European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 21, 1978, Darmstadt, Hesse The stars and stripes monday August 21, 1978 the Atlanta connection by Wayne King new York time i Don t know where i m going when i die South Ern air travellers have said at one time or another but one thing is sure i la change planes at just As All roads once led to Rome All air lanes in. The South Lead to Atlanta and almost no one is Happy " Tut it except the Atlanta chamber of Commerce and1 Airport s two major carriers Eastern and Delta i which together account or 80 percent of the terminal a traffic. Atlanta s Hart Fiew International is the nation s1 busiest Airport behind Chicago s o Hare. A great majority of passengers Are forced to come to the is the nations busiest air connection Point with 70 f percent of the terminal s passengers coming Here Only Toj change planes. F. The delays and congestion have been aggravated in the k will be the world s largest air terminal. Meanwhile stack ups and runway delays of up to an hour along with the inevitable Atlanta connection Are we have one Delta flight that s billed As direct York " said John Brady chairman of the trans Tion committee of the Chattanooga chamber of that is one Stop flight and the clop is of Cine i Atlanta. Thai Means you have to f it on i Fine i Atlanta Fly in Miles sooth then Wall a and to get of another plane out win Fry Yon Backover Chattanooga to new new York is the no. 1 destination of travellers from Chattanooga and there is not one non Stop flight. We re in very serious shape. Eastern provides four direct flights to new York and Washington through Charlotte but they Are discontinuing them As of sept. Means for certain that to get to heaven or to hell you u have to go through Atlanta. We asked Delta to Pickop the flights that Eastern is discontinuing but they Are obviously not you want to go to Tallahassee from Jacksonville in the morning and come Back in the afternoon said James Vaughan of the Jacksonville fla., chamber of Commerce you have to go to Atlanta on the return flight. There Aren t any afternoon flights from Tallahassee to Jacksonville. But the airlines argue that we already airliners taxi past construction at Atlanta the nation s busiest air have All the service we can Jacksonville port authority plans to hire a Consul Tant to represent it m a request for audit Kcal air service and it is also supporting a petition from Braniff for a Dallas to Jacksonville flight As leverage to Force Bette service from Eastern and Delta. A number of other cites Are using similar Savannah the Airport commission is planning a Survey to determine the magnitude of air service prob lems one of which seems to be a shortage of seating space. We Don t object to Atlanta being the Bob for air traffic said Bob Porter of the Savannah chamber of Commerce. Bat we would like to be Able to get there. We Don t have enough seats. A Guy called four weeks in Advance for a seat and co Ardnt get Small and Middle sized cities across the South offer similar complaints. Among the loudest Are those coming from Birmingham some of whose citizens have never quite gotten Over Atlanta s characterization of itself As the City too Busy to hate in the turbulent 1960s, when Birmingham was being criticized for its racial policies. We actually love Atlanta said Donald Newton executive vice president of the Birmingham chamber of com Merce adding that Birmingham is too Busy to hold a out we Are looking at what we need to grow an Prosper and it just so happens we Are blocked by limitations at Atlanta air transportation study prepared for the birding Ham chamber and mayor David Vann by two consulting firms Gotch & Crawford and r. Dixon Speas associates. Was More pointed Birmingham should object to the excessive Funnelle of traffic through Atlanta in cases which under Ordinary standards of airline economics would sustain Sinele plane service without an Atlanta connection it Issue boils Down to self service Carrier convenience versus Public s consultants found another disturbing fact in their study the four major airlines serving Bir Mingham Delta. Eastern United and Southern had authorization from the civil aeronautics Board to pro vide service to 94 cities 59 of them nonstop which they were not using. For example the consultants found that both Eastern and Delta were authorized to provide non Stop service to Houston. Neither did so. Ai a Matt a itts in Miles in the Pasea or follow according to statistics my children had a 50-50chance of inheriting tardy syndrome. Their father has it. It s a recessive Gene that renders its victims helpless to be on time for anything i be told you before How in my husband s lifetime he has never heard the Star spangled Banner has never seen the lights dim at a concert has never seen a football team with clean uniforms and has never seen a Bride coming Down the aisle. Come to think of it we met Overa belated birthday card display the other morning As i put his 44-minute egg in front of him i said. What time do you have to be at work " he said eight o s eight o clock terrific he said. I be Only got time for one More at wits end by Ermo Bomick cup of Coffee then i la have to 1 stamped Down into a chair. I Don t know How to Tel Yon this Tat to. Have called Down to your son. It s True. The director at Bradd u ver not once since he arrived has he gotten in Early a it Salute the Flag. He has never ers in toe or anything and for him Roll Call starts with the letter i mean you have to wonder about a child who has never that situation has been alleviated idelta put on a single non Stop 1 there is no guarantee that the Alf Mithat fight or its Only non Stop Hgt which also has been in existence since 1 at last report those flights were isaid a Delta spokesman William Berrig we have been very dial decision will Likely be made within t on whether to continue or he conceded that it was a Birmingham does t have sop yes there Are non Stop routes we strictly an economic that economic steam at its i u far More profitable to Fly plants from bar Meegham to Atlanta and i foil to new York than it is Quy . Moreover the situation is getting 1better. From 1970 to 1976, for example their one Stop flights to and from bin from s3 to 39, a situation that Wook Southern airways bad not increased 1 Stop and one Stop flights from 11 to triers reduced theirs. Although Eastern and Delta can die .1reason for the paucity of nowt Paw appear to have economic reasons oiling to provide such service to duties Brej Texas based Braniff for example cab for no Stop service Beta r Houston Tampa Pittsburgh Wai Delphia Cleveland and St tools. 1 _ routes to Washington. Houston and 1charlotte, Greensboro Roanoke and re Allegheny Ozark and North Catt for Arthurl Ortlon to provide Binol though Delta is not utilizing us Fud i vide some of the service that is a Bigi airlines according to Newton it a cing of some of the routes to the other what wild happen he saw ample Brand and Alk Neay ent parts of the cantry a Luria kind of Man lib. That would i to other carriers. You would not always have to boarded a bus while it is standing us Don t you talk with the i " band. I have. He said last week that traits of tardy syndrome. 0s baby never showed no a time or i before he lost his baby Teeth and f the terrible two s Natl he was Thratt what did Brucie say to that he was t there. He was late tors what do you want me to do set an example and Ulk to ill do u he said then in m going to be on o unfit i in i
