British Airways Selected to Fly Soviet Festival Performers, Art

Officials of the San Diego Arts Festival have contracted with a commercial air carrier to transport Soviet participants here at a “substantial discount air fare,” festival officials announced Wednesday.

British Airways was chosen over half a dozen other international air carriers because it offered savings “in excess of $175,000” and because of its daily London-to-San Diego service, festival executive director Bruce Herring said. Total round-trip fares from Moscow to San Diego with an overnight stop in London will run about $265,000 for the $6.25-million festival.

“It saves us money to get (the performers) here as close as possible to the day they perform,” Herring said, “and British Airways has everyday service.”

Airlines submitting proposals included Pan Am, TWA, SAS, American and FinnAir, “and British Airways had the best proposal,” Herring said.

Besides providing “special VIP protocol service,” including Soviet interpreters, the airline will fly religious art objects and one dozen Imperial Faberge eggs from Moscow, London, Paris and Zurich, Herring said.

The eggs, which will be displayed at the San Diego Museum of Art, will be ferried in specially constructed cases. They will be insured while traveling with “nail to nail” coverage, that is, from the time the containers are closed to the moment they are opened, Herring said.

250 Performers to Be Flown

More than 250 Soviet musicians, performers, artists and government officials involved in the “Treasures of the Soviet Union” festival Oct. 21-Nov. 11 will be flown to San Diego.

The event, which will include performances of an opera, two Russian plays and numerous folk arts and crafts exhibits and performances, is expected to attract large crowds of visitors to San Diego.

Though tickets are available for the San Diego Opera’s production of “Boris Godunov,” tickets for most events do not go on sale until mid-July, Herring said.

“We haven’t placed ads yet,” he said. “That’ll be in conjunction with the ticket sales.”