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Table V-3

DISTRIBUTION OF DOMESTIC AIR TRAFFIC BY MILEAGE BLOCK, 1961

[[4 column table]]
| Domestic Passenger One-Way Trip Length (miles) | Number of Passengers (000) | Per Cent of Total Single | Per Cent of Total Cumulative |
| 0-49 | 139 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| 50-99 | 840 | 2.1 | 2.4 |
| 100-149 | 1,904 | 4.7 | 7.2 |
| 150-199 | 3,552 | 8.8 | 16.0 |
| 200-249 | 3,725 | 9.3 | 25.3 |
| 250-299 | 2,903 | 7.2 | 32.5 |
| 300-349 | 2,907 | 7.2 | 39.8 |
| 350-399 | 1,915 | 4.8 | 44.6 |
| 400-449 | 1,765 | 4.4 | 49.0 |
| 450-499 | 1,613 | 4.0 | 53.0 |
| 500-999 | 9,543 | 23.8 | 76.8 |
| 1,000-1,499 | 4,942 | 12.3 | 89.1 |
| 1,500-1,999 | 2,024 | 5.0 | 94.1 |
| 2,000 and over| 2,379 | 5.9 | 100.0 |
| | 40,142 | 100.0 | |

Source: Handbook of Airline Statistics, CAB.

In evaluating the competitive position of vertical-life aircraft relative to other modes of travel, let us consider first the problem of competing with surface modes in ranges of less than 100 miles. As we have throughout this report, we profess our humility in attempting to describe any situation that is typical of the many possibilities which are involved in surface/air competitive relationships. But such is the diverse and fragmented origin-destination nature of transportation. Here the problem is attempting to describe typical door-to-door origin and destination situations. For example, a person leaving on a business trip early in the morning so as to have a full day at his destination will leave from his place of residence. If that is in the central city, he may have only a short ride to a rail, bus or air terminal and may be inclined to take on of these common carriers on trips of 50 or 100 miles. But what is more typically the case, the business traveler lives in the suburbs and will need his car to get to a common-carrier terminal. Once he is in the car he may be tempted to take it over the entire journey, particularly if the trip is only 50 miles or so. While a VTOL aircraft is more flexible than other common carriers in regard to terminal requirements, it is far less flexible than the automobile.

In the event his business destination is in the fringe area of a large city, and this is increasingly the case, in all probability he will need a car. Mass transportation facilities are rarely available for new office and plant locations in the fringe areas. If he takes a common carrier, he will need a rental car at destination. This is done regularly for business trips, of course, but the spreading of such costs over a very short intercity journey constitute a deterrent to using a rental car solely for local transportation at destination.

Although the use of common-carrier air travel on short business trips originating and/or terminating in the suburbs of fringe areas of large cities is not to be considered out of the question, it must be admitted that it offers little in the way of convenience of time savings over the private automobile. Inasmuch as a substantial amount of short-haul business travel is performed on a city-center to city-center basis, it is necessary to make a comparison on that basis.

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