New Century

When his market goes flabby, a manufacturer may 1) reduce price, 2) create new outlets for his product. Last spring, Errett Lobban ("E. L.") Cord started the general slash of airplane prices by marking down his Stinson planes and Lycoming motors (TIME, March 3). Last week he announced formation of Century Air Lines, Inc. to fly trimotored Lycoming-Stinson transports over a network of plane-per-hour schedules radiating from Chicago.

Simultaneously, Stinson made first delivery to Century Lines on "the largest commercial plane order ever received by an airplane company"--for 100 planes and extra engines and equipment aggregating nearly $3,000,000. Retail price of a Stinson trimotor is $25,900. Youthful E. L. Cord, who opened one of the first automobile washing and greasing stations in Los Angeles, and who hoisted himself through the used-car business to the presidency of Auburn Automobile Co. and the $291,000,000 Cord Corp., is also president of Century Air Lines. With him is his Auburn vice president, L. B. Manning. Together they have kept careful watch on the operations of New York, Philadelphia & Washington Airways ("Ludington Line") which began in September a plane-per-hour service with Stinsons (TIME, Sept. 8). What they observed must have encouraged them.

Ludington averaged 135 passengers per day for the first four months and carried 266 the day before Christmas. With each ship flying 6 1/2 hr. per day, depreciation through obsolescence is low. Costs were kept down also by using ordinary automobile fuel foi cruising, high-priced aviation gas for take-offs and landings only. President Cord's announced plan is to develop Century along the same lines as Ludington, but much farther. The first unit, scheduled to open March 9, will serve Chicago-Detroit-Toledo-Cleveland (which route Stout Air Lines recently abandoned); and Chicago-Springfield-St. Louis. Five trips daily on the eastern route and three daily to St. Louis are called for during the first 30 days; thereafter, hourly service. Fares will in no case exceed rail-plus-Pullman. Eventually, hopes Mr. Cord, Century will connect the important cities of 20 States in midWest and South, becoming the "largest passenger and express unit in the world."*

* Largest airlines of today: miles of airway, Pan American Airways (21,190); miles flown daily, American Airways (19,298).

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.