Salem field
staff. Although work is still going on in the remodeling of the terminal.
Piedmont and the two other carriers moved into the new counter drea
about a month ago.
Field Personnel To Mr
Ideas About Company
mi Pieamonmm
VOLUME in, NO. 8
APACE WITH THE PACEMAKERS
AUGUST, 1960
Route Proposals
Receive Support
Support ranging from enthusiastic to lukewarm is being pledged Piedmont Airlines in its bid
to take over service to cities in North Carolina and Virginia affected by trunkline suspension pro
posals.
Richmond, Va., has approved
through action of its Chamber
of Commerce, the total program
set forth by Piedmont in sup
planting American Airlines
there. The Richmond Chamber
also approved Piedmont’s sub
stitution for National Airlines on
the Washingto n-Richmond-
Fayetteville route.
No Protest
Roanoke, Va., City Council has
voted not to protest to the Civil
Aeronautics Board the suspen-
A Two-Year Plan
A meeting giving airline assis
tant managers, chief agents and
lead agents opioortunity to pre-
sant opinions on company mat
ters was held at Winston-Salem
•July 26 and 27.
Featured speaker for the first
day was Colonel Charles P. West-
pheling, transportation officer
for Fort Bragg, N. C. Speaker
for the second day was Colonel
John W. Dregge, chief, routes
division, Bureau of Air Opera
tions, Civil Aeronautics Board.
Piedmont
Is ALTA'S
Joinee
Piedmont Airlines June 30
joined the Association of Local
Transport Airlines, according to
T. H. Davis, president.
Mr. Davis attended the July
18-19 quarterly regional meeting
of the group at Beverly Hills,
Calif., giving Piedmont the first
official representation as a mem
ber of ALTA. Various matters
currently pertaining to local
service carriers were discussed.
ALTA is composed of nine
local service airlines, five Alas
kan airlines and two Hawaiian
carriers. The organization is con
cerned with the activities and
aspirations of local transport air
lines.
Present members are, in addi
tion to Piedmont, Alaska Air
lines, Allegheny, Aloha Airlines
(Hawaii), Bonaza Air Lines, Cen
tral Airlines, Cordova Airlines
(Alaska), Frontier Airlines and
Hawaiian Airlines.
Also Lake Central Airlines,
Northern Consolidated Airlines
(Alaska) Ozark Air Lines, Pa
cific Air Lines, Reeve Aleutian
Airways (Alaska), West Coast
Airlines and Wien Alaska Air
lines.
Colonel Dregge, a native of
Michigan, has been associated
with the CAB since January,
1956. Before that he served as
an alternate U. S. representative
to the International Civil Avia
tion Organization.
Vice President C. G. Brown
several days before the meetings
began said he considered the
similar meeting for managers
and supervisors in April the
“most productive ever held for
the airlines group.”
“We feel,” he said, “that much
good will come from another
meeting at which this second
group will be urged to present
frankly and fully personal views
on any and all subjects which
will benefit the company.”
Each member of the group at
tending was given up to 20 min
utes in which to talk to the
group. The meeting at the Hotel
Robert E. Lee began at 9 a.m.
Tuesday and continued through
Wednesday afternoon.
Redecorating Begins
A project to remodel the in
teriors of all Piedmont Airlines
aircraft to a single color scheme
will begin within the next 30
days. The entire project is an-
ticipatec\ to ta'ke at least two
years.
Focal point of the remodeling
is a modernized Piedmont insig
nia. Based on the present insig
nia, the new one is a round gold
en ring overlaid with the red
eagle. It will contain no writing.
The interior design was cre
ated by Dave Ellies, industrial
designer of Columbus, Ohio, and
will be executed in phases, ac
cording to Howard M. Cart
wright, superintendent of main
tenance.
The first phase will include
arm rests and curtains. The sec
ond phase will concentrate on
headliners and front and rear
bulkheads. The third phase will
complete the design with up
holstery and floor covering.
The top-to-bottom color scheme
features a light blue plastic
headliner, gold-tone metal trim.
orange window fraines and ac
cents and black leather seat
trim and dado. Curtains will be
fashioned from a woven stripe
material in ombre tones of mari-
goici, orange and rust.
Seat upholstery will be in two
color combinations of woven
check material. DC-3 high den
sity seats will be covered in one
combination, low density seats
in the other. F-27 seats will use
one combination for the outside
seats and the other combination
for the aisle seats. The combi
nations are tones of blue and
tones of blue-green-gold.
The floor covering is light
green lizard-g rained plastic.
Rugs will be blue and green
wool loop tweed. Rear and for
ward bulkheads will be con
structed of walnut-grained lami
nated plastic and will feature
the new insignia.
Mr. Cartwright said Piedmont
is presently awaiting materials
to begin the project. All work
will be done by the Winston-Sa-
lem maintenance shops.
Industry Fare Hike Waived
Piedmont will not increase its
local fares in the foreseeable fu
ture, according to C. G. Brown,
vice president, but has agreed to
the industry increase on joint
fares amounting to one dollar
per ticket, plus two and one-half
per cent effective July 1.
Vice President Brown gave the
reasons for Piedmont’s decision
not to increase local fares. He
said Piedmont, with the indus
try, had in November, 1952, in
creased all fares by one dollar
per ticket. Independently, Pied
mont increased all non-competi
tive fares by 10 per cent in Aug
ust, 1957.
Again, in April, 1958, Pied
mont joined the industry in a
four per cent plus one dollar per
ticket increase. As a result of the
three fare increases. Piedmont’s
return per revenue passenger is
now one of the highest in the in
dustry.
Brown said Piedmont felt that
its fares, particularly on the
shorter routes, are as high as
traffic will support. “Any fur
ther one dollar per ticket in
creases on the short-haul fares
will get them completely out of
line,” he said.
Piedmont, he said, does not ex
pect to obtain a competitive ad
vantage as a result of not in
creasing fares. “I feel certain,”
Brown said, “that after the
whole matter has settled down,
the trunks in this area will re
duce their local fares to meet
ours.”
Piedmont has informed the
Civil Aeronautics Board that if
at some point in the future de
velopments should indicate the
wisdom of a fare increase. Pied
mont will base such an increase
on an across-the-board percent
age and will not add a fixed
amount (such as the one dollar
per ticket) to all fares.
The fare increase, effective
July 1, was adopted by practical
ly all domestic trunk lines and
local service airlines. The ex
ceptions other than Piedmont
were West Coast Airlines and
Central Airlines.
Authority for the rate in
creases came from the CAB in
order that airlines better their
return on investment. Separate
rates of return were adopted for
the domestic trunks and local
service carriers.
According to recent figures
compiled for The Piedmonitor
by the Air Transport Associa
tion, average domestic fares in
creased 26 per cent from 1946 to
1959, while wages and salaries
for airline employees increased
450 per cent.
Operation
Cooperation
Is Working!
sion of American at Woodrum
Field. However, the Roanoke
Chamber of Commerce has de
liberated such action.
Fayetteville, N. C., is protest
ing the proposed suspension of
National Airlines there but says
it will support Piedmont’s appli
cation if the protest is not acted
upon. Other cities — Myrtle
Beach, Wilmington and Golds
boro — involved in the same pro
posed suspension are actively
supporting Piedmont’s applica
tion.
Non-Stop Route
Assuming the CAB suspends
American at Roanoke and Rich
mond and National at Fayette
ville and grants Piedmont the
authority reqtiested. Piedmont
will be hying non-stop Roanoke
to Washington and Richmond to
Washington route s, one-stop
Roanoke - Richmond - Washington
route and year-round service to
Myrtle Beach.
A successful outcome for Pied
mont in the National suspension
rests largely on support from the
Department of Defense, which
must see to the adequacy of serv
ice at military establishments,
Myrtle Beach AFB, Seymour
Johnson Field and Fort Bragg.
Service Pro[)osed
Piedmont proposes to serve
Wilmington - Myrtle Beach,
Fayetteville - Goldsboro - Rich-
mond-W a s h i n g t o n with two
round trips daily. In the Ameri
can suspension area. Piedmont
proposes two daily non-stop
round trips from Roanoke to
Washington and two daily one-
stop round trips from Roanoke
to Richmond to Washington in
addition to present schedules.
Both American and National
requested suspension on the
basis that traffic at the points
would not support service by a
trunk line but was better suited
to feeder-type service.
BULLETIN
Just before The Piedmonitor
went to press, the sales meeting
of assistant managers, chief
agents and lead agents con
cluded in Winston-Salem amid
favorable comments both from
home office officials and those
attending from the field. Many
valuable suggestions, some of
which will be listed in next
month's Piedmonitor, were given
by the field personnel here for
the meeting. As for the future,
the climate was bright and op
timistic. President Davis, in his
welcoming remarks, said that
this period offers "the greatest
opportunity this company has
ever had."