Students Organize Washington Lobby For Youth Fares

The Coalition to Retain Air Discount Fares (CRADF) began operations in Washington D.C. Monday in an effort to counter the threatened elimination of all domestic youth and other discount fares.

A CRADF spokesman said yesterday that the elimination of the discount fares could come as early as March However, Leroy Huntington, an Air Transport Analyst for the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) said that he thought prohibition of youth fares could not come until the summer at the earliest because of the bureaucratic process.

Huntington said though that the afrdines have the prerogative to eliminate youth fares without CAB approval.

He added that recent studies show that while the airlines make money due to increased business caused by low stand by fares, all other youth and discount fares lose money. He pointed out that the airlines could consider their elimination at any time.

'Unjustly Discriminatory'

The discount fare controversy began in 1969 with a law suit by Transcontinental Bus System. Huntington said. At that time a CAB hearing examiner ruled the fares "unjustly discriminatory." The CAB overruled the examiner in 1970 due to public pressure, the newly formed CRADF said Monday in a press release.

Huntington said that the CAB is now in the process of reviewing all domestic fares and has, on its own initiative, made the ruling that discount fares are "unjustly discriminatory."

The National Student Lobby and the Continental Marketing Corporation, a youth fare card sales concern, formed CRADF as a non-profit organization on Monday.