denies airline angry at inking of cruise deal By Patrick Burgess Tourism Minister David Allen says Shadow minister David Dodwell made "misleading'' statements in this newspaper about the loss of the US Airways flight from New York.

Speaking during the motion to adjourn in the House of Assembly late Friday night, David Allen highlighted what he called a "dynamic and ongoing'' healthy relationship with the American airline.

While confirming Friday's report that the airline wanted to drop the La Guardia-Bermuda flight, Mr. Allen refuted Mr. Dodwell's contention that USAir was angry at the inking of a deal to allow the Crown Dynasty to cruise from Philadelphia.

"What kind of sense would it make?,'' he said. "If they are angry with a ship from Philadelphia and Baltimore and those are the flights they are keeping? "The fact is for three years he was Tourism Minister and he did not get one thing from the airlines,'' Mr. Allen added.

"The fact is now we have one new airline (TWA), one new gateway (St. Louis), and another flight from Atlanta, all of that in one year.'' He continued: "Should we really be listening to these people? Tourism in the new Bermuda will benefit all Bermuda.

"The UBP wasn't creative enough to give them what they wanted.'' Allen confirms loss of USAir flight Earlier, in a prepared statement, Mr. Allen said USAir will switch air planes in its year-round Philadelphia flight with a Boeing 757 with 182 seats, up from the current 737 with 143 seats.

And the airline will begin its seasonal flights from Philadelphia sooner than in previous years, now scheduled in March of 2000. USAir's Charlotte, North Carolina flights will begin in mid-April, two weeks sooner than usual.

The loss of the seasonal La Guardia Airport to Bermuda flight is a sign of the flight only being 60 percent full this year Mr. Allen said.

He added: "As part of our on-going dialogue with US Airways, it is our hope that this service will eventually be restored on either a seasonal daily or seasonal weekend basis.'' He said that after talks with the airline earlier this year, it was "well positioned'' to capitalise on business from Philadelphia.

Expected "overflow'' business for the airline from the cruise ship deal and the limited number of seats on Apple Charters' flights from Philadelphia would keep USAir happy.

The UBP's Mr. Dodwell was on the offensive, saying: "But the fact remains that we have lost a flight from La Guardia.

"What happens to the winter planes out of New York? "La Guardia does not have many international routes,'' Mr. Dodwell continued.

"If you have a slot and you lose it you don't get it back. This is not good enough!'' "Can you absolutely prove it (that US Air had pulled the La Guardia flight in protest)?'' he said.

"I don't know, but I could say that there's a strong co-incidence. USAir objected strongly to this.'' He again called for the UBP government-commissioned Airline Strategy Report, but Mr. Allen called it "outdated'' and said his Government could get the job done.

Tourism Minister David Allen AIRLINES FLY TOURISM TOU