Clash on Lancs air link-up
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COMPETMON between road operators 1...e for holiday tour traffic from the north to Manston Airport brought a clash before the North Western Traffic Commissioners at Manchester on Tuesday and Wednesday. Happiway Tours (Manchester) Ltd. applied for modification of an existing Continental tours licence in order to enable them to make the Channel crossing by air from Manston as an alternative to the sea crossing from Dover or Southend.
Objections came from Ribble Motor Services Ltd., W. C. Standerwick Ltd., Scout Motor Services Ltd., North Western Road Car Co. Ltd., East Kent Road Car Co. Ltd. and Midland Red.
At the same hearing North Western, together with BET associates East Kent and Midland Red, applied for a new express service licence between Manchester and Manston Airport, the grant being opposed by Happiway Tours, Batty-Holt Touring Services Ltd. and British Railways.
Authority was sought to carry at specified times on three days of the week passengers who had booked inclusive holidays with Cosmos Tours, of London, Cosmos paying £50 per single vehicle journey of 273 miles.
At the conclusion of the double sitting the Commissioners announced that both Happiways and the North Western-Midland RedEast Kent applications would be granted. The latter applicants amended their terms so that the services linked with three specific tours only. A written decision embodying all the conditions will be issued later. Mr. J. A. Booth said that in asking for the Manston destination Happiway Tours were applying for just a small amendment to an old licence. The air travel facility had been requested by passengers in 1965 and could not apply until 1967 as the brochures had already been issued. They hoped to operate the Ostend tour with the option of sea or air passage.
For the objectors, Mr. F. D. Walker commented that for several years prior to 1965, Happiway Tours had held a licence covering several Continental tours but very little operation had been carried out.
Mr. E. H. Healey (Happiway Tours) gave evidence that in 1965 they ran a 9day holiday to Ostend by coach to Dover and then by sea. They had travelled southward overnight without using hotels in England, but had not applied for any modification to the licence. They held the licence for Continental holidays via Ringway which had last been operated in 1964. For air tours from Ringway they were authorized to run a feeder service from three points in the West Riding.
Happiway Tours were already licensed operators into Dover, said Mr. Booth, so if anyone had a claim to work through to that area they had. In 1965 the company carried 1,000 passengers to the Continent; all that was sought was to provide an additional means of crossing the Channel. There had been no question of abstraction from the facilities provided by the objectors.