The clipper, Vol. 2, No. 6, December 1945

              PAM AMERICAN
UPPER
VOL. 2—NO. 6
NEW YORK
DECEMBER, 1945
Pan American Purchases 20 Boeing Stratocruisers
---------------------------------------*
Exhibits Highlight A.S.T.A. Convention
World travel for the American of average income, a vast new field for the travel agent, was brought into sharp focus for the members of the American Society of Travel Agents at their 15th Annual Convention in N. Y. C. recently, through an exhibit featuring Pan American World Airways’ travel agent program.
PAA’s comprehensive exhibit covered the plans and activities of its advertising, education and public relations departments as they relate to the promotion of international air travel and business for the travel agent. Two large rooms in convention headquarters, the Hotel McAlpin, were taken by Pan American and Pan American-Grace Airways for the display of promotional material, the showing of motion pictures_jand . a -«preview of the new equipp^^-wliich will enable the Compa,py^vffmniTg mass air transportation •'into reality.
PAA’s three latest all-color, sound travel films, “By Air to Alaska”, “Wings Over Latin America” and “Weekend in Bermuda” were shown to the members by George Gardner and Frank Howe of the Education Dept. They drew enthusiastic crowds, who though well-seasoned to the attractions of the areas featured, nevertheless were thrilled to see the familiar scenes again for the first time in many years. The films were but the first of many to be prepared for the agent as travel to other areas opens up.
A preview of the 1946 calendar, designed to feature areas throughout the world desirable for travel and foreign trade, was shown the agents as a sample of something for the future. Booklets, the large scale model of the giant 204-passenger _ Clipper of the future, and other PAA material were on display in addition to specially-prepared Pubrel and Education features illustrating the newly-created fashion-promotion department and hometown activities.
Approximately 200 agents visited PAA’s rooms during the convention and were cordially greeted by hosts Chenea and deGroot and members of the various departments represented at the convention. The agents carried away with them a new idea of the many ramifications of the air age, and having-read about the miracles which air travel will work in the future, they were able to see for themselves the effect it will have on their business.
B-29’s 'Brother’ Is Fast Plane, Carrying 80 Passengers
Contracts for purchase of 20 Boeing Stratocruisers, the 65-ton, 80 passenger high performance “big brother” of the B-29 Superfortress, were signed in New York, Nov. 28, by Pan American World Airways.
The new Clipper is the commercial air transport development of the B-29, the heavy bomber that brought peace to the Pacific and last Tuesday established a world’s record of 8,198 miles by flying non-stop from Guam to Washington, D. C.
First of the postwar airliners to embody full advantages of wartime aeronautical developments, the double decked Stratocruiser is the only transport air plane capable of flying New York-London non-stop with a full complement of passengers, baggage, mail and express. Stratocruisers with their cruising speed of 340 mph will, for example, provide eleven and one-half hours service to London and 8 hours and 33 minutes service coast to coast over the trans-continental route for which Pan American has applied to the Civil Aeronautics Board. Other examples of flying time that could be accomplished by the Stratocruiser are; New York-Buenos Aires, 21 hours; San Francisco-Honolulu, 8 hours.
Delivery of Stratocruisers will begin in November 1946. Negotiations are currently being conducted with other domestic and foreign airlines for the sale of the Stratocruiser.
Vice President Franklin Gledhill, who signed the contract for Pan American, said: “Foreign competition ,we will face over the Atlantic demands the best possible American equipment. The Boeing Company, designer and builder of the first Pan American Strato-clippers and the Clippers which did such an excellent job during the war, have developed in the Stratocruiser an airplane which will do much to keep America ahead in the highly competitive Atlantic operations.”
Commercial Service Resumed to Honolulu
For the first time since the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor commercial air transport service between the U. S. and Hawaii was resumed Nov. 16 when PAA began a schedule of daily round trip flights between San Francisco and Honolulu. It was the 17,060th Pacific flight.
The return to commercial air operations in this area came just six days before the tenth anniversary of the iflauguration by Pan American of the world’s first transocean air service cross the Pacific on Nov. 22, 1935. Priorities are no longer required for the flight to Hawaii, the world’s longest nonstop crossing (2,500 miles).
Operations beyond Hawaii, however, over Pan American’s prewar route to the Orient, which terminated at Hong Kong and Macau on the China Coast and Singapore in the Straights Settlements, as well as over its South Pacific airways which terminated at Auckland, New Zealand, remain temporarily suspended.
14th Annual Traffic Conference Held Week of Nov. 26
The 14th Annual Traffic Conference was held in New York City during the week commencing November 26th for the purpose of formulating a sales, advertising and service program for the System which can be placed into effect next month.
V. P. and Gen. Traf. Mgr. Chenea was Chairman of the Conference and John Muhl-feld, Asst, to the Gen. Traf. Mgr., and P. T. M. Richard Lounsbury acted as Vice Chairmen. Attendance to the Conference was restricted to Div. Traffic Mgrs. from the Atlantic, Latin American and Pacific-Alaska Divisions, the Sector Traf. Mgr.-Alaska Sector and the Gen. Traf. Mgr. Pan American-Grace Airways, and their respective Advertising Managers, and the department heads of the N. Y. Gen. Traf. Office.
Next year it is planned to hold another Conference and invite the usual number of delegates from the Divisions and Associated Companies. In view of the reconversion program, it was felt that the 14th Annual Traffic Conference c'ould best achieve the desired results by limiting the attendance as indicated.
(Continued on page 2)