Viewing page 237 of 507

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

228           Helicopter Air Service Program 

May I make one further comment in connection with this program? It seems to me this whole program is bottomed on a firm foundation of good business reasons of why these joints are the way they are. What we need is more promotional effort, and many things are being done to bring this about.
   It seems to me one of the keys we have to keep constantly in mind is that this needs to be a good business arrangement for both parties, particularly it needs to be a good business arrangement for the trunk because they are also the selling agent.  We need to keep the incentive in the right posture so that they do the promotional work and do the selling of this traffic. [[note]] 8 [[/note]]
   Senator MONRONEY. Wouldn't a little simplification help a little bit, too?  That you could advertise, you buy your ticket "X" to Florida, and we pay the helicopter fare?
   Mr. TURNER. That would be fine as far as New York Airways. 
   Senator MONRONEY. New York to Florida, including helicopters at both ends, will cost you "X" dollars. 
   Mr. TURNER. Yes, sir, as far as New York Airways is concerned this would be very good. As far as the public is concerned. 
   Senator MONRONEY. We are talking about helicopter service. And maybe a few ads like that in Kansas City, St. Louis, or Oklahoma City and Dallas. 
   Do you have anything further? 
   Mr. TURNER. No, sir.
   Senator MONRONEY. I would suggest simplification is one of the best ways of picking that up.
   Mr. TURNER. I am in favor of that.
   Senator MONRONEY. I would be too, if I had to explain that.
[[note]] → [[/note]] Mr. CUMMINGS. Thank you very much, Mr. Turner.
   Just to recapitulate and take 3 or 4 minutes-
   Senator MONRONEY. Take 4 or 5 minutes. 
[[note]]→ [[/note]] Mr. Cummings. - to put it absolutely plainly so that there is no possibility of misunderstanding, all of the things that we have talked about this morning, and endeavored to describe as either under way or potential, unless they are accomplished we can't survive even under the Board's 5-year phaseout program.
   It is scarcely necessary, therefore, to add that under no circumstance could we survive the abrupt termination of all subsidy support 10 months from now as envisioned by the President's fiscal 1966 budget message.
  Our ability to develop commercial revenues of the magnitude required will be vitally affected by the Government's own attitude toward the matter. The negative congressional views expressed in recent years have been extremely destructive of our efforts to progress toward economic self-sufficiency. 
   This has nowhere been more plainly demonstrated than in the events of the past year. The fiscal 1965 Appropriations Conference Committee Report, issued last summer, which as this committee knows not only declined to appropriate the budget request for that year but stated that no further amounts were to be appropriated for that or any further year, brought New York Airways pending efforts to secure a broadened economic relationship with the fixed-wing airlines of the sort we have been discussing this morning to an absolute standstill.