Traffic & sales clipper, Vol. 9, No. 30, July 1952

              VOL. 9, No. 30
NEW YORK 17, N.Y.
JULY 1952
Free Space Request Turned to Revenue For Travel to Spain
A good example of how a request for complimentary space, if properly handled, can be turned into paid bookings is the case of The Soaring Society of America, which requested assistance in financing fifteen passages to and from the World’s Gliding and Soaring Championships at Cuatros Vientos (near Madrid) June 30 to July 13.
Mr. Walter Setz, of the Soaring Society wrote to President Trippe, late in March, requesting that PAA “sponsor” part of the cost of transporting fifteen of the Society’s members.
Mr. Setz pointed out that surface carriers were giving the Society an 80 per cent discount on carrying sailplanes and trailers: that other members of the Society were traveling by PAA; and that nearly all members were associated with the aviation industry. He added that he was familiar with the CAB and IATA regulations governing such requests.
Vice President Willis G. Lipscomb answered Mr. Setz’s letter. He wrote: “I fully appreciate the spirit which prompted your request and should like to aid the program if it were possible. As you are familiar with IATA and CAB regulations, there is no need of any explaining further except to add that any means of accomplishing your objective would merely have the effect of circumventing these rules, which we cannot justify.
“Nevertheless, I hope we shall have the pleasure of welcoming members of your group aboard our Clippers, and I wish you every success in the forthcoming Championships.”
A copy of this letter went to the Philadelphia DSO.
Mr. Jack Bankert of the Philadelphia office contacted Mr. Setz, who lives in Pennsylvania. After conversations, Mr. Setz asked the Philadelphia office to study the Rainbow space situation Eastbound between June 20 and 28 and Westbound in late July. Telephone calls and follow-up letters passed back and forth and then Mr. Setz agreed to close the business with PAA. This involved 23 Eastbound and 21 Westbound passages. A first group of three departed for London on June 12.
Joseph Riley, Philadelphia DSM, compliments Bankert on closing the sale and Miss Jean Lucy, Reservations Control, New York, for an able assist in securing this difficult space.
A camera crew working on the PAA 25th Anniversary film, “New Horizons,” shoots a scene in the interior of a “Strato” Clipper mockup showing a stewardess waiting on passengers on the birthday flight somewhere over some ocean. The film, which shows how the men and women of Pan American have been responsible for the growth of the company from the 90 mile route between Key West and Havana to a worldwide network, will be the first movie in the systemwide training program.
Big Rainbow Market in Detroit Due to Foreign-born Population, Short Vacations
The only problem at present in selling Rainbow travel in Detroit is getting enough space, says J. P. Smith, DT/SM for the area. At one time, in April, there were 1,200 Rainbow passengers waitlisted at the Detroit office.
Two things combine to make
expanding one for Rainbow: first, the large number of foreign-born and foreign-extraction citizens; and second, the fact that 82 per cent of the population in the Detroit area gets too short a vacation for overseas travel by ship.
In the area there are roughly 70,000 foreign-born Germans, 30,000 Scotch,
50.000	English, 150,000 British Canadians, 50,000 Italians, 100,000 Poles,
25.000	Finns, 15,000 Belgians. These are only the foreign-born, not those of foreign extraction.
Before Rainbow Service, says Mr. Smith, the Detroit office got none of the travel to Scotland—it all went by steamer. Likewise with the Scandinavians of the upper peninsula mining-towns. Now, due to the lower fares, this area is becoming an important source of business.
The office has already received requests for Rainbow bookings from citizens of Scotch and British origin who want to see the 1953 Coronation ceremonies in England.
The heavy bookings of this year were especially gratifying in view of the fact that in January Detroit was suffering from serious industrial unemployment—120,000 workers were idle.
the Detroit market a large and
Haiti Sales Office
Being Modernized
Work is underway on a $12,500 modernization of the PAA sales office in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
The present open-air structure will be enclosed, the building modernized and air-conditioned.
These improvements are in line with the increasing importance of Haiti as a tourist attraction: the Winter, 1952, traffic was 42 per cent ahead of that in 1951.
25-Year Pin Awarded To President Trippe
First of the new 25-year pins was awarded to President Trippe, the Company’s founder, at a meeting of the Board of Directors on June 3.
Award was made by Admiral E. O. McDonnell, the oldest Board member in terms of continuous service.
The new pin has the familiar wing-and-world reposing in a crescent of leaves in which is imprinted the figure 25.
Using Films, Records Fresh Approach Will Spark All Divisions
The most extensive personnel training program ever attempted by PAA or any other airline was launched on June 18 at a meeting of company executives in New York.
The program, which will reach all departments in all three divisions, is designed to improve the morale and efficiency of employees by instilling in them a sense of pride in their company and in their jobs.
Vice President Leslie opened the meeting in New York with a talk outlining the general purposes of the program. This was followed by the showing of the motion picture “New Horizons,” which depicts the 25 years of company history.
“New Horizons” was produced by Pathescope under supervision of Frank Howe, director of visual sales and planning chief of the training program. “New Horizons” has been designated as Film Number 1 and will be shown to all groups of employees regardless of job classification as an introduction to the more specialized programs set up for each department.
Following the showing of “New Horizons” Vice President Lipscomb emphasized that the Traffic and Sales Department was handling the training project only because that department was best set up for this work, but that all departments could take part and that personnel training is essential among employees who do not have actual contact with the public.
After Vice President Gledhill had explained the company’s general personnel policy at a luncheon meeting, the group was divided into two sections with the Traffic and Sales executives gathering for a preview and discussion of actual training.
The training program is planned as a continuing project which will run indefinitely, using motion pictures, slide films, motion slide films, recordings, flannel boards and other means of illustration considered best suited to the particular group being trained.
During the New York meeting reservations and Atlantic flight service personnel were given a sample of the type of training to be conducted in the various sales offices and divisions. The flight service group saw two slide films on the right and wrong way to handle passengers and heard a series of thir-(Continued on Page U, Col. 2)