UPS WEIGHS CHARTER PASSENGER FLIGHTS.

Byline: Russ Bynum Associated Press 

UPS might become known as United People Service - carrying human cargo on planes normally occupied by freight - to make use of its idle planes during weekends.

A proposal is expected to be made to top management of United Parcel Service in a few weeks, and UPS airline division spokesman Ken Shapero can already hear the snickers about package deals and wrapping up vacation plans.

``We'll probably hear the jokes on Letterman,'' Shapero said Wednesday. ``It's a tall order. . . . Nobody wants to feel like they're a box on an airplane.''

UPS sees profit prospects in paying passengers because most of its Boeing 727s aren't used on the weekends at airports across the country.

The flights would be chartered by travel companies that sell vacation packages and could begin in early 1997. Destinations would be determined by the travel companies.

Federal Express, UPS' top competitor, considered providing similar passenger flights in the late 1970s but abandoned the idea, said company spokeswoman Shirlee Clark. FedEx opted instead to concentrate on its delivery service and still has no interest in charter flights, Clark said.

To convert a brown-and-white cargo plane into a charter flight, UPS would load a platform fitted with carpeting and seats through the plane's extra-wide cargo doors.

Overhead storage compartments, reading lights and ventilation controls would be attached permanently and folded up during cargo flights, Shapero said from UPS' airline headquarters in Louisville, Ky. Two permanent restrooms would also be added.

The color scheme inside the plane would be splashier than UPS' signature brown, he said.

``The first time somebody walks on one of these things, they're not going to believe what they see,'' Shapero said. ``They're not going to believe it's a freighter.''

UPS would initially convert five of its 182 planes to haul 113 passengers each.

While the concept of riding in a converted cargo plane might flop with seasoned travelers, most passengers on charter flights are penny pinchers who aren't concerned with aesthetics, said Jack Boch, owner of JB's World Travel agency in New York.

``When it comes to low-price flights, the majority of consumers doesn't care if it's safe, doesn't care if it's cargo, doesn't care if it's the back of the bus as long as they're saving a few dollars,'' Boch said.