Sir - In reply to the letter "US carriers should think again" (Flight International, 3-9 January, P39), Mr Howard is mistaken in thinking that Delta ever had slots at London Heathrow. What he recalls seeing were McDonnell Douglas DC-8-33s painted in Delta Air Lines' colours, beginning in 1969, which were Pan American flights operated by their crews into their slots at Heathrow. Delta was not permitted access because of the bilateral agreement.
Almost another decade passed before Delta gained its first scheduled UK access, from Atlanta, Georgia, to Gatwick - a fine airport, but Heathrow would continue to offer a major competitive advantage to carriers using it. The travelling public would be best served by linking the world's largest hub, Atlanta (where Delta will offer upwards of 100,000 seats every day in mid-1996), with London's Heathrow, where BA offers more than 43,000 seats every day. An inspection of the list of the top 100 airports in the world reveals that nowhere is a greater opportunity to hand.
The UK/US bilateral agreement continues to be one of the most restricted in existence and is out of line, with the UK Government attitude towards trade and aviation regulation, in Europe. Perhaps the headline should have read: "UK Government should think again."
MICHAEL MEDLICOTT
Vice-President - Europe
Delta Airlines
London, UK
...Sir - Regarding Delta Air Lines and slots at Heathrow, the services were operated on behalf of Pan Am, using Pan Am call signs and former Pan Am DC-8s and, later, Delta's own, briefly operated, Boeing 747s, also under Pan Am auspices. Northwest Airlines also participated, using Boeing 707s.
A N HYATT
Air Traffic Controller
Camberley, Surrey, UK
Sir - In the back of my mind I seem to remember flying on Delta aircraft from Frankfurt to London on a Pan Am prefix, departing Frankfurt at 12.30h. The flight then went on to New York and thence to Atlanta.
Those were the days when people dressed up to fly, not down, and you could, if need be, take a walk around the fields in the morning before breakfast when staying at the Skyways Hotel.
CLIFF RICHARDSON
Richardson Air Transport
Northwood, Middlesex, UK
Source: Flight International
