§ 3.24 p.m.
§ BARONESS BURTON OF COVENTRYMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
[The Question was as follows:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, at the Meeting of member airlines of IATA in Montreal on June 29 last, the question of cheaper fares both on the North Atlantic and European routes was discussed; and if they will make a statement on the progress made.]
§ THE MINISTER WITHOUT PORTFOLIO (LORD DRUMALBYN)My Lords, the meeting has been arranged to discuss the introduction of lower fares on the North Atlantic routes, and B.O.A.C. have the Government's full support in seeking such fares. As the meeting will probably last several weeks, the outcome is unlikely to be known until the latter part of this month, and until then there is nothing I can usefully say. I shall, however, be happy to notify the noble Baroness as soon as the meeting has ended.
§ BARONESS BURTON OF COVENTRYMy Lords, following on what the noble Earl the Leader of the House has just said, may I ask the Minister if he will answer the other part of my Question, which refers to European fares being discussed?
§ LORD DRUMALBYNMy Lords, I understood that the noble Baroness was asking whether the European routes were being discussed in Montreal. As I have said, this is a meeting to discuss the North Atlantic routes.
§ BARONESS BURTON OF COVENTRYI am sorry, my Lords, because I have 450 not got on to my supplementary yet. I thought the Question asked whether the European and the North Atlantic fares were being discussed in Montreal. That is certainly the Question I put down.
§ LORD DRUMALBYNMy Lords, may I repeat what I said? The meeting has been arranged to discuss the introduction of lower fares on the North Atlantic routes.
§ BARONESS BURTON OF COVENTRYObviously the answer is "No", my Lords. May I ask the Minister when it is proposed that cheap fares across Europe will be discussed, and whether this will be in the autumn? Further, would the Minister not agree that the growth of inclusive and charter tours has proved that traffic emerges if the fares are right, and is it not true that the IATA unanimity rule is calculated to suit the convenience of the smaller and weaker airlines?
§ LORD DRUMALBYNMy Lords, the noble Baroness is now going rather further than her original Question, but, as she has mentioned the European fares, may I simply tell her that these will be discussed at an IATA conference beginning in Miami in September? With regard to the other points which she has raised and which she did not put in her original Question, I would say that it is because there is a serious problem of excess scheduled service capacity on the North Atlantic routes, following the introduction of the jumbo jets at a time of slow traffic growth; that this problem is being discussed in Montreal and to win additional traffic the scheduled carriers must offer fares competitive with charter services.
§ BARONESS BURTON OF COVENTRYMy Lords. I will ask a shorter question than the Minister's last answer. May I ask him whether the Government know, or whether he knows, that the charter rules are being flouted so that cheap regular fares to countries throughout the world are available to everyone? Further, has he, by any chance, seen the psychedelic poster at the bottom of the Haymarket, which reads:
Economy Jet Flights—World Wide London Charter Information Bureau ",and which gives a telephone number? While not objecting to or wanting to 451 stop cheap flights, may I ask whether he does not think that it is time that something was done for the ordinary scheduled airline traveller?
§ LORD DRUMALBYNMy Lords, we have debated this matter and discussed it on many occasions so far as the ordinary scheduled airline traveller is concerned, and it would not be right to debate it at the present time. I have not seen the particular advertisement to which the noble Baroness refers, but Her Majesty's Government are well aware of the difficulties in this situation and are also in the closest touch with the Air Transport Licensing Board.