European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 17, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday August 17,1989page 4 the stars and stripes thursday. August i Lara booze sales in . Hit 18-year Low san Francisco a the booze business hit the skids in sales last year when shipments of hard liquor fell to an 18-Ycar Low blamed on americans new love of health and fear of addiction. With Only a few individual  among the Downs sales of distilled goods fell 4.2 percent last year to 159 million cases in 1988 from 166 million cases in 1987, the Trade publication Impact reports in its current edition liquor sales were at a 18-Ycar Low last year 2.5 percent below the 163 million cases shipped in 1970. A Case equals nine liners. Industry experts have blamed the new american abstemious Ness on a variety of factors growing health consciousness the aging of the baby Boom generation the powerful campaigns in recent years against Drunken driving and intoxication by alcohol and drugs. In the late 1970s, some in the Industry hoped hard liquor sales would Rise As the baby Boom generation grew out of Beer and wine. Instead distaste for drinking appears to be drying up sales of All Alco Holic beverages. Total wine consumption in this coun try dropped to 552.2 million Gallons in 1988, Down 28.7 million Gallons or 4.9percent, from the previous year the Industry publication wines & vines re ported last month. Beer sales too. Were Flat registering a negligible Rise to 2.4 million cases in i9b8 Impact blamed the decline in sales of distilled goods on the cumulative effects of Federal state and local tax in creases on spirits and the continuing pressure on the entire alcoholic beverage Industry from anti alcohol  studies indicate Consumers drink less As they age Impact said. Distillers their profits drained by de Clining sales slashed total advertising budgets last year by More than $100 Mil lion to $240"million, Impact said. Makers of so called White goods Vodka Gin rum and tequila could Toast some sales gains. Vodka at 38 million cases distributed last year was reported the biggest Selling distilled spirit in the country far ahead of the 21 million cases sold in 1970. Gin ran a poor second in 1988 with 14 Mil lion cases. Rum. With 13 million cases in 1988, advanced seven million cases Over 1970. Whiskers took the biggest whipping a Challenge distillers regarded As extremely grim As they look for ways to recruit new customers to replace aging whiskey sip pcs. It s estimated people Over 50 years old account for half the sales of Whis keys called Brown goods in the Trade. Sales in the whiskey segment including Bourbon blends. Scotch Canadian and Irish declined 43 million cases to 60 million cases Between 1970 and 1988. Bourbon was the biggest loser dip Ping 19 million cases from the 36 million figure in 1970 and skidding 6.3 percent Between 1988 and 1987 alone. Ralph Hallquist a vice president of the top Selling Bourbon Jim beam said we re reaching younger Consumers who Are interested in a new taste experience. Our focus is Consumers who arc ready to make a  the biggest loser from 1987 to 1988 was scotch dipping by 8.8 percent to 13 million cases. But even As they spurn hard liquor drinkers demonstrate there s still com Mercial value in the snob Appeal of a beverage like single malt scotch. The leading single mall scotches Glenlivet and Glen Riddich advanced by 130,000 and 75,000 cases respectively between1987 and 1988. Arco introduces cleaner Gas blend  Monte Calif. A Atlantic Richfield co. On tuesday announced a Lead free gasoline that could Cut polluting emissions by up to 15 percent in older cars and trucks that now use leaded fuel. The gasoline will go on Sale by september in South Ern California which is under Federal order to clean up its air and Arco is working on another blend that will be sold elsewhere in the West the company said. Arco which markets gasoline in California Washington Oregon Arizona and Nevada said the gasoline was formulated to reduce emissions from the worst polluting vehicles cars made before 1975andtrucksbuiltbeforc 1980. The new fuel was introduced in conjunction with a hearing of the state air resources Board which on tuesday announced a far reaching plan to Clear the polluted skies of Southern California to meet Federal standards by the year 2007. The fuel was scheduled to be available at 750 Arco stations from san Diego to Santa Barbara. What we Hope to demonstrate today is that we can clean up gasoline said Rodwrick m. Cook Arco chairman and chief executive officer. Arco and regional air Quality officials estimate that about 1.2 million older vehicles arc still being driven in Southern California. If All used the new fuel it would reduce total pollution from those cars and trucks by 20 percent Cook  fuel which is called dec i for emission control was formulated to eliminate the Lead used to boost a Gaso line s octane to the High Levels needed in older vehicles. The fuel has an octane level rated at 88, which was achieved by adding Methyl tertiary butyl Ether. A Hoodoo s causing big Flap a spotted of swoops Down on a mouse size mor Sel in the Sacramento River Canyon near Dunsmuir Calif. The predator is undoubtedly unaware that environmentalists and the Limber Industry arc locked in controversy Over habitat for the spotted owls. The Issue was to be aired in red Dink on thursday in the second of four hear ing by the . Fish and wildlife service. Airline riders Nof ready of say nuts of freebies Atlanta a forget the fare wars and safety fears passengers say it s the peanuts that matter. Amenities Are As old As the airline Industry itself and even in the Post deregulation Era of Cut rate tick ets and scaled Back service people expect them and Aren t afraid to show it. Passengers expect a Little munchie with their flight said Mary o Neill a spokeswoman for Ameri can airlines in fort Worth Texas. And if the munchies run Short if they re very mad the flight attendant May ask another passenger to voluntarily give their peanuts up o Neill said. The importance of snacks drinks magazines and toy Captain s wings for the children was underscored earlier this month in the us air merger with Piedmont airlines which traditionally served passengers a full can of soda. Us air s practice was Only to provide a cup of soda. The merged airline decided to adopt the full can practice to avoid miffed passengers. Let me put it this Way said Edwin i. Colodny chairman and president of us air group inc. There will be no complaints on the coca cola service Bill Jackman. A spokesman for the air transport association a Washington based airline Industry organization said major . Carriers expect to spend about $2 billion this year on food service. He said he was unsure what percentage of that figure went toward snacks and How much was for meals. Jackman said complimentary service dates to the beginning of the commercial airline Industry when carriers would fill seats with their own employees to reduce anxiety among passengers afraid of the then new form of travel. In the Early Days there was widespread fear of Fly ing Jackman said. All kinds of inducements were  Jackman said the Effort to Comfort passengers evolved into free snacks and cocktails hitting its hey Day in the 1970s, when the regulation of airline standardized fares and the companies had to provide something to distinguish their service. Those were the Days of piano bars complimentary Champagne and platters of roast beef sliced at your scat. Jackman said one airline hired an aerobics instructor to demonstrate exercises in the aisle. Now with fares and routes deregulated advertise ments focus More on prices and schedules he said. But most fliers still apparently expect freebies. Which Are not really free of course since most Ameni ties Are part of the Cost of a ticket. One of the Best known offspring of deregulation that tried to make it without freebies. People express failed after a few years. In flight goodies vary among airlines and Are More extensive in first and business class. The most com Mon items arc soft drinks and peanuts. Pan american s business class passengers get a mixed snack pack including nuts pretzels and sesame Sticks instead of just peanuts said Pamela Hanlon spokeswoman in new York. They also receive complimentary cocktails or wine and an amenities kit con Taining toothpaste hand lotion and other toiletries. On dinner flights frequent fliers get to choose meals from a menu of about nine items Hanlon said. Certainly in first class or business class that docs make a difference she said. I think it s part of the decision of which airline to Fly. Advances in technology and changing social Cus Toms also have influenced airline handouts. Jim Lundy spokesman for Atlanta based Delta air lines said Many airlines used to distribute complimentary min packs of cigarettes and matches. 1 hat stopped when smoking became less acceptable on  the old Days before Cabins were pressurized the airlines gave passengers Sticks of chewing gum to help equalize the pressure in their ears. Those seemingly Little things make a Strong impression on Consumers said Naresh Malhotra processor and coordinator of marketing and management science at Georgia tech in  consumer is buying a bundle of benefits rather than just the Basic transportation Malhotra said. There s symbolic value in that the consumer feels he s being treated in the right manner he said. And on longer nights it becomes necessary. You be got to have something to eat. You be got to have something to