inB PiEamoniTOH
VOL. VII, NO. 8
APACE WITH THE PACEMAKER
NOVEMBER, 1964
Company Marks Mileposts
100,000 Boarded During Month of October
October was a record-breaking
month for Piedmont Aviation,
Inc. The Airlines surpassed the
100,000 goal it set for itself. This
was the first time the Company
has boarded 100,000 passengers
in a single month. The previous
record was 96,121. set in August
of this year.
Final figures for passenger
boardings this October were .100,-
824 as compared to 88,190 board
ed the same month last year.
Passenger miles this October
were 22,005,638 as compared to
18,330,565 for the same period
last year.
October also brought a record
day for the Airlines. A new high
of 4170 passengers were boarded
on Friday, October 23.
Cargo Sales High
Reports received in October
concerning September cargo
sales were also good. During
September, the Airlines carried
419,700 pounds of air mail, an in
crease of 29% over September,
1963. September was the second
best month in the Company’s
history for Air Express. 446,700
pounds of express were flown,
representing an increase of 15%
over last year.
The air freight figure of 715,-
846 pounds carried was the high
est in history, increasing 42%
over September of last year. To
tal cargo sales for the year are
19% over the sales for the first
nine months of last year.
Mr. Bob Reed, Director—Cargo
Services, attributes these gains to
a greater reliance on air cargo
service. An increasing number
of large aircraft, some all-cargo.
Plan Pays Benefits
The daughter of a Piedmont
employee recently went through
an extended period of illness.
Two separate hospital bills alone
amounted to $4269.00. Of this
amount, under the Group Health
Plan, the Hospital Savings As
sociation paid $3982.00. In ad
dition they paid $694 for profes
sional services making a total of
$4622.00 in benefits.
In another case, a Piedmont
mechanic received serious injur
ies, later resulting in death, from
an automobile accident. He left
two dependents who would have
had to bear his extensive medi
cal expenses. But Hospital Sav
ings paid all of the $2757 hos
pital bill plus $280 for profes
sional servies.
The above cases illustrate the
help Blue Cross-Blue Shield af
fords when drastic medical bills
arise. Few people can afford to
pay the two to four thousand
dollar expenses incurred when
serious illness strikes. But Hos
pital Savings Plan enables Pied
mont employees to be prepared
for such emergencies with a
minimum monthly payment. It
also offers benefits when minor
illnesses threaten to deplete fam
ily budgets. Over the past year.
Piedmont employees have re
ceived payments in amounts of
from $3.00 to S350.00 to $1,000.00
to $4,000.00.
Hospital Savings, which incor
porates both the Blue Cross Hos
pitalization prepayment plan and
the Blue Shield Surgical-Medical
prepayment plan, is a non-profit
organization whose purpose is to
help people meet costs of hos
pitalization and medical care.
The key is in the word prepay
ment. Theoretically, the plan en
ables one to painlessly save a
small amount each month to
ward the possibility of a major
medical bill. Of course, some do
not use all the money they put
into the plan and others need
substantially more. But the small
premium forfeited should you
not need it is worth the security
of knowing that in an emer
gency a large proportion of your
medical bills are already settled.
And Blue Cross-Blue Shield is
accepted all over the world.
Rates run from as little as
$3.20 a month for minimum in
dividual coverage to $14.96 a
month for complete family cov
erage. These rates reflect a
slight increase over rates for
previous years. Reports from
the Hospital Savings Association
indicate that Piedmont employ
ees, while paying annual pre
miums of $158,076, are receiving
benefits of about $171,090. The
imbal^mce is largely a reflection
of increases in hospital charges,
but necessitates increasing pre
miums to coincide with benefits
paid.
The basic plan includes full
payment for ward costs, and up
to $8.00 a day for a semi-private
or private room. In addition, the
Association will pay for drugs,
such services as X-rays, physical
therapy and special tests, as well
as a given amount toward sur
gical fees.
For a slightly higher premium,
coverage may be extended to
meet additional medical costs
and extra expenses involved in
long-term illnesses and dread
diseases. The extra benefits in
clude such items as post-hospital
care, nursing care, radiation
therapy, and special appliances
which may be needed.
WHAT IP A MEMBER
SHOULD LEAVE THE COM
PANY? The subscriber is auto
matically transferred to a direct-
paying basis with the rates ad
justed to those of an individual,
WHAT IF A FAMILY GROWS
WHILE UNDER THE FAMILY
PLAN? New babies are auto
matically included at birth on a
family contract.
HOW ARE BENEFITS PAID?
This is one of the big advan
tages of Blue Cross-Blue Shield.
The subscriber merely presents
his I.D. card upon admission to
any hospital. The Hospital Sav
ings Association remits payment
directly to the hospital. The sub
scriber does not have to file a
claim form. He pays no deposit
on admission and is billed only
for the amount not covered un
der his policy.
are now operating into our area.
Cargo reaching major points is
transferred to Piedmont for de
livery to smaller cities. Pied
mont is also carrying cargo from
the smaller cities to major con
necting points for shipment all
over the country.
Earnings Show 91% Increase
In his nine-months’ statement
to the stockholders and em
ployees, President T. H. Davis
reported that, for the three
months period ending September
30, unaudited net earnings of all
divisions of the Company after
taxes were $345,523 as compared
to $244,412 during the same pe
riod a year ago. Nine months
earnings were $895,267, or 6I0
per share for the same period a
year ago.
Directors Declare
First Cash Dividend
In Company History
In the light of increased earn
ings, Piedmont’s Board of Direc
tors on October 21 declared a
cash dividend of 10c per share
of common stock, payable No
vember 25, 1964, to stockholders
of record on November 5, 1964.
Although two 10% dividends
have previously been declared —
one in 1961 and one in 1963 —
this is the first cash dividend to
be declared by the Company. It
is also the first cash dividend to
be declared by any publicly-
owned local service airline in
the United States.
Commenting on the dividend
declaration, President T. H. Da
vis said:
“On behalf of the Board of Di
rectors, I congratulate our 1765
employees whose performance
has made possible this divi
dend, and we are happy to be
able to pay a cash return to our
4300 stockholder^ whose invest
ment has made possible these
jobs and services we provide the
public. It is contemplated that
dividends will henceforth be con
sidered on a semi-annual basis
when operating results justify.”
ASSOCIATION
HONORS AIRLINES
The Virginia Rehabilitation As
sociation has presented Pied
mont Airlines with a citation in
recognition "tor an outstanding
spirit of constructive concern"
for disabled citizens. Mr. Thad-
deus Gaber made the presenta
tion at the association's annual
conference in Richmond. Mr. E.
A. Martinez accepted the cita
tion in behalf of Piedmont Air
lines.
The Shenandoah Airport was
given special recognition. Be
cause of its proximity to the
Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation
Center, the airport is called
upon to transport a great many
physically disabled persons.
The award is in appreciation
of “co-operation and courtesy"
displayed with regard to special
orobiems encountered with car
rying handicapped persons.
Ment Award
Mr. M. F. Fare, Vice-President—Finance and Secretary, proudly hangs
a Merit Award for the outstanding 1963 Annual Report of Piedmont
Aviation, Inc. Selections for the Merit Awards, presented by Financial
World, were made from some 5000 entries on the basis of content,
design, and typography. The annual report awards program was in
augurated by the weekly investment and business publication in 1941
and was designed to improve the image of business management to
the American public. This is the third Merit Award presented to Pied
mont. The first two were awarded in 1956 and 1963, respectively.
CAB Grants Authority
The Civil Aeronautics Board
has accepted Piedmont’s pro
posed exemption to operate an
early morning flight from At
lanta to Charlotte, last week.
The exemption gives Piedmont
the authority to fly directly from
Atlanta to Charlotte and then on
to Greensboro-High Point-Win-
ston-Salem, thereby improving
airmail service into the Pied
mont area. Piedmont requested
the authority at the instigation
of postal officials. Until now, al
though other airlines have held
the authority to operate the
same route, no flight leaves At
lanta at a time which would pro
vide efficient airmail service.
Mail from many major cities
convenes in Atlanta between the
hours of 12;30 and 3:30 a.m. In
order to be delivered the same
day, it must reach Charlotte and
Greensboro-High Point-Winston-
Salem by 6:15 a.m. Piedmont’s
flight, which will depart Atlanta
at around 4:00 a.m., will thus fa
cilitate same-day delivery of
such mail.
Although the flight is primar
ily for the carriage of mail, it
will also accommodate passen
gers and freight. It is believed
that the large number of jets
which arrive at Atlanta in the
hours of midnight to 3:30 a.m.
will provide sufficient passenger
and freight traffic to support
the service.
In addition to providing need
ed postal service, the early morn
ing flight will enable Piedmont
to perform a valuable experi
ment in operating a late night-
early morning service, and will
permit greater utilization of its
equipment. It is expected that
the results of this experiment
will provide valuable informa
tion to Piedmont as well as to
the Board.
Granting of the authority un
der an exemption means that a
Board hearing is not required
and the CAB decision may be
considered final. The exemp
tion is on a one year experi
mental basis and is effective
immediately. However, a period
of time will be required to ad
just schedules and adapt pres
ent station situations to the new
hours. The flight is expected to
begin operation sometime before
the first of the year.
Piper Holds Meeting
In Hollywood, Florida
Piper Aircraft Corp. held its
annual international convention
October 12 through 15 at the Dip
lomat Hotel in Hollywood, Fla.
The meeting, attended by sales
men and general managers from
all over the world, is held an
nually to discuss new develop
ments within the Piper Corpora
tion, as well as to discuss sales
innovations.
At the 1964 meeting, the Cen
tral Piedmont Aero division of
Piedmont Aviation, Inc., won
awards in three of four possible
categories: the Quota Buster
(Piedmont went 21% over its
quota), the Million Dollar Club,
and the Parts and Accessories
Award. Piedmont personnel who
attended, included Floyd E.
Pond, Ned Guthrie, Jack Nemer-
off, L. P. Wrenn, C. W. Gough,
and President T. H. Davis, from
INT.