Clipper, Vol. 11, No. 7, July 1954

              PAA, PUERTO RICAN
OFFICIALS JOIN IN TRAVEL CAMPAIGN
VOL. n — NO. 7	JULY 1954	.	540715
Six-Months Cargo Sales Record Set at Havana
A three-pronged attack on one of PAA’s biggest traffic problems — spreading the peak weekend travel between New York and San Juan over the entire week—is now being waged by LAD executives, Puerto Rican government officials and island travel agencies.
At the same time PAA is-5?-utilizing every inch of cargo space on passenger and cargo Clippers to rush needed perishables, other foods of all' types and medical necessities to Puerto Rico which virtually has been cut-off from sea trade by a dock workers’ strike since June 27.
Pan American cargo specialists also are preparing to launch an all-out campaign (beginning August 2) to increase air freight between Puerto Rico and the leading business centers of the world.
The nub of PAA’s problem in its Puerto Rican service is the fact that up to 10 times as many people travel on the final three days of the week as during the early part of the week. This situation present a serious operational problem.
LAD Manager Edwin Drescher pointed out to island government officials, travel agents and PAA personnel at a two-day conference in San Juan July 7-8, that PAA now makes available 3,500 seats per week between San Juan and New York.
However, the great peak coming over the weekends requires PAA to use 11 Clippers including weekday schedules so that, in effect, the airline is providing more than 7,000 seats weekly.
Drescher pointed out that by proper spreading of the travel throughout the seven days of the week, more service can be provided for Puerto Rico with the same amount of equipment.
Puerto Rican Governor Luis Munoz Marin; Secretary of Labor Fernando Sierra and his New York Representative, Joseph Monserrate; T e o d o r o Moscoso, chairman of the development board; Mrs. Jane Nicole de Mariani, director of the island’s visitors’ bureau, and San Juan Mayoress Felisa Rincon de Gautier pledged active cooperation toward ironing out PAA’s problem.
An educational program designed to spread the travel more evenly throughout the week was immediately launched. The labor department is actively epgaged in a program to educate migrant laborers on travel problems.
Accompanying Drescher to the sessions were Traffic and Sales Manager Mario J. Martinez, Public Relations Manager S. Roger (Please Turn to Page 6)
TWO-DAY RECORD
An all-time two-day record for Clipper travel from San Juan to New York was established July 3-4, when 2,937 persons made the northbound flight over this route.
July 3 was the biggest day, with 1,814 persons traveling on that day. Another 1,123 New York-bound passengers were handled the next day.
PAA Compoign Boosts Travel To Guatemala
A new campaign to tell the world about Guatemala’s unsurpassed tourist attractions is being launched by PAA.
Theodore C. Pelikan, LAD passenger sales superintendent, has been temporarily assigned to the Central American republic to gather fresh information on hotels, restaurants, sight-seeing and other tourist facilities.
Pelikan, formerly stationed in Guatemala, and thoroughly familiar with the country, will prepare a full report on his findings for distribution to PAA offices and travel agents throughout the tourist world.
This information also will be included in feature articles to be prepared by PAA’s public relations department and, with accompanying photos of Guatemala’s attractions, distributed to travel editors of newspapers and magazines in all the Americas.
PAA is stressing in its publicity and advertising its frequent and improved flights from Los Angeles, Houston, Panama City, New Orleans and Miami, to Guatemala City, including the new thrice weekly non-stop Super-6 “El Pacifico” service which speeds from Los Angeles to Guatemala City in only 7 hours, 45 minutes.
AVIATION ADVANCES
PAA recorded many “aviation firsts’’ during its early-day operations in 1927-28. Did you know, for instance, that PAA was the first airline to establish standard flight dispatch requirements; first to use ground direction finders and the first to develop an airways traffic control system?
THE FIGURES tell the story of Havana’s cargo sales record. Emilio Val-huerdi (left) and Pedro R. Nunez of Clipper Cargo dis-p 1 a y the month- b y • month over-quota statistics for all to see.
KINGSTON MIGHTY PROUD
NO FLIGHT DELAY IN FIVE WEEKS
The folks at Kingston put., on a five-weeks performance ending June 24 which has them all full of smiles and pretty proud about the whole thing.
It seems that during that 37 day period they handled 148 scheduled PAA flights without a single delay and — of that number 89 departed Kingston ahead of published schedule departure time.
“Our average ground time for flights that arrived at Kingston after published scheduled arrival time was 17.5 minutes,” writes Acting Station Manager John W. Matthews.
A poster depicting these feats and the parts the various people around the station played in them was drawn up and sent to LAD’s William R. McElhannon, acting superintendent of stations during the absence on vacation of Arthur S. Best.
AT A PARTY- celebrating the six months cargo sales record at Havana, Cargo Superintendent Ernesto Bascuas (third from left) is congratulated by Warren A. Pine, Jr., PAA director in Cuba. Joining in the celebration are (left to
right) Frank Powers, LAD regional director from Miami; Emilio Fernandez of Clipper Cargo; Alfonso Lopez Maurin, assistant cargo chief; Felipe Roddiguez. sales representative; and Jose L. Proenza, DTSM.
Quota Exceeded Each Month in First Half Year
Havana’s Clipper cargo department lias gone over its sales quota in each of the last six months and as a climax to this achievement staged a “Clipper Cargo Party” the end of June.
Starting out slowly the department registered 112.73 per cent of quota in January, 129.19 per cent in February, 137.89 per cent in March, 119.28 per cent in April, 119.78 per cent in May and wound up the six months with a mark of 175 per cent of quota in June.
So there was a celebration at which Ernesto Bascuas and Alfonso Lopez Maurin, department heads, along with supervisors and staff members were congratulated by PAA officials. The party was staged in the cargo offices.
Officials present at the event included Warren A. Pine, general manager in Cuba; Frank Powers, regional director from Miami; Jose L. Proenza, district traffic and sales manager; Ignacio Martinez Ibor, executive assistant, and John Brown, from Miami industrial relations.
Recreational	C
Lakefront Site at Miami
A down payment has been made on an 11-acre lakefront site by the Panair Recreational Club at Miami and plans are under way for construction of a clubhouse and other facilities, Dan Verlin, club
POS Gets Added Clipper Service
Additional Super-6 Clipper service between Port of Spain, Trinidad, and Miami has been inaugurated by PAA.
Pan .American operates daily round-trip flights between Miami and Caracas, Venezuela, continuing to Port of Spaih three days a week. A fourth weekly flight now has been extended from Caracas to give the Trinidad city eight flights weekly to and from Miami. These flights also stop at Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
PAA also provides daily flights between Panama City; Baranquil-la, Colombia; Maracaibo, Venezuela, and Caracas. Thus the additional flight to Port of Spain improves service across the north coast of South America, between Central America, Panama and Trinidad.
president announces.
In making the announcement, Verlin also revealed plans to obtain 2,500 members for the club by August 31.
“After a long and difficult search by our real estate committee, we finally have found a site we feel is the best available to meet the needs for an outstanding recreational area for the LAD family,” Verlin declared.
He pointed out however, that “to insure” the club’s being able to complete the purchase of the land, the most intensive membership drive in the club’s history is to be carried on between July 15 and August 31.
Organization of a group of PARC Boosters has been completed and every LAD employe in the Miami area is to be contacted during the campaign, Verlin said.
Plans have been completed to make memberships available under a pay roll deduction plan with deductions beginning in mid-September. Verlin said that it will cost present members $6 dues for the new club year, running from September 1, 1954 to August 31, 1954. For new members, the cost is $6 initiation fee and $6 dues for the new club year. “This is the opportunity we’ve been waiting for,” Verlin said. “The club officers feel confident that the membership campaign will be successful and that construction can be started on the clubhouse soon after the drive is completed.”
BARNES NAMED AD CHIEF
Murray Barnes, former PAA assistant advertising manager, has been named System advertising manager. The appointment was announced by Willis G. Lipscomb, vice president in charge of traffic and sales.
CARIBBEAN TOUR highlights are recalled by Puerto Rican Governor Luis Munoz Marin as he looks through a leatherbound album of press clipping presented to him by LAD Manager Edwin Drescher on behalf of PAA. The presentation was made during a conference between PAA officials and Puerto Rican Government authorities at San Juan early this month. The clippings in the album concern a tour the governor made through the Caribbean area last November. The cover bears the Puerto Rican Coat of Arms in full color, with gold engraved lettering.