and from Bermuda. Air fares are often singled out as a major factor in the downturn in Bermuda's tourism. There can be no doubt that high fares are a factor.

There are constant comparisons of Bermuda's high fares with fares from Bermuda's gateway cities to places a much greater distance away. When you look at the distances, it does appear that fares to Bermuda are way out of line.

There are explanations in terms of load factors and operating costs on this run but the public is not much interested. They see only that you can get to Europe at a fare which is not much above that to Bermuda and they feel abused.

We have never heard any explanations from the United States airlines to justify the fares to Bermuda. But Bermudians can and do read US publications where the advertised fares make it very obvious that fares to Bermuda are high. Potential visitors also read those ads and there can be little doubt that they often choose another destination over Bermuda because the fares are cheaper. We have to believe that travel agents who are interested in satisfied customers also point out the differences in air fares to their customers.

However there is another element to air fares which we should not overlook.

That is the chaos in the fares themselves which render them almost incomprehensible to the traveller. In fact almost anyone who travels finds someone making the same trip who received a lower fare. Often the majority of the people in economy class have paid different fares and some have paid hundreds of dollars more than the person in the next seat.

It might be very useful if someone surveyed the passengers on a flight into Bermuda to see exactly what each has paid. We believe many of the fares would be different and that some people would have paid as much as $400 more for the same economy trip, bad food, poor service and all.

Far too often if you telephone the airlines for fare information the person on the end of the line has little more knowledge about fares, especially about lower fares, than you had before you telephoned. Perhaps the staff are just as confused by the welter of different fares as you are. It would seem that airlines are very interested in selling you a ticket but not very interested in finding you the lowest fare. A good travel agent can often be the solution to that problem.

We understand the need for seasonal fares but we cannot understand what the airlines gain from fares which vary as much as $300 depending on which day of the week you travel. The result seems to us to be angry customers who feel they are being hard done by for no real reason. Surely that is not good business.

It may be time for Bermuda to sit down with the airlines and ask some tough questions if only to give the public some reassurance.