of capacity into the West Berlin charter market, where it faced stiff competition from UK rivals Laker Airways and Dan-Air. At the time, Laker's and Dan-Air's Tegel-based fleets mainly comprised BAC One-Eleven twinjets. These aircraft were better suited to short- and medium-haul Mediterranean flying that accounted for most package tour flights from West Berlin and had fewer seats in a tighter seating configuration than the US supplemental's four-engined Convair jets. This made the UK independents' aircraft more economical for the bulk of West Berlin charter flying and enabled them to undercut its American rival. In addition, the much closer proximity of the UK independent airlines' main operating bases at London Gatwick Airport and Luton Airport to West Berlin's Tegel Airport (compared with Modern Air's distant Miami base) enabled Modern's West Berlin rivals to dispense with keeping expensive and unproductive spare aircraft and associated personnel in Berlin as replacements could be flown in at short notice. This, as well as their diverse fleets comprising a number of different short-, medium- and long-haul narrow-body and wide-body aircraft, also enabled Modern's rivals to respond more flexibly and cost-effectively to seasonal peaks and troughs in demand. Modern Air's management sought to counteract the advantages British competitors enjoyed in the West Berlin charter market by partnering long-standing business partner Berliner Flugring in launching the city's first regular, all year round long-haul charter flight programme. It was thought that, in addition to picking up some of the lucrative contracts for an extensive short-/medium-haul West Berlin charter flight programme from Tegel Airport a consortium of three West German tour operators had awarded to defunct British rival Channel Airways in September 1970 (beginning in March 1971), this would provide sufficient utilisation for the airline's additional Berlin-based aircraft and enable it to obtain better rates than in the city's heavily contested short-/medium-haul charter market. This in turn would allow Berliner Flugring to further differentiate itself from rivals and enable it to charge its customers a premium for a new, unique and superior product. However, this was dependent on regulatory approval by the Allied Air Attachés in Bonn and the aviation authorities of destination countries. However, as a result of pressure exerted by Pan Am, British European Airways (BEA) and Air France on the Allied Air Attachés, as well as objections lodged by the destination countries' national airlines with their aviation authorities, the relevant approvals were withheld. The established airlines