The colors are called “going places red”
and Piedmont blue. And they’re the most
obvious changes in the bolder, brighter
new look that will eventually cover Pied
mont’s entire fleet of aircraft and ground
support equipment.
The first plane to fly in the new look
was N753, the Yadkin Valley Pacemaker.
It was the seventeenth Boeing to be added
to the fleet and the first of the two Mey-
Air planes bought in May. The second
Mey-Air plane, N754, has also been painted
with the new design. Of the fleet of 48,
four planes now have the new contempo
rary colors. The other two are Fairchilds,
N706 and N703.
This first major change in corporate
identity in the Company’s history was
created by Graphiden, Inc. of Cleveland,
Ohio, corporate design specialists.
The dark blue pin stripe paint design
that had always been part of Piedmont’s
profile gave way to a bold wide blue stripe
stretching from nose to tail. Piedmont’s
name is bigger and is on the fuselage as
well as the tail section of the aircraft. It
is red. The bird logo has changed its
color and flown out of its circle. It is now
the Piedmont blue color and seems to soar
gracefully on the tail of the planes.
The new look will replace the present
identification on the Company’s aircraft,
ground vehicles and equipment, signs,
publications, advertising, stationery and
ticket ofl'ices. The change will be coming
gradually from now on, with the planes
being redone by Winston maintenance on
the normal repainting schedule.
April/May/June, 1974
Vol. XXV, No. 2
Super second quarter
June was the best month in Piedmont’s his
tory. For the first time ever the Company ex
ceeded one hundred million passenger miles.
The actual count was 101,158,986 revenue pas
senger miles flown. It was an increase of 10.7
per cent over the rpms flown in June, 1973.
In a teletype message to all employees Presi
dent Davis said “This is the result of the great
job all of you are doing to get and keep happy
passengers. Many, many thanks and heartiest
congratulations on such an outstanding per
formance.”
The revenue passenger mile record set in
June was just one of several all-time highs for
Piedmont. For the first half of the year the
Company has shown outstanding increases in
all traffic figures. For the six months, Jan
uary through June this year, revenue passenger
miles increased 13.11 per cent over the same
period last year, from 475,659,417 in 1973 to
538.020.334 in 1974.
The load factor for the six month period
was up to 55.50 per cent this year as compared
to 48.84 per cent in the same months of last
year.
The number of passengers also increased
substantially during the first half of 1974. This
year there were 1,896,492, up 11.8 per cent
from 1,696,200 last year.
The record setting traff^ic meant new highs
in earnings. For the second quarter of this
year net income was $3,567,977 as compared to
$2,592,400 during the same period of 1973.
For the first six months of this year net income
was $3,791,555, up from $1,040,327 during
the first half of last year.
Primary earnings per share were $1.45 for
the second quarter of this year, as compared
to $1.06 during the same period last year. Year
made best first half
to date primary earnings per share for 1974
were $1.54, up from $ .42 last year.
When he made the announcement of the most
profitable second quarter and first half in
the Company’s history Senior Vice President
T. W. Morton said “We are very pleased that
our business volume has grown suff'iciently
to produce this growth in profits in spite of
unprecedented cost increases. A continuation
of recent trends will produce the highest profits
in the Company’s history during 1974, repre
senting a reasonably satisfactory return of in
vestment.”
Following the announcements of the im
proved trafl'ic and financial results for the
second quarter the price of Piedmont Aviation,
Inc. stock moved up. It is currently listed on
the over-the-counter market at 6 bid, 6'/2
asked.
And there is more good news! Piedmont
has regained the top spot in the Civil Aero
nautics Board’s Consumer Complaint report.
Among the regional carriers Piedmont had
the fewest customer complaints for the entire
first half of the year. The six month totals
based on the number of letters to the Board per
100,000 enplanements, tefl the story best:
PIEDMONT
4.20
North Central
4.73
Southern
5.22
Frontier
6.36
Ozark
7.30
Air West
8.20
Texas International
10.76
Allegheny
11.26
From every point of view or possible yard
stick, 1974 looks like a super year for Pied
mont.
Proposal for route
exchange with Delta
is filed with Board
Piedmont and Delta Air Lines have agreed
to a route exchange.
The agreement calls for Piedmont to transfer
to Delta Piedmont’s present nonstop authority
between Charleston, South Carolina, on the
one hand, and Charlotte, Greensboro/High
Point and Raleigh/Durham, on the other hand.
Delta would transfer to Piedmont Delta’s pres
ent nonstop authority between Asheville, on
the one hand, and Chicago, Columbus, Ohio
and Columbia, South Carolina on the other
hand.
A contract covering the proposed agreement
was filed with the Civil Aeronautics Board on
Friday, July 26. The transfer agreement must
be approved by the CAB.
On the efl'ective date of the transfer. Pied
mont’s authority to serve Charleston, South
Carolina would be deleted. Piedmont’s operation
at Charleston currently being handled by Sou
thern Airways. Delta’s authority to serve Ashe
ville would also be removed from their certi
ficate.
When the announcement was made the car
riers explained that the agreement was reached
in accordance with the Board’s suggestions that
air lines voluntarily agree to route exchanges
and route transfers which would improve and
strengthen the nation’s air route structure.
This Piedmont-Delta agreement recognizes
that Asheville fits better into Piedmont’s sys
tem than it does into Delta’s. The Charleston,
South Carolina markets could be better served
by Delta. None of the cities are new points
for either carrier.