from Bermuda en route to New York's Kennedy airport at 7:00 a.m. and 1:25 p.m., and arriving from New York in Bermuda at 12:30 p.m. and 8:50 p.m., the flight takes approximately one hour and fifty minutes. Starting on October 15, however, the evening flight will be pushed to a later time, arriving in Bermuda at 9:55 p.m. Said American Airlines general manager Mrs. Carole DeCouto: "We change the times for the late flight almost every spring and summer because of gate scheduling etc. But people -- businessmen especially -- prefer the later departure time from New York so they can spend more time in the city.'' She added that late arrivals in Bermuda are convenient because they allow people to make their connections and get home, rather than overnighting in New York. As well, departing from Bermuda at 7:00 a.m. allows people to connect with other flights early in the day so they can get to their final destination by evening. "We considered changing the 7:00 a.m. flight to 8:00 a.m.,'' said Mrs. DeCouto. "But the business community was insistent that we keep the 7:00 a.m. flight. It's a perfect flight for businessmen because it allows them to be in the city by 9:00 a.m.'' The scheduled aircrafts that fly to Bermuda are Boeing 757s, which are equipped with 188 seats and fly at an average cruising speed of 530 miles per hour. Mrs. DeCouto said: "The B757s are excellent aircrafts. They have a lot of power, which gives them more lift. And there are 22 first class seats available.'' There is a cockpit crew of two including the pilot and co-pilot, she said. And five or six flight attendants, depending on the aircraft's occupancy, accommodate the passengers. "We don't offer any premium services on this flight because it's just too short. But we do serve hot breakfast and lunch -- only one course though because of the lack of time,'' said Mrs. DeCouto. In fact, American is one of the few carriers in Bermuda that is still serving hot meals catered locally, according to American sales representative Mrs. Linda Wilkinson.

Bermuda Aviation Services (BAS) and its subsidiary, Aircraft Services Bermuda (ASB) provide aircraft catering and food and beverage services as well as aircraft, passenger and cargo handling services for American Airlines at the Bermuda Air Terminal. "BAS prepares the food modules and replenishes our aircrafts with trays of food and beverages required for our outbound flights,'' said Mrs. DeCouto. "And ASB unloads the baggage on to conveyor belts and reloads the planes with baggage for departing passengers. As well, they have a team of cleaning ladies who come in and sterilise the aircrafts,'' she said. The average one-way fare from Bermuda/New York, New York/Bermuda is $431 for first-class and $255 for economy class. But prices vary according to the season and day of the week, said Mrs. DeCouto. Return tickets can range in price from $187 to $441 economy class, the lowest price being available mid-week during the off season and the higher price occurring at weekends in the high season. The low season takes place from September 14 until March 15, noted Mrs. DeCouto, adding that weekend flying prices are available from Fridays to Mondays, and midweek prices are available from Tuesdays to Thursdays. "We're restricted from any advanced notice of sale so whenever we have a seat sale, we find out the same day as the customer,'' said Mrs.

DeCouto. "We never know ahead of time because of the anti-trust laws in the US. "But sales are put on several times throughout the year in order to get people to travel, especially in between peak seasons,'' she said, adding that the airlines get a good local response to the sales. PHOTO LOCAL CATERING -- Bermuda Aviation Services (BAS) executive chef Mr. Gary Price (right) and catering driver/loader, Mr. William "Apples'' Richardson prepare to load hot meals on the American Airlines flight.

MASTER MECHANIC -- Mr. Horace Tucker, American's aircraft mechanic, checks to make sure that no maintenance is required before take-off.

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