future of commercial air travel

Simple Flying

What might the aviation industry look like in 2050.

Commercial aviation is an industry in which companies are continuously looking to the future. This outlook has led to the rapid development and implementation of some innovative changes and ideas over the years. Even with the industry currently finding itself in turbulent skies due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, it retains this forward-thinking nature. With this in mind, how different will the airline industry be when we reach the middle of the century in 2050?

A new dawn for supersonic flight?

When considering the future of commercial aviation, the prospect of the return of supersonic flight is often a hot topic. Of course, this is an area in which the industry has already built up decades of experience. For 27 years, between 1976 and 2003, the legendary British-French jetliner Concorde inspired the world by making supersonic travel a reality.

Concorde was one of two supersonic jetliners developed around this time. Its Soviet competition was the Tupolev Tu-144 , although this had a shorter and less successful career. Nonetheless, both of these aircraft represent staggering technological achievements for their time. After all, they entered service less than a quarter of a century after the de Havilland Comet became the world's first-ever commercial jetliner in 1952, marking the dawn of the jet age.

Aerion and Boom lead the way

While it has sadly been nearly two decades since Concorde last flew commercially , the chance of similar aircraft returning seems promising. Indeed, earlier this year, the FAA proposed a 'final rule' to help facilitate the return of commercial supersonic travel .

This will have come as welcome news to companies such as Boom Supersonic. This Denver-based startup is currently developing a supersonic jetliner known as the 'Overture.' Last October, it revealed a 1:3 scale demonstrator aircraft , and it hopes to have the Overture in commercial service by 2030. Going forward, it even hopes to produce a supersonic Air Force One !

Stay informed:  Sign up for our  daily  and  weekly  aviation news digests!

Reno-based Aerion is another company hoping to enter the supersonic market in the coming years. Its proposed AS2 business jet will be more exclusive than the Boom Overture, seating just 8-12 lucky passengers. The aircraft recently finished wind tunnel testing , and NetJets has signed a Memorandum of Understanding for 20 units. Aerion hopes to begin production in 2023, meaning that, by 2050, it is likely that commercial aviation may have a strong supersonic market.

A greener industry

Many aviation companies have also set 2050 as an environmental milestone, making net-zero emissions commitments for the year in question, or earlier. They will look to do so through various means, including carbon offsetting, new technology, and biofuels. Those involved include airlines and their alliances , manufacturers , and even airports themselves.

However, in 2019, Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr criticized this target as being too distant. He believes, instead, that carriers should focus such action  on the here and now . In any case, even today, both airlines and their customers are becoming increasingly environmentally-driven when it comes to decision-making. With 2050 eyed as a concrete target for many companies to reduce their footprint, such trends are likely to grow as the year edges closer.

Next-generation seat technology

The very nature of how we travel on aircraft may also be subject to extensive changes over the coming decades. Companies are increasingly looking to the future to find more space-efficient ways of increasing capacity, without jeopardizing passenger comfort.

This appears to be an area with significant market interest. Indeed, Simple Flying reported earlier today that Zephyr Aerospace had achieved 700% of its crowdfunding goal for its solution. Zephyr's proposed cabin consists of double-decker economy class seats that, believe it or not, even promises the comfort of a lie-flat bed!

Several other design companies have also thrown their hats into the proverbial ring to showcase their proposed solutions. For example, London-based Factorydesign's airLair seat is based on a double-decker concept, in which premium passengers would sit in a cocoon-shaped pod.

On the other hand, with cargo taking on increased importance over the past 12 months, Airbus has patented a more flexible solution. The European manufacturer has proposed a system of folding seats , which operators can easily move throughout the cabin to create more or less cargo space where necessary. It will be interesting to see which concepts surface by 2050.

Changing long-haul aircraft trends

The events of 2020 may also prove to leave a lasting mark on commercial aviation in terms of the aircraft deployed on long-haul flights. As the ongoing coronavirus pandemic caused passenger numbers to fall, many airlines began to move away from larger and older four-engine such as the Airbus A340, A380, and Boeing 747.

Concurrently, Airbus has been making significant steps forward with its proposed A321XLR. This has been touted as a potentially game-changing aircraft for the long-haul market. As such, the coming decades may well see an increasing trend towards this and other long-haul narrowbodies. Airbus has even revealed a specialized cabin for such operations. This commitment suggests that the long-haul narrowbody market may well boom by 2050.

On the other hand, we may see new aircraft altogether come into their own. As we have already touched on, environmental factors are likely to become increasingly important in aircraft production in the coming decades.

With this in mind, Airbus celebrated Zero Emissions Day 2020 by revealing three innovative concept aircraft . These futuristic, hydrogen-powered designs are known as the ZEROe family, and the European manufacturer plans for them, as the name suggests, to produce zero emissions inflight.

On the whole, there are few industries as exciting as commercial aviation when it comes to the development of new technologies. Going forward, the concepts that we have explored, along with many others, will hopefully benefit both airlines and their passengers, as well as the planet itself. However the aviation looks in 2050, it will certainly be a fantastic one to be part of.

What do you think the aviation industry will look like in 2050? Will it be completely different to now, surprisingly similar, or somewhere in between? Let us know your thoughts and predictions in the comments!

What the Future of Air Travel Looks Like

By Jessica Puckett

After a year like 2020, it's a safe bet to say that air travel will never be the same again. In an industry that was impacted at every level , countless changes have already occurred in order for airlines to adapt and survive. 

There's also renewed hope that the outbreak could soon wind down: Federal officials have approved a vaccine, and as of Monday, the first dose was administered in the U.S., kicking off a months-long campaign to inoculate the majority of the population. U.S. airlines, too, have already begun the complicated process of distributing the vaccines throughout the country. Even so, the ripples of this crisis will still be felt by both fliers and air carriers for years to come.

Here's a look at what the future of air travel holds—next year and beyond. 

1. Long-haul flights will see new innovations

From virus-sniffing dogs in airports to new apps that process travelers' COVID-19 information and contact-tracing from airlines, the air travel industry is getting creative in order to restart long-haul flights. Delta, for one, is set to restart flights to Europe with a new test regimen, while new apps will make vaccination status and test results easier for border officials to read.

Read more: How Airlines Are Trying to Get Passengers Back on Long-Haul Flights

2. Business travel will get a reboot

One of the most important parts of airlines' recoveries will be winning back business travelers. But this valuable sector of passengers won't settle for the same old premium cabin. Before they get back onto planes, business fliers want to see major adjustments like seats that are more spacious and private, fare classes with added perks, and lenient loyalty program policies—to name a few. 

Read more: Business Travelers Want to See Major Changes From Airlines

3. Vaccines are already making a difference 

A vaccine is on the horizon, and travelers are already feeling more optimistic about flying next year: Flight search site Skyscanner reported that U.S. bookings for economy round-trip flights jumped up 9 percent on the heels of the first positive vaccine news. Airline CEOs, including those at Qantas Airways and Delta, have already hinted that they will soon require their passengers to be inoculated before flying.

Read more: 5 Early Indicators of the COVID-19 Vaccine's Impact on Air Travel

4. New planes will change the airline experience

As post-pandemic recovery starts to take shape, experts say that the established trend of airlines eschewing larger double-decker planes, like the Boeing 747 and Airbus A380, will accelerate. Instead, carriers are opting for more nimble and efficient jets—and even investing in some futuristic designs like a “blended wing” aircraft. Smaller planes won't mean less comfort: Expect to see wider seats, larger windows that are able to dim, and more spacious overhead bins.

Read more: These New Planes Could Change the Way You Travel

5. Family travelers will determine airlines' newest destinations

Among the few reliable air passengers this year? Diaspora populations visiting relatives. What started as demand for specially coordinated repatriation flights for those stranded abroad amid the unfurling COVID-19 crisis became the inspiration for lucrative new international routes. Now, carriers around the globe are shaping new route launches around this demographic: places like New Delhi, Accra, Brisbane, Bangalore, and Lagos are just a few of the destinations airlines have added to their maps so far.

Read more: Airlines Are Picking Routes Based on Family Travel Patterns

6. Booking will remain flexible

Passengers have been afforded more flexibility during the crisis—and they will be loathe to give it up down the line. Fortunately, U.S. airlines seem to have already recognized this fact and have gone to work nixing inconvenient change and cancellation fees. Flying standby on the same day and putting frequent flier miles back into loyalty accounts are becoming free benefits, too. But the jury is still out on whether seat selection or baggage fees will see the chopping block.

Read more: U.S. Airlines Get Rid of Change Fees on International Flights

7. Medical care will be available at the airport

While COVID-19 testing in airports is becoming more and more ubiquitous, experts believe that the trend of medical clinics at the airport will outlast the virus. "For international travel in the future when you need to have your vaccinations and take meds if you're going on safari in Africa , [fliers will] be able to come to the airport and have that as part of your routine," says Doug Satzman, CEO of airport spa chain XpresSpa, which pivoted to offering COVID-19 screenings and antibody tests over the summer. "It's really a completely missing category in airports. We think we are at the forefront of creating a whole new industry of travel health and wellness."

Read more: From Manicures to COVID-19 Tests: How an Airport Spa Brand Pivoted During the Pandemic

More Inspiration from   Condé Nast Traveler : 21 Best Places to Go in 2021 The 50 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America Strange Facts About the U.S. 50 Things to Do in Europe At Least Once in a Lifetime The Most Beautiful Places in the World The Best Travel Movies of All Time

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• PLANET POSSIBLE

Greener air travel will depend on these emerging technologies

Electric engines, alternative fuels, and better navigation could reduce emissions—and mitigate the impacts of a global return to the skies.

The sky over Cologne, Germany, is crisscrossed by condensation trails from airplanes. Because the pollutants in these so-called “contrails” contribute to climate change, researchers are studying ways to eliminate them—one of several ongoing efforts to make flying more sustainable.

Here’s a word you may have overlooked in 2020: flygskam, a Swedish term for the feeling of being ashamed to fly. In a year that saw a 66 percent decrease in flights, compared to 2019, you might think that flygskam has flown the coop.

But with a recent uptick in air traffic—and the anticipation of travel’s rebound thanks to COVID-19 vaccines —flygskam is taking flight again. The term originated in 2017 as part of a campaign to change how we fly, from the frequency of our flights to the technology of our aircraft. The goal: to mitigate the carbon dioxide emissions that experts think may triple by 2050 .

Aviation accounts for a relatively small portion of global emissions—2.5 percent. While bigger culprits, such as electricity and agriculture, account for greater emissions, they also benefit billions of people. Airline emissions, in contrast, come mostly from rich travelers in the richest countries: business class passengers produce six times as much carbon as those in economy class, and one percent of the most frequent fliers are responsible for half of all aviation’s carbon emissions.

Will the pandemic -caused travel slowdown be enough to shake up aviation and produce lasting benefits for the environment? In 2020, the drop in air traffic likely reduced carbon emissions by several hundred million tons . Some are calling to make those reductions permanent by eliminating contrails, using new fuels, improving navigation, and more. With climate change reaching a point of no return as early as 2035 , action will need to happen quickly.

( Wondering what you can do? Here are 12 ways to travel sustainably in the new year .)

Of course, flying less would have an even bigger impact, and there are calls for travelers to fly only once a year , give up flying for a year , and attend conferences virtually . Still, air travel is here to stay, so the cleaner the better. Here are some of the ways flying could clean up its act in the years to come.

Curtailing the contrails

Aviation emits more than carbon dioxide; it also produces water vapor, aerosols, and nitrogen oxides. These pollutants absorb more incoming energy than what is radiated back to space, causing Earth’s atmosphere to warm. This means aviation’s impact on warming might be an even bigger share than its carbon footprint.

The turbine engines of commercial aircraft, like this one at a maintenance facility in Singapore, rely on kerosene-based propellants. Companies are experimenting with biofuels and synthetic fuels that can reduce carbon dioxide emmissions.

An Airbus A300-600R makes its final approach before landing. The company plans to have a hydrogen-fueled plane in service by 2035.

The worst of the non-carbon impacts are from contrails, short for condensation trails: the line-shaped clouds that form from a plane’s engine exhaust. A small number of flights are responsible for most contrails. This is because contrails form only in narrow atmospheric bands where the weather is cold and humid enough.

Avoiding those zones could make a big difference in limiting aviation’s non-carbon pollution. One research paper modeling Japan’s airspace found that modifying a small number of flight routes to skip these areas could reduce contrails’ effects on the climate by 59 percent. The change would be as little as 2,000 feet above or below these regions. While flying a plane higher or lower can reduce its efficiency and require more jet fuel, the paper found that limiting contrails would still offset any additional carbon emissions.

“There is a growing realization that the impact of contrails is a really significant component of aviation’s climate impact,” says Marc Stettler, one of the paper’s authors and a lecturer on transport and the environment at Imperial College London .

The spots where contrails can form change from day to day, so airlines need accurate, multi-day weather forecasts to avoid them. In the future, pilots could report contrails, much like they now do with turbulence, so other planes could adjust their flight paths.

The EU’s aviation authority, EUROCONTROL, starting preparing last year to conduct trials on a contrail avoidance project . Stettler and his colleagues plan to continue research on how to go about implementing changes that could reduce contrails.

“This is the faster way that aviation can reduce its climate impact,” he says.

Related: Stunning views from an airplane window

Harnessing alternative fuels

Commercial airplanes rely on kerosene-based propellant, but companies are experimenting with turning biomasses, such as vegetable oil and even used diapers , into jet fuels. Some research suggests these biofuels could cut carbon pollution from airplanes by upwards of 60 percent . But all biofuels are not created equal.

Those that could be processed into food are unsustainable because of the planet’s growing population, which needs crops for calories. Used cooking oil and pulp leftover from agriculture or logging are expensive and not produced at a scale large enough to make a meaningful difference. But this doesn’t mean that other sustainable aviation fuels won’t be developed.

( How clean is the air on planes? Cleaner than you may think .)

“You hear that aviation is a hard sector to decarbonize,” says Andrew Murphy, the aviation director at Transport and Environment , a European nongovernmental organization. “That is only half the story. The other half is we haven’t tried.”

More-promising areas include e-fuels, or “synthetic fuels,” which don’t require engines to be reengineered. To make e-fuels, electricity—hopefully renewable—is used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen is then combined with carbon dioxide to make jet fuel. KLM recently conducted its first flight powered by synthetic fuel.

Another effort entails pulling carbon out of the atmosphere and using it as an ingredient in fuel. Although this technology is still in early stages, that doesn’t mean it has to be far off.

“The pandemic has shown us new technology can be sped up if we want it to,” Murphy says.

Going electric or hybrid

Cars aren’t the only conveyance undergoing electric innovation: one count found a hundred electric-powered aircraft projects in the works.

The first electric flights will be in small planes with a range limited to a few hundred miles. Norway , a country with numerous islands and mountainous terrain calling for puddle jumpers, has promised that all of its short-haul flights will be on electric aircraft by 2040 . Underserved areas could one day get new routes flown exclusively by electric planes.

“A huge fleet of these could radically change local transportation systems,” says Ron Steenblik, former director of the International Institute for Sustainable Development ’s Global Subsidies Initiative.

An airplane descends as the sun rises on Mexico City. Artificial intelligence is being used in efforts to improve flight navigation and lessen delays that cause planes to sit on the tarmac or circle the airport.

Going farther or flying bigger planes with electrification isn’t on the near-term horizon. But some companies are exploring a hybrid of electricity and hydrogen, which could extend ranges. Boeing and others are also looking at hydrogen as a means of propulsion even without electrification. Airbus recently revealed three different hydrogen planes with plans to have one or something like it in service by 2035.

“We don’t want to just make it technically feasible,” says Glenn Llewellyn, vice president of Airbus’s Zero-Emission Aircraft project. “We want to make it economically viable.”

The Hindenburg disaster in 1937 ended the first hydrogen era. The aviation industry tried and dropped a hydrogen effort again in 2010 after finding it too expensive. But Llewellyn points out that hydrogen has been improved by other industries, such as automobile and space, proving its safety, innovating on its uses, and bringing down its costs.

“The ecosystem is evolving in a much different way than 10 years ago,” Llewellyn says. “We have a better starting point.”

Giving navigation an upgrade

Airlines have used computers to help optimize routing and planning for decades, but they’re now putting artificial intelligence (AI) to work in finding new ways to reduce jet fuel needs.

Air France, Norwegian, and Malaysia Airlines are already using technology called Sky Breathe that relies on big data and AI to analyze billions of records from flights in an effort to find ways to save fuel. The company behind Sky Breathe says it has saved its customers more than $150 million in 2019 and reduced CO2 emissions by 590,000 tons.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is midway through a multiyear upgrade called NextGen , which will be a series of interconnected systems to improve how air traffic control sees, navigates, and communicates. The FAA says the technology will make it possible to schedule tighter landings and takeoffs and decrease delays that leave planes sitting on the tarmac or circling the airport.

“AI is really good at looking at patterns,” says Ashish Kapoor, an AI researcher at Microsoft who works on aviation projects. “We have years of experience of flying planes, so we have a lot of data out there.”

There will be more data as planes get kitted out in sensors, which will produce additional insights into improvements. All that data means that the next stage of aviation could look different. Algorithms could develop new plane designs and come up with flight plans, taking into account speed, comfort, and emissions.

“We don’t have to evolve like aviation has done the last hundred years,” Kapoor says.

But for this to happen, more than technology has to evolve; countries will need to change legislation, and airlines will need to fund expensive research. It will take incentives to encourage the aviation industry to become sustainable. Janice Lao-Noche, an environmental scientist and development economist, says it’s going to take a lot of flygskam and maybe the pain of climate change disrupting more flights for all the innovations to take off.

“I don’t think it’s futile,” Lao-Noche says. “[But] this is going to be, no pun intended, a bumpy ride for the aviation industry.”

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• SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

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• The Future of Air Travel: Toward a better in-flight experience

A snapshot from Air Travel Design Guide, illustrating artifacts, spaces, and systems that impact the passenger experience in travel. Illustrations by Isa He

Anyone remember air travel? In early 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe and international flights were hurriedly cancelled, the Harvard Graduate School of Design’s Laboratory for Design Technologies (LDT) pivoted its three-year focus project, The Future of Air Travel , to respond to new industry conditions in a rapidly changing world. With the broad goal of better understanding how design technologies can improve the way we live, the project aims to reimagine air travel for the future, recapturing some of its early promise (and even glamour) by assessing and addressing various pressure points resulting from the pandemic as well as more long-term challenges.

The two participating research labs—the Responsive Environments and Artifacts Lab (REAL) , led by Allen Sayegh , associate professor in practice of architectural technology, and the Geometry Lab, led by Andrew Witt , associate professor in practice of architecture—“look at air travel from an experiential and a systemic perspective.” As part of their research, the labs consulted with representatives from Boeing, Clark Construction, Perkins & Will, gmp, and the Massachusetts Port Authority, all members of the GSD’s Industry Advisors Group .

So far, the project has resulted in two research books: An Atlas of Urban Air Mobility and On Flying: The Toolkit of Tactics that Guide Passenger Perception (and its accompanying website www.airtraveldesign.guide ).  On Flying , by Sayegh, REAL Research Associate Humbi Song , and Lecturer in Architecture Zach Seibold , seeks “to facilitate a rethinking of how to design objects, spaces, and systems by putting the human experience at the forefront”—and in so doing “prepare and design for improved passenger experiences in a post-COVID world.” The book’s accessible glossary covers topics including the design implications of the middle armrest (“What if armrests were shareable without physical contact?”); whether the check-in process could be improved by biometric scanners; the effect of customs declarations on passengers; how air travel is predicated on “an absence of discomfort” instead of maximizing comfort; and the metaphysical aspects of jet lag.

The project “examines and provides insight into the complex interplay of human experience, public and private systems, technological innovation, and the disruptive shock events that sometimes define the air-travel industry”. Consider, for instance, the security requirements of air travel in a post-COVID world—how can the flow of passengers through the departure/arrival process be streamlined while incorporating safety measures such social distancing?

On Flying acknowledges that it’s hard to quantify many of the designed elements—ranging from artifacts to spaces and systems—that affect our experience of air travel. So the toolkit methodically catalogs and identifies these various factors before speculating on alternative scenarios for design and passenger interaction. A year into the project, Phase 2 will more overtly examine the context of COVID-19, considering it alongside other catastrophic events, such as 9/11, in order to better understand and plan for their impact on the industry as a whole and on passenger behavior.

Meanwhile, An Atlas of Urban Air Mobility , by Witt and Lecturer in Architecture Hyojin Kwon , is “a collection of the dimensional and spatial parameters that establish relationships between aerial transport and the city,” and it aims to establish a “kit of parts” for the aerial city of the future. Phase 1 considered the idea of new super-conglomerates of cities, dependent on inter-connectivity of air routes—specifically looking at the unique qualities of Florida as an air travel hub. The atlas investigates flightpath planning and noise pollution and other spatial constraints of air travel within urban environments. One possible solution it raises is the concept of “clustered networks,” where electrical aerial vehicles could be used in an interconnected pattern of local urban conurbations, reflecting a hierarchy of passenger flight, depending on scale and distance traveled.

Phase 2 will move into software and atlas development, expanding the atlas as well as their simulation and planning software. One intriguing aspect will be a critical history of past visions of future air travel: a chance to look back in order to look forward with fresh eyes. By studying our shared dream of air travel, the hope is to rediscover and reboot abandoned visions that may yet prove to inspire new innovations.

It’s a reminder that, not so long ago, international flight excited and inspired us—before the realities of delayed flights, lost luggage, rude customs officials, and poorly planned infrastructure stole our dreams. And that’s before we ever stepped onto the plane itself. According to the Air Travel Design Guide , the social contract of air travel has now become so skewed from the original glamorous proposition that today, “the passenger can feel as if they are at the mercy of nature, airport security personnel, or the airline cabin crew. They are directed where to go, how to move, and even when to go to the bathroom on the plane.”

Surely it can—and should—be better than this?

“We may not arrive more on time,” the team concludes, “but thanks to the introduction of better design practice—we might enjoy the experience better.”

Learn more about the Laboratory for Design Technologies and its Industry Advisors Group (IAG) partners at research.gsd.harvard.edu/ldt/

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• From 3D-printed face shields to strategies for a just recovery: How the Harvard Graduate School of Design community is contributing to COVID-19 response efforts
• Rethinking the “Room” through the Pandemic: Isolation, Openness, and Confrontation

See 7 supersonic passenger-jet concepts that will connect cities in as little as one hour and fly up to 9 times faster than the speed of sound

• The Concorde was a supersonic commercial airliner, flying passengers at 1,350 miles per hour.
• High costs, safety concerns, and loud sonic booms forced the plane to retire in 2003.
• Several companies are trying to reintroduce supersonic air travel with new ultra-high-speed jet concepts.

The age of supersonic commercial air travel started in 1973 with the first transatlantic crossing of the famous Concorde aircraft.

The Concorde made its first supersonic passenger flight 40 years ago — this is what it was like

Jointly developed by Aérospatiale — a predecessor of Airbus Industries — and the British Aircraft Corporation, the high-speed jet could fly up to 1,350 miles per hour, or twice the speed of sound.

Source: Insider

The first passenger flight occurred on January 21, 1976, when British Airways flew the Concorde from London to Bahrain in just four hours — two and half hours faster than subsonic jets.

Air France started Concorde operations the same day, flying from Paris to Rio de Janeiro via Dakar, Senegal.

Source: Air France

The Concorde's early success pushed British Airways and Air France, the only two operators of the jet — with seven each — to add more routes, like Paris to New York and London to Washington, DC.

Source: Britannica

However, over time, the jet proved to be too expensive and too noisy to maintain. A deadly crash in 2000 further accelerated its retirement, which came in 2003 after 27 years of commercial service.

Why we still don't have another Concorde

Since the Concorde's demise, the industry has not seen another supersonic jet because manufacturers are still trying to solve the challenges the iconic plane faced, like efficiency, cost, and noise.

However, companies worldwide have jets in development, and the Federal Aviation Administration has expressed its support for the reintroduction of supersonic travel in the US "as long as safety parameters are followed."

Source: Federal Aviation Administration

Texas-based startup Venus Aerospace is the most recent manufacturer to unveil a new supersonic jet — except the company hopes to go hypersonic, at Mach 9, meaning the plane will fly nine times faster than the speed of sound.

Source: Venus Aerospace

According to Venus Aerospace, its Stargazer jet will connect any two cities on Earth in an hour or less by flying along the edge of space.

The jet, dubbed a "spaceplane," will have a capacity of just 12 passengers and be powered by zero-emission rocket engines.

Other companies are also hoping to enter the hypersonic market. China's Space Transportation, also known as Beijing Lingkong Tianxing, is developing a 12-passenger jet that can fly 4,350 miles per hour, connecting New York and Beijing in one hour.

Source: Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone , CNN

The ultra-high-speed jet concept, which is planned to begin flight testing in 2023, is not the company's first product. Lingkong Tianxing has also been developing reusable rockets, which are the foundation of its future commercial spaceplane.

Source: Space Transportation (Lingkong Tianxing)

NASA and Lockheed Martin have partnered to develop the X-59 supersonic aircraft, which is part of the Quesst mission. While not a passenger concept, the supersonic jet will help minimize sonic booms over land.

Source: Lockheed Martin , NASA

This will allow commercial supersonic planes to travel faster than the speed of sound over populated areas, which the Concorde was not permitted to do.

Lockheed Martin is planning to build on top of its testbed by creating a 40-seater ultra-fast commercial aircraft, which it calls Quiet Supersonic Technology Airliner (QSTA). The plane is planned to fly at Mach 1.8, or about 1,380 miles per hour.

Source: Lockheed Martin , CNN

Meanwhile, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the country's national space agency, is developing an unnamed supersonic jet that will carry 50 passengers and have a sonic boom 50% smaller than the Concorde's.

Source: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

The agency is developing the aircraft in partnership with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and Subaru. JAXA is also partnered with NASA on the X-59 QueSST project that will help the agency reduce its own jet's sonic boom.

US-based Exosonic is also developing a quiet, low-boom supersonic passenger plane. The 70-seater jet is planned to fly at Mach 1.8, with tickets costing the same as a regular business-class fare.

Source: Aerotime

In 2020, Exosonic was awarded a grant from the US Air Force to build a supersonic plane that could serve as the future Air Force One.

Source: Exosonic

The Air Force's Life Cycle Management Center said the deal will push the development of a "low-boom supersonic executive transport aircraft that will allow key decision makers and teams to travel around the world in half the time it takes now."

Source: FlightGlobal

South African billionaire Priven Reddy's company, EON Aerospace, is also trying to get into the supersonic market with EON nxt-01, an environmentally friendly ultra-fast jet.

Source: EON Aerospace

The plane would fly at Mach 1.9 and have up to 88 seats, with the goal to run on sustainable aviation fuel and operate with net-zero carbon emissions. EON hopes to get the jet into service by 2029.

Colorado-based Boom Supersonic, which is developing a Concorde-like plane known as Overture, is the only startup that reports having orders on the books.

Boom Supersonic's ultra-fast planes that United Airlines is set to begin flying in 2029 will be built and tested in North Carolina

United Airlines has purchased 15 of the high-speed Overture aircraft in a deal worth $3 billion. The jet is scheduled to enter commercial service with the airline in 2029.

The $200 million jet will fly at Mach 1.7, or about 1,300 miles per hour, and connect cities like Newark, New Jersey, and Frankfurt, Germany, in four hours. United estimates it will carry 65-88 passengers in an all-business cabin.

Japan Airlines also invested $10 million in Boom as part of a preorder for 20 Overture jets in 2017. The company plans to carry 45-55 business-class passengers and originally expected a mid-2020s entry to service, but there has been no update since.

Source: Japan Airlines , Boom Supersonic

If United's plan stays on track, the airline will become the first commercial carrier to fly a supersonic plane in regularly scheduled passenger service since the Concorde.

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What's the Future of Air Travel?

"the systems underpinning air travel are so complex that change is inevitably incremental.".

Personally, I’m hard-pressed to think of even a single way in which the experience of air travel might be improved. If I was the National Plane Commissioner, my official policy would be, don’t change a thing. I am positive that everyone shares this view . Nonetheless, inevitably, things change . Air travel in 20 years may bear little resemblance to air travel today. Or maybe not—maybe air travel won’t change at all. One can dream. But one cannot know, for sure, without consulting the relevant experts. Which is why, for this week’s Giz Asks , we’ve reached out to four of them, for some insight into the future of air travel.

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Ella atkins.

Professor, Aerospace Engineering, University of Michigan

The tin cans with wings that we fly in—there’s a well-entrenched procedure there. We have a ton of airport infrastructure—all those jetways, gadgets, etc. So in twenty years, say, I think things are going to look pretty similar. For the average flyer who just wants to get somewhere for a decent price, the experience is unlikely to change much. Generally, what we’ve seen in the last twenty to thirty years are hidden improvements: somewhat more efficient engines and aerodynamics, somewhat better controls. That said, there have been some larger-scale changes. Right now we’re approaching single-pilot operations—it’s entirely possible that commercial flights will only have one pilot in twenty years, which will save airlines some money, and maybe some of that will be passed along to the consumer. Full automation, though, is unlikely—both because we’re not ready to abandon human pilots as yet, and because passengers feel more comfortable when there’s a well-trained human pilot upfront. Looking ahead, I think we’ll see improved in-flight bandwidth—it’ll probably be as good as it is in our homes, which will allow for things that aren’t permitted now, like video chats. Then there’s all the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) stuff that’s coming out—air taxis. A ton of new companies are going after that market, and I think the industry has hit a sweet spot with respect to electric motor reliability. So I think the next really cool, different-looking airplane is going to be something that has electric propulsion, likely several motors (not just two) and a shape that still provides a good aerodynamic lift. Of course, only the wealthy will be able to afford these at first—Uber has said there will be air taxis for everybody in the near future, but I don’t see that being feasible for a long time, because driving is still so cheap. Not to mention the fact that these eVTOL aircraft are extremely expensive to create—between R&D, testing, certification, etc. If you live in a place like Manhattan, you might see helicopters fly over the river every so often, carrying wealthy executives and others who can afford to fly from nice homes outside the city, but it will be some time before the average consumer can afford them.

Sarah Nilsson

Associate Professor, Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, who is also a pilot

Right now, the most exciting developments in commercial air travel are happening in the realm of urban air mobility. Volocopter and EHang are two of a myriad companies that are building small aircraft to fly off the top of high-rises (aka vertiports). These aircraft rise vertically, like helicopters, but then switch to horizontal flight. This process started with NASA in 2015. They’re in charge of some of the project, primarily working out airspace issues—sorting out how these aircraft will share space with drones and helicopters and airplanes. They’re designing a “traffic management” ecosystem called Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management to integrate all these components and make sure airspace is being used efficiently and safely. Europe already has some regulations on the books for aircrafts like these, though as yet the US does not. The US companies who are testing these possibilities are doing so on experimental aircrafts, because we don’t yet have a suitable regulatory category. Right now, the FAA only has regulations for cargo carrying, and for drones that weigh less than 55 pounds. Anything bigger than that needs case-by-case approval from the FAA. The idea here is that these aircraft will help to avoid the congestion of driving two or three hours to the airport on the freeway—instead, it would be a short hop from vertiport to airport. Initially, as with everything else, prices are going to start high, but over time, as the technology becomes more mainstream, it’s going to become more affordable, and will hopefully reduce commuting time. There are also medical applications—people in need of urgent care could be evacuated in one of these crafts instead of a helicopter. The key here is vertical takeoff—since you don’t need a runway, you can take off anywhere, including from the middle of the street. This makes things much more agile.

Allen Sayegh

Associate Professor in the Practice of Architectural Technology at Harvard University and Principal of INVIVIA

The pessimistic part of me would say that nothing much is going to change in 20 years—the systems underpinning air travel are so complex that change is inevitably incremental. At the same time, I think certain emergent technologies like augmented and virtual reality present good opportunities to transform the experience of air travel. There’s a chance, here, to complement the discomfort of air travel, instead of fighting it. The way air travel currently works, there’s always a tension between the passenger’s need for comfort and what the airlines regulations allow for. If you’ve never flown before, flying’s the most fun thing imaginable; but inevitably, as we fly more, we take the experience for granted and focus on the little annoyances. The idea here would be to reframe negative experiences (say, a mid-flight bump) into positive ones. So much of air travel is geared towards making you forget that you’re flying—think in-flight movies. It’s always about forgetting yourself and trying to put your mind on other things. You forget the fact that you’re flying. There’s an opportunity here to inject some awe back into the experience. VR or AR could reframe the plane’s movements or sounds in compelling or instructional ways and turn the actual experience of flight into something pleasurable. As for what air travel might look like 100 years from now—maybe these visceral experiences will be indistinguishable from a bird flying on at its best day and if that’s not your cup of tea the best way to fly across the world might be to fall asleep and wake up there. So maybe, ideally, we’d have a service that knocks you out in your living room and wakes you up in a hotel room in Tokyo.

Junaid Zubairi

Professor, Computer Information Sciences, SUNY Fredonia, who studies network applications in aviation, among other things

As a frequent traveler, you already know that you have to check in and get an electronic boarding pass each time you take a flight. When you arrive at the airport, you check in your luggage to receive a tag and then pass through security. Security checkpoint protocol includes removing your shoes, opening and placing your bigger mobile devices on the belt and taking off your jacket. Later, you look at the directions to figure out your gate. You present your boarding pass at the gate for boarding. Once inside the plane, you will have selective Internet access and no cellular service. When you reach your destination, you stand by the conveyer belt and occasionally flip the bags looking for your checked bag. 20 years from now, commercial air travel is projected to be quite different from today’s air travel experience. You will not have to check in for each flight you take. There will be a universal boarding pass saved in your mobile device that you will present at the gate. When you check in your bags, they will carry a BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) tag. Security checkpoint will be a breeze with a quick scan of your body and belongings as you walk through the gate. When you walk inside the terminal building, your phone will direct you to the gate of your flight. Once inside the plane, you can determine the exact location of your bag by using its app on the mobile phone. You will have ubiquitous connectivity through the 6G network. You will be able to make and receive phone calls normally as well as work normally using the Internet connectivity on your laptop, tablet or phone. Once you reach the destination airport, you will not rush to the conveyor belt for taking your bags. Instead, you will take a seat nearby. When your bag arrives, your phone will beep and alert you to the exact location of the bag. The biggest changes would be in the duration of the trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific flights. Technologies will be developed to reduce the duration of commercial trans-Atlantic flights to just a couple of hours.

Do you have a burning question for Giz Asks? Email us at [email protected].

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AIR & SPACE MAGAZINE

The future of air travel, as seen from mit.

An expert panel looks ahead to the airline experience of 2030, with more passengers and fewer (if any) pilots.

Tony Reichhardt

Predictions about tomorrow’s technology often miss the mark, but when a panel of experts like the one assembled recently to celebrate 100 years of aerospace research at MIT gazes into the crystal ball, we can’t help but pay attention.

The panelists—all MIT faculty members or graduates who now hold top positions in the aerospace industry—foresaw steady improvement in aeronautics technology. No surprise there. But they also agreed that an expected sharp rise in global air traffic, combined with stricter environmental regulation, pose formidable challenges for future airlines.

MIT aeronautics professor John Hansman said that part of the problem will be improving a system that’s already very efficient, and has achieved a global safety record of just 0.2 accidents in every million departures. “We’re sort of a victim of our own success,” he said. “The system is so good that if you want to do something innovative and change, it’s actually hard to do.…We don’t have a very high risk tolerance.”

One avenue to big savings could be reducing—or even eliminating—the pilot crew on future airliners. Jeff Katz of air travel booking company Orbitz said that “Fewer pilots per airplane is really on the minds of airline executives today, but [is] not much talked about.” The hurdles here have more to do with social acceptance and marketing than technology, the panel agreed. Katz didn’t foresee pilot-less airliners in his own lifetime, but rather “in my kids’ generation.”

The panel also spent a fair amount of time discussing how the passenger’s experience will be different in 2030, when, as Pat Shanahan of Boeing predicted, 70,000 takeoffs per day will become more like 300,000 per day. Former astronaut Mike Collins, who had appeared on an earlier panel of Apollo veterans , got laughs and applause from the audience when he asked, during the Q&A session, about the mundane problem of boarding and unboarding an aircraft, typically through one narrow door. “It takes probably a half hour for me and my fellow passengers to get loaded. It takes probably 15 minutes on the other end to get off the damn airplane. Help!”

Hansman, the MIT professor, agreed that more “holistic” questions like these, encompassing the total air travel experience, are important to consider when educating future aerospace engineers.

The entire discussion, including the Q&A period, lasts about an hour, and is worth watching.

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Tony Reichhardt | READ MORE

Tony Reichhardt is a senior editor at Air & Space .

The future of air travel

In this episode of the McKinsey Podcast , Simon London speaks with McKinsey senior partner Alex Dichter and partner Robin Riedel about the economics of the airline industry.

Podcast transcript

Simon London: Hello, and welcome to this episode of the McKinsey Podcast , with me, Simon London. In this first episode of 2020, we are going to be talking about the present, and future, of air travel. On the one hand, these are exciting times for aviation. The airline industry is enjoying an all-too-rare period of healthy profits, and there is very real potential in new modes of air travel, ranging from unmanned air taxis to next-generation supersonic planes.

And yet there is increasing awareness, among passengers and policy makers, that flying is a carbon-intensive mode of transportation. The concept of flygskam , roughly translated from the Swedish as “flight shame,” is a topic of conversation in the media and in boardrooms alike. To discuss all this and more, I caught up with a couple of commercial pilots turned McKinsey partners. Alex Dichter is American, now based in London; Robin Riedel is German, now based in San Francisco. They both work extensively with airlines and, like many of us, fly extensively for work.

Alex and Robin, thank you for being here and welcome to the podcast.

Robin Riedel: Glad to be here.

Alex Dichter: Great to be here.

Simon London: Let’s start with a little bit of industry economics. This industry is famous—has been famous over the years—for destroying value for investors. But the last few years have been better. Alex, just tell us what’s changed?

Alex Dichter: Sure. We are indeed about to finish the fifth year of consecutive profitability in the airline industry, depending on how you measure it. The industry’s made a small economic profit in each of the last five years. Certainly, no matter how you measure it, it’s been the most profitable five-year period in 80 years of industry history.

Some of that, to be clear, is good luck. We’ve had relatively robust GDP growth across the world, and certainly in the US, over that period. Fuel prices have been lower than average. But I do think that there are some things that the airline industry has figured out that are working better. Chief among them would be what the industry refers to as ancillary revenues.

To illustrate the point, in a typical year over the last five years, the industry as a whole has made an economic profit of, let’s say, $35 billion. In any of those same years, the global sales of ancillary revenue—[for] seat assignments, bag fees, credit-card fees—has been north of $50 billion. In other words, you could say that all of the industry profit is coming from ancillaries. Of course, it’s a bit more complicated than that, but it is a big structural change and it’s really helping the industry.

Simon London: It’s interesting. It’s like the biggest innovation in the airline industry over the last ten years or so actually has been revenue management, or pricing innovation, as opposed to fancy new aircraft.

Alex Dichter: I don’t want to discount the impact of fancy new aircraft. Certainly, as a pilot, those are very important to me. But, yes, it’s a big structural change and, by the way, it’s one that the airline industry didn’t invent. It used to be that we all paid for our checking accounts. Today, the checking account tends to be free and we pay a little bit extra for physical checks, a little bit extra for this, a little bit extra for that. It’s true in telecoms. It’s true in many other industries. What the industry is doing is responding to human behavior.

People are less responsive to changes in these fees than they are to changes in the price of the ticket. When the price of the ticket goes up by a dollar or two, airlines see an immediate effect in their demand. When we change the seat-assignment fee from $6 to $7 or $7 to $8, people may buy fewer seat assignments but they don’t buy fewer tickets. From an industry-structure standpoint, that’s probably a healthier way of building revenue rather than simply bundling everything into the ticket price.

Robin Riedel: I think what Alex said is absolutely right, and then I would add that, operationally, we’ve seen massive progress. They’re using aircraft a lot more than they have in the past and spreading the cost of those aircraft. At the same [time], crews are much more productive than they have been in the past. [For] all kinds of different cost items, we’ve found ways, over the last decade or so, to significantly reduce [them].

Simon London: This is where I’m going to put my traveler hat on. Is there a sense then, Robin, that this little profitable spell for the industry has been somewhat … passengers are paying for it? It feels like I do have to pay for a lot of things I never used to have to pay for. Plus, I have crowded airports, crowded planes. I think the traveler experience doesn’t feel like a great one at the moment.

Robin Riedel: It’s an interesting observation. I do think if you look at the data, it would tell a bit of a different story, a more nuanced story. I think there’s lots of positives that are better today than they were before. I think, on the one hand, you have more choice.

You say things are more crowded. You may pay for more things, but it’s actually your choice to do so. If you want the fantastic experience, you can pay for that and actually get it. You can get lie-flat seats, which 20 years ago you couldn’t. You can get great airport lounges. You can get fast track. You can even get private terminals in certain places.

All of that is available. Now, overall, costs have come down. If you could look at the real cost of air travel over the years, this is one of the only industries in the world where prices continuously go down and down and down. Today, access to air travel is a multiple of what we had even ten or 20 years ago, simply because airlines have figured out how to lower costs over time, which provides access to people.

Now, on top of that, beyond the choice and beyond some of the innovation we’re seeing, there’s a couple of simple things that have just gotten better. One is on-time performance. We’re so much better today in understanding weather patterns, understanding equipment, having much more reliable equipment. While it might sometimes feel like you’re stuck in the airport longer than in the past, the facts would actually show a different story.

Alex Dichter: Robin pointed out the benefits if you’re interested in a premium experience. But, quite frankly, even in economy class, the vast majority of the global airline fleet has inflight entertainment, often with hundreds of movies and TV shows to choose from. There’s Wi-Fi on board, sometimes for a fee, sometimes not. There are extra-legroom seats that you can pay for, at reasonable prices that a lot of people choose to pay for and can afford.

I think a lot of people who refer to the golden age of air travel don’t remember what flying was like in the ’60s and ’70s. I do. I did a lot of it. Fights were long, deadly boring. There was smoking on airplanes, which a lot of people don’t like. The connections were very difficult. You always had to leave the terminal. Lots of waiting in lines. You couldn’t do anything digitally. It wasn’t quite the experience that people remember it to be. I think the one thing that is clearly more difficult today is that planes are full.

The average load factor—the percentage of seats that had people in them—in the 1970s was around 60 percent, which meant that you were almost certainly, mathematically, going to get an empty seat next to you. Today, as anyone knows, getting an empty seat next to you on a typical flight is a real rarity.

Simon London: Yeah, and airports are more crowded as well, though, aren’t they? There is a fact, isn’t there, around the number of airports, globally, which are operating at or beyond capacity—and it’s high, right?

Robin Riedel: They’re more crowded. Now, the way it really manifests itself is security. If you go back to the ’60s or ’70s, there was no security, and so it was a much more open space. Today, once you’re through security, the airport experience is generally pretty good. You have restaurants. You have retail shopping. You have lots of seating space. You have light terminals with lots of window space. Security tends to be the number-one pain point for passengers going through the experience.

Simon London: Yes, and I guess we cannot blame that on the airlines. That’s not something the airlines chose to put in place.

Alex Dichter: But you’re quite right about the crowding point. If you go to multiple airline terminals, particularly in hub markets today, during peak hours you’ll find that it can be difficult to move around. In an industry that grows at, depending on the market, 3 to 6 percent per year, it’s very clear that much of that infrastructure needs to be expanded and/or replaced and needs to be expanded or replaced quite quickly.

Simon London: Yeah. Just go back to legroom, which is always a topic of much debate.

Alex Dichter: Yep.

Simon London: It feels to me like legroom is probably less than it used to be. Again, am I just looking at the past through rose-tinted spectacles?

Alex Dichter: Here are the facts. Let’s go back to the ’70s. I think in the ’70s, the average pitch—this is a term that the industry uses for the number of inches or centimeters between one point on a seat and the exact same point on the seat behind it or in front of it—was about 34 inches. Today, if we looked at most network carriers, traditional airlines, it’s probably in the neighborhood of 31 inches. So that’s three inches fewer, which sounds like a lot. However, the seats are slimmer. A typical seat today is at least two inches slimmer than it was in the 1970s, so the amount of space available for your legs is not dramatically different.

Simon London: So we might have lost an inch over a few decades.

Alex Dichter: We might have lost an inch. I think we certainly lost some recline. I think fuller airplanes mean that we’re a little less socially comfortable reclining our seats, and that’s certainly had an impact. Let’s be clear: this [legroom] is also one of those things that people say they want, and yet, to the industry’s chagrin, there doesn’t seem to be an enormous amount of evidence that people are willing to pay for it or shift their preferences because of it.

Simon London: So as consumers, we do not vote with our feet or our knees.

Alex Dichter: Unfortunately, that is true. I think the happy equilibrium we’re coming to is [that] many airlines are offering extra-legroom seats. There are different names for these. There’s, of course, premium economy, which is sold as a separate class. In many cases, for anywhere from $20 to $100, you can buy an extra-legroom seat, which has quite a bit of additional legroom. So those who care can buy, and those who care less don’t.

Simon London: Yeah. So the golden age of air travel [was] maybe not quite as true as we’d like to remember. Let’s go back to this little golden period we’ve [now] got of industry economics, though. Will it continue?

Alex Dichter: The dynamics that have always led to unprofitability in this industry are fundamentally still there. This is still an industry that orders lots of airplanes when it’s doing well. Those airplanes show up two to three years later, typically all at the same time. And that drives quite a bit of cyclicality.

Simon London: The cyclicality of capacity planning and the fact that every airline seems to order in unison, and then you get excess capacity, is just a fundamental problem.

Alex Dichter: Sure. Fundamental problem. The fact [is] that capacity is perishable—meaning when a seat leaves the gate, it’s worth nothing. The marginal cost to put one more passenger on the airplane is very low, and that leads to a very strong incentive, and a rational one, to price below full cost when times are tough. In an industry where prices are relatively transparent, others respond, and you end up in a bit of a spiral.

Simon London: Yeah. Yeah.

Alex Dichter: I don’t think any of that has fundamentally changed.

Robin Riedel: I would maybe add that there are a few new storm clouds on the horizon here for the industry. One of the bigger ones has got to be the question of sustainability. I think we’re hearing lots of public outcry about the amount of carbon that aviation puts in the air. If you look at other emissions, it’s even higher than that. There’s a real question about whether demand is going to change because of environmental concerns.

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Simon London: Yes. There’s the word flygskam ; I’m probably butchering that. We’ll get letters from Sweden! This came up just in the last year or so and seems to have entered popular culture. Is this actually a real topic of conversation—again, at the capacity-planning level? When people are looking at the demand curve and thinking about orders in airlines, are they taking this into account?

Robin Riedel: They’re starting to. I think this is a relatively new trend. We’re seeing this over the last six months or so, but our surveys have shown that about one-third of the passengers are seriously considering flying less as a result of environmental concerns, which is something we haven’t seen before at this number.

We do see [this] in certain markets. In Scandinavia, we see pockets of demand falling off, especially domestic travel or short-term travel, as a result of this. We’re seeing lots and lots of airlines starting to come out with very bold messages around what they want to do. Right now, a lot of this is focused on how do we increase fuel efficiency with our flying? How do we think about alternative fuels—certifying them and getting them on board? How do we think about offsets?

But to be honest, there’s a lot more to be done, and there’s a real challenge for the industry coming up. Because of the density of power that sits in fuel, it’s very hard to go to other sources. Going to electric is incredibly hard for longer flights, if not physically impossible at this point.

Simon London: Just because of the density of batteries per unit of energy that they contain?

Robin Riedel: That’s exactly right. The problem is, other industries can go with alternatives. We’re going to look at electric cars and we’re going to see that ramp up. Even though aviation might be 2 percent, 2.5 percent, of carbon emissions today, aviation is rapidly growing compared to other modes and other polluters and doesn’t have as many alternatives. As the other modes put alternatives in, we will see the [carbon-emissions] number of aviation come up quite a bit. It’s not crazy to say ten years from now, aviation could be at 10 percent.

Simon London: It’s currently at this interesting data point. Currently, around 2 percent, 2.5 percent, of global carbon emissions are [from] aviation, and probably, on trends, that will rise. How far it will rise, we don’t know, but it could rise significantly.

Robin Riedel: That’s right.

Simon London: Presumably, the industry is heavily incented to get more fuel efficient because jet fuel is a significant portion of costs. What’s the record of the industry so far? Beyond the cleaner-fuel alternatives or biofuels, what’s the industry doing to try and reduce it?

Alex Dichter: It’s something that’s on everyone’s mind. I think even if you weren’t concerned about carbon, to your point, fuel is a large expense item, and everyone’s looking to use less of it. Certainly, for some airlines, that means investing in new aircraft types that are significantly more fuel efficient. Some of the new-generation aircraft are as much as 20 percent more efficient on a per-passenger basis.

Let’s be clear: those airplanes are expensive. If you look at most cases, it’s a clear business case, but it’s close—meaning you save a lot on operating costs, but you pay back quite a bit of that in capital costs for the privilege of having new aircraft. For some, that makes sense. For others, it makes less sense.

Robin Riedel: Maybe to add a few things to that, the record of the industry at reducing or increasing fuel efficiency has actually been quite good. On average, we’re seeing about a percent, 1.5 percent, of reduction per year. Every year.

The airlines are quite committed to that, to Alex’s point, because it saves them money. I think one of the big players that has the opportunity to do more is actually air-traffic control here, and this is in many cases government led. [We need] better ways to utilize the airspace, finding better ways to hand off between—for example, in Europe—between country-based air-traffic control and allowing aircraft to take more direct flights, staying at an altitude where they’re more fuel efficient for longer. That could make a big difference. I think there’s a lot of opportunity left to really see some improvement on the fuel efficiency.

Simon London: Yeah. To step back from that, even though consumers say they are concerned about the environmental impact of flying, we still expect the industry to be growing at GDP-plus for the next while. If it bends the demand curve, it’s going to be at the margin.

Alex Dichter: I think we do need to consider a scenario in which that changes. I think the fact is that a reasonably large portion of air travel today is discretionary. In Europe—I live in the UK—for a lot of people, the choice to go to Amsterdam or Spain for the weekend is an alternative to going to a football game and going to the pub, at not very different costs. It’s a way of spending your time. One of the airline CEOs in Europe says that his biggest competitor is the sofa, meaning that he’s really trying to get people to get out of their homes and decide to travel. And that creates demand. I think the notion of flygskam and, again, I’m sure I’m pronouncing it incorrectly …

Simon London: I think you did better than I did!

Alex Dichter: … is precisely to challenge people on that type of travel. I think if that mind-set becomes widespread, we could see a big change to demand. Businesses, too, while we as businesspeople think that much of our travel is essential, I think if we really looked at it with a sharp eye, we’d realize much of it could be replaced by videoconferencing and phone calls. I think that there is the possibility that we’ll see large changes in mind-sets toward travel, and that’s something that the industry needs to watch very closely.

Robin Riedel: Just to build on that, I think the same is true for cargo. If you look at air cargo today, a lot of it is perishable goods. Anywhere in the world you can get nonseasonal fruit and vegetables. You can get salmon from Chile and you can get flowers. You can get perishable goods from all over the world at any time. I think consumers will over time smarten up to that and say …

Simon London: … “what is the carbon footprint of my strawberries?”

Robin Riedel: Yeah. There you go.

Simon London: Alex, you mentioned a little earlier that the current-generation and next-generation aircraft are more fuel efficient. Without getting too nerdy, but I’m interested, how is that being achieved?

Alex Dichter: In the simplest form, much of that benefit is coming through an increase in what engine manufacturers refer to as the bypass ratio. That’s, effectively, the ratio of thrust that is created by the fan. That’s the big disc out in front of the engine that you see spinning. It’s effectively a propeller, versus the core of the engine.

The higher the bypass ratio, the more efficient the engine is, up to a point. It’s a very simple explanation of a very complicated topic. I think the issue is we’re up against a threshold where dramatic increases in bypass ratios are not likely, for two reasons. One is at some point the fan becomes so big that you can’t manage it geometrically. The second point is that the internal temperature of the engine goes up with higher bypass ratios. At some point, we run into the limits of the ability for materials to sustain those temperatures.

Simon London: So we hit a plateau of what you can get out of the technology.

Alex Dichter: At some point, physics wins. I think that the achievements of the engine manufacturers over the last 20 or 30 years have been remarkable. I think engineers do wonderful things and we’ll continue to see improvements. But I think the idea that we’ll at some point see a kerosene-driven, high-bypass-ratio turbofan engine that burns 50 percent less fuel than we see today, using the same basic concepts, strikes most of us as unlikely.

Robin Riedel: Then to build on that, I think the changes we would see in that next-generation aircraft will be new airframe designs. I think on the airframe side, we’re getting more aerodynamic wings. We’re building more aerodynamic fuselages overall, and we’re building lighter materials. There are a lot of carbon aircraft parts out there now.

Simon London: Yes. There are composites and things being built which are lighter than aluminum and so on.

Robin Riedel: That’s right, but we’re fundamentally still building the same kind of tube and wing designs that we’ve been building for the last 80, 90 years. The question is [that] to get to the next level of efficiency afterward, we’ll have to attack the design of the actual aircraft.

There are designs out there like blended wing bodies, which have significantly better lift performance and lower drag, that would achieve the next step change, but it’s not as easy as just taking an engine off, like we do today, and replacing it. As an industry where a new aircraft design will easily cost you more than $10 billion, something of that scale will probably cost you $30 billion, $40 billion. We haven’t gotten to the point yet to really invest in these new designs.

Simon London: Presumably, as an aircraft manufacturer, the big hairy bet that you have to make is when to take those kinds of more futuristic designs—next-generation or beyond-next-generation platforms—into production.

Alex Dichter: I think there are multiple considerations. I think one is you don’t want to kill the existing platform, which still has plenty of growth left in it. You’re trying to pay down that investment, which might be only five or ten years old. The second is you want to make those investments at points in which propulsion technology is ready for a step change.

Last but not least, there is something to be said for managing the number of unknown unknowns in a design. The good news about reusing existing design features is that they’re very well tested. We understand them. We understand how to make them safe or safer. We understand how to build them. The more unknowns there are, the more uncertainty you have in the development process that leads to delays. It leads to manufacturing problems. Eventually, the industry tends to get there, but it can be a bumpy road.

Robin Riedel: Notwithstanding what we said, there are some very good ideas on the horizon that are actually coming to fruition in the smaller-aircraft space. We’re looking at electric propulsion. The floatplane companies in Vancouver have committed to going fully electric on their smaller aircraft.

There we see a bunch of innovations coming out that are electric propulsion, battery driven. On the next horizon of range, you have a bunch of new designs that have distributive propulsion. Instead of having one or two big engines on the aircraft, you have dozens of small, little propellers across the wing or across the fuselage, which have all kinds of aerodynamic benefits. While we won’t see that any time soon on the large airliners that we travel around [on] most of the time, we will see this on the smaller, regional aircraft.

Simon London: So the innovation tends to be on the shorter haul, basically?

Alex Dichter: I wouldn’t say it has been a pattern that innovation occurs on the shorter haul. I think the point is that when it comes to electric aircraft, the ability to do something that’s economically useful on short-haul aircraft today is in sight in a way that it is not for long-range aircraft. We’re not far away from being able to pack enough energy into a battery to be able to carry ten passengers 20 or 30 kilometers. We’re quite some way away from being able to carry 300 passengers 10,000 kilometers.

Simon London: Just talk a little bit about the air-taxi concept, which sounds incredibly futuristic. What do you think? Is it realistic?

Robin Riedel: It’s a space I’m tremendously excited about. Right now, we track more than 150 different manufacturers working on prototypes and business models around these vehicles.

Simon London: One hundred and fifty?

Robin Riedel: More than 150 just from the manufacturing-the-vehicle side. If you think of the whole ecosystem, it’s many, many more than that. You will have to recharge these vehicles. You will need infrastructure to land them. You need air-traffic control when you think about the lower airspace and lots of vehicles; it’s something that today doesn’t exist.

All of that is being spun up right now. There are dozens of companies that have working prototypes that fly with and without passengers, with and without pilots, today and are proving that technology-wise, we’re actually there.

Now, at the same [time], there are a lot of unlocks that need to happen to get there. Air-traffic control is one I mentioned. The thought that we will have dozens of these [air taxis] zipping through a city—it’s a problem that, technically maybe, we’re close to solving or have solved.

Simon London: Yes, it’s both exciting and scary.

Robin Riedel: It is both exciting and scary. Now, public perception is another issue. I think in the Western world, our surveys suggest that people are not quite ready to get into an autonomous plastic bowl with rotors on it and fly around a city, or there’s some skepticism around it. Now, in some of the emerging markets, there’s less of a concern there.

Simon London: You guys are both pilots. Will these things be pilotless or not? Because, presumably, the weight of the pilot, the economics of the pilot, fundamentally changes the game.

Robin Riedel: Let me give you a couple of the data points here. By adding a pilot, we’re about doubling the cost of flying on these vehicles. That’s because you have to pay for the pilot, for one, which isn’t necessarily cheap, especially if you only share the cost over a couple of passengers, versus a couple of hundred on big aircraft. Secondly, you’re designing the aircraft for the pilot to be in there. If you add an extra seat, that’s extra weight, so you’re roughly doubling the cost of the trip.

I think, secondly, it’s an interesting question of where these pilots will come from and how we incentivize them. Our forecasts show that by 2027, 2030, if this industry takes off, we’ll need about 50,000 pilots just for this urban air-mobility space. The value proposition for them is an interesting one because you’re telling them, “Listen. We want you to fly these,” but at the same time, as an industry, our number-one priority is to …

Simon London: … to get rid of you!

Robin Riedel: To get rid of you. To automate this, so that we can bring down the cost. If you think about the NPV [net present value] of a pilot’s career, you invest about $100,000 up front to get your pilot’s license. You spend two years of your life doing that. You have to recoup that afterward. If you only think about a five- or ten-year career until you get automated away, it’s a hard pitch to make. It’s a very interesting question for the industry how to resolve it.

Alex Dichter: The other thing I’d say is that we are very close to being able to master the technology that’s required for 100 percent–safe autonomous flight. Ninety-nine-point-something percent of the time, everything goes flawlessly.

That said, you see in your day-to-day life that technology fails, whether that’s having to reboot your computer or your phone. This happens on airplanes today—sometimes you need to reboot a system and have human intervention. Not surprisingly, the tolerance for technology failures in unmanned flight will be zero. The question in a lot of people’s minds is, “All right. If we’re 99-point-something percent of the way there, how far are we from 100?” That could be very close, and it could be very, very far.

Simon London: This is the same discussion that happens with autonomous vehicles. To what standard do we hold the systems? Do we hold them to the standard of perfection, or do we hold them to a human standard, which is a long way from even 99.99 percent?

Robin Riedel: You raise an interesting point there because the human standard is also not 100 percent. In a lot of cases, you would argue the human introduces a certain amount of risk as well because there’s human failure and human error. I think a lot of it is a public-perception issue, and how do we deal with the fact that we’re expecting 100 percent safety from aviation but yet we’re totally fine getting in a car and taking a significant risk on our way to the airport in the car.

Simon London: It’s cultural, societal, but also regulatory, and regulators will respond to politicians, who respond to societies. What about supersonic? Is there a future? Is it going to come back?

Alex Dichter: Many people my age had a chance to fly on Concorde when it was operating, and it was a wonderful experience. There are a couple of companies that have very credible paths, from a technology standpoint, to reintroduce supersonic aircraft—in some cases, to the business and corporate market.

That said, I do think that there are some real challenges. First and foremost, [supersonic aircraft] will not be more fuel efficient. I think that in a world where we become very focused on carbon footprints, at an individual as well as a collective level, that may impede the success of these models.

I think, second, there is a time-channel problem with supersonic flight that I think many people underestimate. What I mean by that is, nobody wants to arrive at 2:00 in the morning and nobody wants to leave at 2:00 in the morning. When you look at the rational departure and arrival time slots in many city pairs, supersonic does wonderful things for you in some city pairs and does nothing for you in others.

Concorde, for instance, was quite popular between London or Paris and New York, and it was less popular in the other direction because it left in the morning and arrived in the early evening, so you spent a day on an airplane. Whereas the alternative would be to spend a full day in New York, go to sleep in a first-class seat or a business-class seat—because if you were on Concorde, that’s probably your alternative—wake up in Europe, and have a productive day on the other end. That said, I suspect we will see some activity in this space at small scale.

Simon London: Let’s just finish with some tips. You are both pilots and frequent travelers. I’m sure you get asked this at dinner parties, so here’s the dinner-party question: “I fly. What should I do? What should I not do?”

Alex Dichter: My simple answer is, unless you really have to, don’t eat on planes. Nothing against the food. It’s fine. But in many cases, the flight is relatively short. If you look at the East Coast of the US to Europe, you have, at best, six and a half hours in the air. You have a big time-zone change ahead of you. Getting even a few hours’ sleep is really helpful, and an hour and a half worth of dinner, whether you’re in economy or business [class], takes away a significant portion of your sleeping time. Not to mention the fact that the airplane is a pressurized environment. Without getting into overly biotechnical details, your body doesn’t do a particularly good job of digesting food at altitude.

Simon London: Yeah. So rest, basically. Put your head down. Get some rest. Don’t eat. Robin, any tips?

Robin Riedel: Well, I still eat on airplanes, so I don’t quite agree [with Alex] on that one. I think getting smart on a stress-free way through the airport and through the environment is really what I spend my time thinking about, and that’s the tip I give people. Think about which security checkpoint you use. Is there a way for you to get faster through that by registering for a program or by being a frequent flyer? [Also,] understanding where the gate layout is, what are the right places to refresh or [where] the washrooms [are] in the area, et cetera.

Simon London: So a little bit of preplanning of the airport experience.

Robin Riedel: A little bit of preplanning of the airport experience. Absolutely. I think on the aircraft itself, I would argue get a window seat if you can, because you can lean against the window. People always argue that the person who’s in the aisle seat has all the power because they can get up whenever they want. Well, the reality is, if you’re in the window seat, you can also get up whenever you want, and you can actually make the other people get up at the same time. That whole aisle argument for me doesn’t count. For me, it’s a window seat.

Alex Dichter: One other tip that might surprise you is pack lightly, as that not only simplifies your life and makes dragging bags through the airport simpler but also reduces your carbon footprint. If you choose not to fly, at least in the short term that seat will probably be filled by someone else and, certainly, the plane will go. Every kilogram that you remove from your personal luggage reduces the fuel burn for the aircraft. I feel good about that. It also makes my life simpler.

Robin Riedel: One other [tip] I would add is bring a pillow. Even on shorter flights, being able to rest your head on something other than just the headrest is nice. I always carry a small pillow with me. I carry a pair of somewhat nicer eyeshades than you are given for free. Because that just makes a big difference to me—to be able to shut out the light and get a little bit of quiet time.

Alex Dichter: Another key one for me is knowing when not to sleep. The big challenge of long-haul travel, of course, is managing jet lag. That is as much a question of learning how to sleep as it is [of] knowing when not to sleep. A perfect example would be [that] a typical flight from the East Coast of the United States to Asia would leave in the middle of the day—let’s say noon—and arrive in Asia late in the afternoon, which, by the way, would be early in the morning on your body time.

If I look around the airplane, in most cases I would see people asleep for the last five hours of that flight. I know from experience that those people will end up tossing and turning in their hotel bed that night, unable to go to sleep again. That sets a pattern, throughout the subsequent days, of being groggy in the day, probably having to resort to taking a nap, and not being able to sleep at night. Keeping yourself awake so that you can shock yourself into the next time zone is an important discipline in managing jet lag.

Be friendly to airport and airline employees. There are a lot of things that go wrong in the airline industry, and the vast majority of them are not the fault of the flight attendant or gate agent that you are speaking to. Taking the time to smile and acknowledge that it’s not their fault, and [for them to] have a little human contact, makes their day better, makes your day better, and, again, creates that positive loop that we were talking about. I had a flight attendant come up to me not long ago to thank me for taking my headsets off of my head when she came to ask me a question. You would think that would be a common courtesy; it’s something I ask my kids to do but, apparently, that’s not something that’s often done. Those little things make a difference.

Simon London: We are out of time for today. Robin, Alex, thank you so much for joining and that was fascinating.

Alex Dichter: Great.

Robin Riedel: Thank you for the time.

Alex Dichter: We’ll see you all in an airport someplace.

Simon London: Yeah. Right. And, as always, thanks to you, our listeners, for tuning in to this episode of the McKinsey Podcast . Please do jet over to McKinsey.com to find more research on aviation, transportation, sustainability, and more. Alternatively, download the excellent McKinsey Insights app, which is available for Apple and Android devices.

Alex Dichter is a senior partner in McKinsey’s London office. Robin Riedel is a partner in the San Francisco office. Simon London, a member of McKinsey Publishing, is based in the Silicon Valley office.

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Future of Aviation   //

For a start, mobility actors should come together in a shared vision. This is where the World Bank-led Sustainable Mobility for All (SuM4All) steps in. For the first time ever, the SuM4All provides the transport sector and its modes of transport with the opportunity to speak with one voice and jointly unpack a Roadmap of Actions that is tailored to countries and cities to implement on a voluntary basis. The SuM4All includes all modes of transport, including aviation. Aviation facilitates access to countries and cities, increases multi layered efficiencies in travel and makes safety and security in travel top priorities. The aviation sector is rapidly taking gender equality at heart.

The World Economic Forum proposes that the deployment of these private sector and government innovations to address mobility challenges can contribute to an improved mobility landscape – if they are deployed in a coordinated and collaborative way that aims to optimize the entire transport system. Unfortunately to date, these efforts in many instances may be exacerbating transport issues, most notably by adding congestion and complexity while also creating inefficiencies between public and private modes of transport.

In a little over a century, our industry has gone from learning to fly, to learning to fly faster, learning to fly further, learning to fly heavier planes, and now to having 100,000 plus commercial flights occurring around the world each and every day – representing over 400 departures per hour! Aviation has truly has been at the forefront of innovation to become one of the safest and most reliable modes of transportation in the world today. 

Sharing and leveraging technology and best practices from aviation and all modes of transportation will help ensure the success and sustainability of the emerging mobility sector create trust by the public and become sustainable.

Within the 2030 Agenda framework, ICAO was identified as the custodian agency of the global indicator for Passenger and Freight Volumes, by Mode of Transport. ICAO monitors and provides data to measure the progress of States building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization and fostering innovation.

The air transport industry is expanding and the future of aviation is a bright one.

In 2017, airlines worldwide carried around 4.1 billion passengers. They transported 56 million tonnes of freight on 37 million commercial flights. Every day, airplanes transport over 10 million passengers and around USD 18 billion worth of goods.

This indicates the significant economic impact of aviation on the world economy, which is also demonstrated by the fact that aviation represents 3.5 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) worldwide (2.7 trillion US dollars) and has created 65 million jobs globally.

Aviation provides the only rapid worldwide transportation network, generating economic growth, creating jobs, and facilitating international trade and tourism.

Aviation has become the enabler of global business and is now also being recognized by the international community as an essential enabler to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The aviation sector is growing fast and will continue to grow. The most recent estimates suggest that demand for air transport will increase by an average of 4.3% per annum over the next 20 years.

By mid-2030s no fewer than 200,000 flights per day are expected to take off and land all over the world. Imagine the first video again – but with twice as much traffic!

And this growth is not limited to passenger traffic. We anticipate that cargo traffic in terms of tonnage – to continue to grow along a similar curve.

But the growing demand for air traffic also involves challenges, not least of which are the important logistical implications in and around airports to ensure the infrastructure is able to support this growth.

The main question revolves around how we can achieve growth in a responsible and therefore sustainable way.

As the industry plans to support a near doubling of passenger and cargo numbers by 2036, demand for pilots, engineers, air traffic controllers and other aviation-related jobs is expected to rise dramatically.  What is also certain is that innovations in technology and approaches will be needed to sustain this growth.

We also see that the aviation is becoming more accessible to the global population. This figure shows for each country, what percentage of the population lives within 100 km of an airport.

World wide – 51% of the population lives within 100 km of an International Airport – and 74% live within 100 km of any kind of airport.

So airspace is quickly becoming congested and air traffic is slated to double over the next two decades. In addition to air space – we have to consider airports themselves. Airports are already built up around population centres and are already operating at high capacity.

The reality is that – in order to accommodate the forecast growth - drastic improvements and efficiencies for airports and air traffic management will need to be found. For this – we need innovation.

Aviation is already known as a driving force of global technology development and innovations.

Alternative fuels can significantly change the current scenario of aviation in support of the environmental protection. The vast investment in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data could be seen as a promising way of increasing safety, efficiency and sustainability. These technologies can help improve aviation infrastructure and airspace utilization.

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How the future of commercial aviation will reshape value chains

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How the future of commercial aviation will reshape value chains (pdf), aerospace companies face rising demand and operational challenges, making sustainability and digital transformation more necessary than ever..

• Proactive strategies to keep operations running smoothly are crucial as workforce hurdles and distressed aviation suppliers create snarls.
• Disruptive technologies and a greater focus on sustainability also present new opportunities to upend business as usual for forward-thinking companies.
• It’s hard to tell, but new advances suggest that advanced air mobility and supersonic flights are further out on the horizon.

I n mid-2022, the commercial air transportation sector is buoyed by renewed hopes that the worst of the pandemic is behind us. Yet amid this recovery, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and aviation suppliers are grappling with demand volatility, supply chain ruptures and production constraints like never before, with challenges — and opportunities — rippling across the entire aerospace and defense (A&D) value chain globally.

Industry players find themselves in an uncertain “in-between” state, in which pre-pandemic normal is fading from memory but the post-pandemic future remains cloudy. How different will the aviation industry be by 2030 or even 2050? And where are the opportunities for new innovation, value-driven sustainability initiatives and other avenues for generating profits, and increasing shareholder value?

We can begin to see the possibilities of tomorrow within the recovery of today, across areas such as the power of digital, new technologies, supply chain transformation and enterprise resilience.

Riding on a path to recovery

The commercial aerospace sector has shown incredible resiliency and continues to rebound from the pandemic, even among global challenges such as elevated inflation, the spread of COVID-19 variants and geopolitical unrest.

By the metric of revenue passenger kilometers across the industry, global passenger traffic for air travel in 2021 recovered to 42% of 2019 levels, compared with 34% in 2020, boosted by increasing vaccination rates, the lifting of travel restrictions and the reopening of economies. For cargo tonne-kilometers, global air freight was strong, with 7% growth compared with 2019 levels, despite several disruptions, including insufficient cargo fleet capacity and labor shortages that gripped the industry throughout the year. 1

Within the wide-body space, orders were depressed even before the pandemic, and growth is not expected to return to the market until 2024. Air freight may pick up the slack from still-depressed levels of international travel, but most of the near-term demand is expected to be for replacements, as nearly 20% of the 2019 fleet is forecast to retire by 2025. 2  This uncertainty could impact production levels and the timing of new orders. However, these trends accelerate demand in the narrow-body market, in which the potential for longer-range aircraft has greater traction amid increasing regulation and concerns over carbon dioxide.

Addressing two wild cards: aviation supply chain and labor

Supplier distress and a pool of talent with new priorities amid the pandemic add to the uncertainty. Here’s how to navigate the new normal.

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The current state of A&D supply chains

OEMs are facing a heady mix of labor shortages, supply chain issues and high prices of raw materials, all signaling a potential threat to component availability.

Within supply chains, the impact of the war in Ukraine has been limited. Although commercial OEMs have relied heavily on Russian titanium, they likely have enough supply to meet near-term needs, as they have been stockpiling reserves and building alternative sourcing strategies for some years now. A larger disruptive source remains in the market: distressed suppliers on uncertain footing since the pandemic began and still confronting uncertainty in demand.

To help distressed suppliers navigate near-term cash flow pressures, OEMs have offered financial aid, accelerated payments and set up “watchtowers” to detect financial problems. Governments have offered billions in grants, loans and guarantees as well, and Tier 1 suppliers have chipped in with contract extensions, inventory purchases and vendor financing programs. Even so, the smaller suppliers facing maximum pressure have been consolidating on a large scale.

Recommended actions: To maintain the long-term viability of their supply chains, major A&D companies have to continue to proactively identify distress and perform proactive evaluations. OEMs may need to acquire major suppliers and insource to protect jobs and increase capacity utilization, as well as invest in strategic technologies. 

Workforce challenges

Meanwhile, the pandemic has scrambled the availability of labor and created new priorities among workforces, resulting in a drift away from traditional manufacturing roles. In the  EY 2021 A&D Workforce Study (via EY.com US) , EY teams found that flexibility reigns supreme today, as it has been shown to be both possible and preferable. In the US, about 26% of the A&D workforce is over age 55 (higher than the average across industries), and voluntary attrition rates are above average as well. Manufacturers should expect a wave of retirements amid the “great resignation.” Meanwhile, digital and analytical talent — core to how the sector drives innovation and achieves next-generation operations — is more necessary than ever.

Recommended actions: To the extent possible, invest in enabling technology for remote work, which aligns with flexibility and greater safety, and make accommodations for flexible work arrangements (such as the start and finish times and compressed workweeks).

Also, explore the top three differentiated benefits, as cited in EY workplace survey: recognition, career development opportunities and tuition reimbursement. The second perk can be tied to upskilling, into the much-needed areas of engineering, cybersecurity and digital. Specify needed skills and partner with universities whose curriculums produce qualified candidates and augment your talent pipeline through institutions conducting research in areas of interest.

Digital and sustainability: achieving efficiencies and growth

Technologies like AI hold promise for aerospace companies and ESG should be high on the agenda. Meanwhile, new opportunities are on the horizon.

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Digital presents a new opportunity across value streams, enabling A&D players to design, build and service products with greater speed, efficiency and quality. For example, sensors and advanced analytic techniques capture tons of data that reveal new insights and possibilities into operations and product performance. Across a number of industries, greater interaction with customers and consumers of mobility solutions and services are disrupting ecosystems and blurring the lines between sectors.

However, despite being on the cutting-edge decades ago in the use of robotics and automation, the A&D industry today has yet to harness the full potential of digital technologies. Manufacturers need to seize the opportunity to broaden their ambitions to be holistic solution providers for their customers, not merely to build products. Digital technologies enable the innovation and agility to identify and address changing preferences. 3

Recommended actions: At the least, consider how to implement technologies at a small scale for now if you’re uncertain about the business case for them. Then, adopt them more broadly as the capabilities grow more mature. Such technologies to explore include:

• Additive manufacturing, in which parts of any shape and size can be 3-D printed, and repair of metal parts with cold-spray techniques is an intriguing nascent application
• Automated testing using machine learning, which allows multiple tests to run simultaneously, eliminating extra work
• AI, which can be used to find innovative ways to design lighter and more efficient parts
• Internet of Things sensors, which can be built on aircraft components to monitor performance and health while providing benefits for predictive maintenance and fault tracking
• Digital twin , a virtual lab of sorts that can accelerate the design process through simulation, or can help teams test how to optimally build an integrated aircraft by trying it virtually first

Using sustainability to create a sector that does more with less

Every industry is facing more pressure from a wide spectrum of stakeholders — like investors, regulators and consumers — to incorporate more sustainability and ESG actions into their day-to-day operations. A&D leaders are being challenged to reframe how their businesses approach sustainability and whether or not to put it at the center of how value is created, to further growth and strategic goals. As a major source of carbon emissions, the commercial aerospace sector can make an enormous impact through operational improvements, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), new propulsion technologies (such as electric and hydrogen) and global market-based measures like carbon offsets.

It’s worth emphasizing that the sustainability journey is not a singular route. It should build on the long-term path toward achieving net-zero emissions for the entire aerospace industry. This will require use of several eco-friendly tools, technologies and processes that go beyond just propulsion advancements. Opportunities exist within aviation-related ground services, for example, to reduce carbon footprints with the use of electric tugs, carts and the like. Other operational improvements include wider use of value engineering early in design phases; advanced recycling and reuse practices as a part of an overall circular economy approach; and the adoption of advanced sustainable manufacturing and maintenance programs, often incorporating a heightened level of digital tools.

SAF could represent the most immediate solution currently available to reduce the climate impact of the aviation industry. 4  The development of the SAF value chain is a priority, though. Obstacles at each value chain stage (feedstock, production and infrastructure) need to be tackled to make SAF a viable option and a new normal post-2030. We also see the steady rise of hybrid aircraft, in which hydraulic and pneumatic systems have been slowly transitioning to electric-based systems, making them more efficient and easier to maintain. But adding more electric batteries to aircraft increases weight and the risk of chemical and fire hazards. Hydrogen and fuel cell technology could prove to be the disruptive change required, but it will require lots more investment.

Recommended actions: Identify opportunities where sustainability can provide a competitive advantage and respond to key risks. Is electrification the ultimate goal, or sustainable fuel, or turbine engine efficiencies — or all of the above? Digital, value engineering and data analytics all have a role to play. The entire A&D ecosystem will undergo multiple waves of disruption, much like what we’re seeing transpire in the automotive industry — impacting current operations, R&D, supply chains, workforce plans and M&A strategies. One area particularly worth focusing on in manufacturing is the circular economy, which aims for zero waste in value chains.

Reshaping the long-term future of commercial aviation

Looking farther out onto the horizon, you can begin to see flying cars — no, really — in a concept called advanced air mobility (AAM). Advancements in electric and autonomous vehicles have sparked renewed excitement about the integration of battery power in aviation, and billions of dollars have been invested to develop highly maneuverable electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, as well as the ancillary systems needed to support them. The stepping-stones exist today in the form of drones integrated with AI. Comprehensive regulatory and operational frameworks and ground infrastructure planning hold the key to unlocking broad commercial applications for AAM. With such a variety of aircraft classes and business models vying for dominance in an emerging market, it will take time for the true shape and scope of AAM to become clear.

Lastly, there is growing interest in supersonic flight — when an aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound — being driven by new commercial aero companies that see the opportunity to open up the world to travelers while shortening flight times. This is not necessarily new — Concorde 5  supersonic jets were in commercial operation from 1976 to 2003 — but startups and government agencies are developing supersonic technology for commercialization by increasingly partnering with major A&D players. Low-boom supersonic flights, referring to the sound of the sonic boom used to power the flight, could be the future for global rapid passenger travel. 6

• “Overview of air transport in 2021 and recent developments,” IATA, https://www.iata.org/en/iata-repository/publications/economic-reports/overview-of-air-transport-in-2021-and-recent-developments/, accessed on 11 May 2022.
• “Aerospace & Defense Electronics: 2022 Outlook: 3 Factors Make Aero a Winner in ’22, Otherwise on the Sidelines,” Jefferies, 5 January 2022, accessed via ThomsonOne.
• “Embracing the digital transformation in aerospace & defense,” SAE, https://www.sae.org/news/2020/07/embracing-the-digital-transformation-in-aerospace--defense, accessed on 20 May 2022; “Digital twin: definition & value,” AIAA, https://www.aiaa.org/docs/default-source/uploadedfiles/issues-and-advocacy/policy-papers/digital-twin-institute-position-paper-(december-2020).pdf, accessed on 20 May 2022.
•  “Clean Skies for Tomorrow Leaders: 10% Sustainable Aviation Fuel by 2030,” World Economic Forum, https://www.weforum.org/press/2021/09/clean-skies-for-tomorrow-leaders-commit-to-10-sustainable-aviation-fuel-by-2030/, accessed on 5 May 2022.
• Celebrating Concorde , https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/about-ba/history-and-heritage/celebrating-concorde, accessed 3 June 2022.
• “Supersonic and hypersonic commercial flights firmly in view,” DW, https://www.dw.com/en/a-new-supersonic-travel-age-supersonic-and-hypersonic-commercial-flights-coming-soon-to-the-skies/a-57129527, accessed on 20 April 2022.

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With the future of commercial aerospace already in motion, it’s imperative for A&D companies to get ahead of the curve. They must align strategies, help identify what they should be investing in and implement appropriate responses as they relate to trends, technologies and implications that are driving change in the market.

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Vintage Air Travel Images Through The Years

Posted: March 13, 2024 | Last updated: March 13, 2024

Air travel milestones through the decades

From the early days of flight and the "golden age of travel," to contemporary budget airlines and COVID restrictions and regulations, air travel has transformed dramatically over the past century.

Click or scroll through this gallery and join us as we take a journey through time to bring you the biggest milestones in commercial aviation history, including plans for air travel to become net zero by 2050 recently announced.

1920s: passengers wait to board a plane in 1929

The story of commercial air travel begins before the 1920s, in 1914, when the world's first scheduled passenger service set off between Tampa and St Petersburg, piloted by Tony Jannus. Though commercial aviation did not take off quickly, more and more companies tried to build on this milestone through the 1920s, with varying degrees of success. Here, passengers wait at Croydon Airport, UK to board a Handley Page W.9 aircraft, a model used by early airlines Imperial Airways and Sabena.

1920s: a Western Air Express airliner in 1928

1920s: Lady Heath pilots a plane for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

1920s: passengers are served drinks on a French Air Union plane in 1929

1920s: an early in-flight movie in 1925

In-flight entertainment systems looked rather different too. Today airplane entertainment is a solitary, hi-tech affair but, in the early days of flight, passengers would typically gather around a single screen if they wanted to catch a movie. One of the earliest films to be shown up high was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World in 1925 with Imperial Airways. Here, passengers on a German airliner also enjoy a movie in the year 1925.

1930s: a woman hands over an airmail parcel to Western Air Express staff circa 1930

The early 1930s continued in a similar fashion to the 1920s, with airlines offering airmail delivery services and also carrying passengers. Flying was still extremely expensive and fairly uncomfortable but, according to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum , the number of airline passengers grew from 6,000 in 1930 to 450,000 in 1934. Here, a woman passes on her mail to the crew of a Fokker F-10 monoplane operated by Western Air Express.

1930s: passengers listen to a broadcast aboard a flight in 1931

1930s: an early Anglo-Australian airliner in 1934

1930s: Eastern Air Lines stewards in the 1930s

In the 1920s and into the early 1930s, the role of flight attendant was one mostly reserved for men, who were usually referred to as "cabin boys." This was soon flipped on its head, though. The first female flight attendant, a nurse named Ellen Church, was employed in 1930 and by the middle of the decade most of these jobs went to women. The women were often trained nurses and there were also strict rules as to their age, height and weight. Before this change, this photo shows an all-male team of air stewards posing before an Eastern Air Lines plane in the early 1930s.

1930s: an Imperial Airways cabin in 1935

1930s: a Douglas DC-3 in flight

1930s: Pan American Airways flies across the Atlantic in 1939

1940s: Pan American World Airways' 'Flying Cloud' clipper

The onset of the Second World War meant developments in commercial aviation were put on the back burner, and all resources were plunged into the war effort. However, by the end of the decade, the industry was recovering, especially since the war had given rise to new runways and military aircraft were able to be converted and put to commercial use. This 1949 shot shows Pan Am's 'Flying Cloud' clipper, the first of a group of planes to begin a service between New York and London in the 1940s. 

1940s: passengers aboard a Pan Am Boeing 307 aircraft circa 1945

1940s: poster advertising TWA

As competition increased towards the end of this decade, the major airlines ramped up their advertising. This TWA poster advertises the Boeing 307 Stratoliner, and promises a smooth ride as the aircraft glides above the clouds. The 1940s was ultimately the decade that preceded the so-called "golden age of travel."

1950s: crowds wave off the world's first jet airliner service

1950s: a passenger enjoying lunch on the world's first commercial jet airliner service

1950s: a test flight for the Boeing 707 jet airliner with Pan Am

1950s: the Queen arrives in Bermuda on a BOAC flight in 1953

1950s: an air hostess attends to passengers on a National Airways Corporation flight in 1959

1950s: a movie projector on a United Airlines flight circa 1950

1960s: lunch service on a Lufthansa flight in 1967

The golden age of travel reigned on through the 1960s and, partly since there wasn't much else to do, dinner was a grand affair. Menus often included multiple courses, bread baskets and dishes such as steak or even lobster. In this 1967 snap, passengers are being served food onboard a Lufthansa flight. 

1960s: dinner aboard a SAS aircraft in 1969

1960s: The Beatles arrive in London on a Pan Am flight in 1964

1960s: flight attendants line up before a model of Concorde in the 1960s

1970s: the first Concorde flight from London Heathrow to Bahrain in 1976

1970s: the Queen on a Concorde aircraft in 1977

Concorde got the royal seal of approval (the Queen is pictured here onboard a Concorde aircraft in 1977), with its ability to cross the Atlantic in just 3.5 hours. But only a privileged few could afford to ride aboard the Concorde and it ultimately didn't shake up commercial air travel in the way it had been hoped. Cancelled routes, economic setbacks and a devastating crash meant the Concorde was out of service by 2003. 

1970s: Laker Airways founder Freddie Laker celebrates the airline's success

1970s: Laker and passengers aboard Laker Airways' Skytrain

Laker Airways' Skytrain offered a lower fare service between London Gatwick and New York's JFK, which began on 26 September 1977. Like many budget airlines today, the "no frills" service meant passengers had to purchase meals onboard and weren't subject to the usual luxuries of air travel in the era. Laker also came up with ways to reduce fuel consumption and engine wear to enable the lower costs. He's pictured here celebrating with passengers aboard the Skytrain in 1979. 

1970s: the first scheduled Pan Am Boeing 747 flight

1970s: passengers in the cabin of a Boeing 747

This was the first time that air travel was truly opening up to the masses. Since planes were larger, airlines were able to hold more passengers and therefore sell more tickets at a reduced price. Though flying still wasn't cheap, it was no longer only reserved for the super-rich. This 1970s shot shows the spacious cabin of a BOAC Boeing 747, filled with families, couples and other holidaymakers. 

1970s: passengers are served Champagne on a Pan Am 747 flight

1970s: lunch is served aboard a Boeing 747

1970s: a lounge on SAS's Boeing 747-B "Huge Viking"

1980s: Laker celebrates further fare cuts in 1980

1980s: passengers are stranded as Laker Airways collapses in 1982

Laker Airways collapsed in 1982, saddling debts amounting to $374 million. More than 6,000 passengers were left stranded in airports around the world. Here, exasperated travelers and dismayed Laker staff feel the brunt of the collapse on 5 February 1982. 

1980s: a Ryanair aircraft in 1988

1980s: Richard Branson celebrates the launch of his new airline, Virgin Atlantic Airways in 1984

1980s: a flight attendant serves dinner on a SAS flight circa 1980s

1980s: ashtrays on a commercial flight

1990s: easyJet boss Stelios Haji-Ioannou in 1995

1990s: Ryanair's chief executive promotes low-fare flights

The introduction of Ryanair and easyJet (and also Norwegian in 1993) meant pressure was put on traditional carriers, fares were pushed down and air travel became increasingly more accessible. As travelers also began booking holidays online, competitive pricing became more important than ever.

1990s: a Pan Am aircraft in 1991

2000s: security at Salt Lake City International Airport in 2001

2000s: the door to an aircraft cockpit in 2001

2000s: an easyJet aircraft flying in 2009

Travelers eschewed air travel in the years following 9/11 and, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics , it took until 2004 for air-passenger numbers to reach their pre-9/11 peak. Commercial air travel was recovering by the end of the decade, though, with US air passengers numbering 769.6 million in 2007 – a record high. During this time, it was low-cost carriers that saw the most growth. 

2000s: a traveler books flights online

Another significant change during this decade was the way travelers were choosing to book their flights. According to PhoCusWright , a tourism research company, 2009 was the first year that more than half of all travel-related bookings were made online. This placed even more pressure on airlines to be competitive and offer the best value for money.

2010s: a man works on his laptop during a flight

The internet hasn't just infiltrated the booking process. Nowadays it's commonplace for carriers to offer in-flight Wi-Fi, either as part of the package, or for an extra premium. In a major shift from the golden age of travel, this means that flying today is no longer just about pleasure and relaxation – it's also about catching up with work and keeping in touch with people on the ground. Online check-in and smartphone boarding passes have also revolutionized the airport experience over the years.

2010s: a sign for premium economy class in Hong Kong International Airport

2010s: an American Airlines flight in 2017

The main change in the last decade was the sheer volume of travelers: more and more people were flying than ever before, and the sky-high numbers had previously shown little sign of tailing off. In fact, in 2017, the International Air Transport Association had projected that there could be 7.2 billion air travel passengers by 2035 .

2020s: grounded planes at Berlin-Brandenburg Airport, Germany

The COVID-19 pandemic rocked the travel and aviation industry and both passengers and staff had to adjust to a new (and unpredictable) ‘normal’. Ever-changing international travel restrictions left airlines up in the air (figuratively, not literally), and major players including easyJet, American Airlines and British Airways suffered severe financial losses, resulting in job cuts. This photo from 1 June 2020 shows out-of-service planes at Berlin-Brandenburg Airport.

2020s: a passenger undergoes a temperature check at Heathrow Airport

Towards the end of 2020, civil aviation began to resume at a crawling pace, with the announcement of some 'air bridges' or 'travel corridors'. For passengers choosing to fly, airport experiences looked rather different around the world. Protocols and restrictions varied from airport to airport, and from airline to airline, but typically involved mandatory face coverings, contactless check-ins and fewer open airport facilities. A passenger is seen here in July 2020 receiving a temperature check at a BA desk at London’s Heathrow Airport.

2020s: a masked flight attendant on a Brussels Airlines plane

Passengers had to get used to new onboard experiences too. Depending on the airline – and in efforts to reduce touch points and contact between staff and passengers – changes were extended to a lack of inflight meals or trolley services, and the reduction of little luxuries like in-flight magazines, blankets and the like. Masks were mandatory on most flights too, while some carriers blocked the middle seats to allow passengers more space.

2020s: international air travel gets a slow lift off

The aviation industry continued to feel the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic into 2021, though the International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicted  a 50.4% uptick in demand for flights from 2020 . With vaccine programs being rolled out around the world, international borders finally opened. 

2020s: a passenger holds up an EU 'vaccine passport'

Around the world, testing and vaccines built bridges between destinations in staggered phases. For example, Canada’s borders first opened to double-jabbed Americans, before being unlocked for vaccinated travelers from around the world too. Double-jabbed UK travelers initially could fly to 'amber' European hotspots including France, Spain and Portugal without quarantining on return (though they had to take PCR tests). New Zealand and Australia also formed a 'quarantine-free travel bubble'. EU citizens could download  a vaccine 'passport'  (pictured) allowing them to cross EU borders with minimal restrictions.

2020s: world's first all-electric plane takes to the skies

In late September 2022, the world's first all-electric plane jetted off for an eight-minute flight above the skies of Washington, USA. Alice, the project name that stuck during planning in 2016, is the brainchild of American-based company Eviation , and will be fit for both passenger and cargo use by 2027. The successful maiden flight reached an altitude of 3,500 feet and the zero-emissions plane was powered by two 640-kilowatt electric motors. It is hoped Alice will operate flights ranging from 150 to 250 miles, and will come in three different configurations: a nine-passenger commuter, a six-seater executive cabin and an eCargo version.

2020s: relaxed uniform policies are welcomed

Cabin crew requirements have changed over the decades; as we've seen already, the 1930s followed strict rules regarding age, height and weight, and since then tailored uniforms and specific hairstyles became the norm. But the 2020s have welcomed a more relaxed approach and in September 2022 Virgin Atlantic ditched gender-specific uniforms allowing crew, pilots and ground staff to choose whichever they feel most comfortable in. Earlier in the year staff were also permitted to keep their tattoos visible, marking the first UK airline to do so.

2050: air travel industry set to become carbon neutral

We don't know for sure what the future holds for air travel. But the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)  recently announced its support for a net zero goal for the aviation industry by 2050 . However, environmental campaigners say the plans don't go far enough, believing more measures were needed to ensure the 193 member countries of the ICAO meet the goal and hold airlines accountable. 

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The Future of Travel is Now: World Trip Deal Reveals Its AI-Powered Journey Planning

The Future of Travel is Now: World Trip Deal Reveals Its AI-Powered Journey Planning.

Dubai, UAE - April 19, 2024 —

Travel booking has long been a challenging task for adventurers worldwide. The process of filtering through countless flights, accommodations, and activities can be daunting, compounded by user-unfriendly interfaces and strict budget limits.

However, World Trip Deal (WTD), an innovative online travel agency (OTA), proposes a solution to transform the travel booking experience.

World Trip Deal (WTD), led by CEO Mahdi Nourian, utilizes AI to democratize luxury travel, making it affordable without compromising quality.

The company provides personalized itineraries and unique experiences for budget-conscious travelers, revolutionizing the travel industry.

AI Meets Affordability: World Trip Deal CEO on Democratizing Luxury Travel

This approach not only democratizes luxury travel but also enriches journeys, making exclusive experiences accessible to a broader audience.

Many online travel agencies focus on finding the cheapest deals. How is WTD using AI to create a more personalized and luxurious travel experience? (Focuses on personalization and luxury aspect)

World Trip Deal (WTD) redefines travel booking by using AI to curate personalized, luxurious experiences within a reasonable budget.

Unlike typical agencies focusing on generic options, WTD crafts unique itineraries based on individual preferences and history.

This approach offers exclusive deals and luxury experiences tailored to each traveler, ensuring a distinct and memorable journey without financial strain.

With the rise of AI in travel booking, how is World Trip Deal differentiating itself from the competition? (Focuses on competition and differentiation)

Mahdi Nourian: Look, there's no denying it – AI is taking the travel booking world by storm. Competition is fierce, and everyone's scrambling to integrate this powerful technology. 

But here at World Trip Deal (WTD), we're not just following the pack; we're leading the charge. Here's how we differentiate ourselves:

1. Beyond Basic Recommendations:  Many travel platforms use AI to suggest popular destinations or amazing hotel options . WTD goes a step further. We leverage AI to create a unique profile for each traveler. Imagine a travel agent who analyzes your past trips, interests, and budget to curate an itinerary that feels like it was designed specifically for you. No more cookie-cutter experiences!

2. Luxury on a Budget:  Let's face it, affordability is a major concern for many travelers. However, luxury shouldn't be reserved for the high rollers. WTD's AI technology negotiates exclusive travel deals with travel partners, unlocking hidden gems and securing discounts on luxury hotels and unique experiences.

3. Flexibility for the Adventurous Soul:  Travel plans can change, and WTD's AI is built to adapt. Unlike some competitors with rigid AI recommendations, our platform allows travelers to modify their itineraries on the fly . 

4. A Seamless User Experience:  AI shouldn't feel like a black box. WTD's user-friendly platform integrates seamlessly with our AI engine. 

Travelers can search, compare, and book flights, accommodations, and activities all within a single platform. 

No more juggling multiple websites and struggling with complex interfaces. We believe travel planning should be enjoyable, not a chore.

5. Future-Proofing Travel Booking:  AI is constantly evolving, and at WTD, we're committed to staying at the forefront of this technology. 

So, sure, the travel booking landscape is brimming with AI, but at WTD, we offer a distinctly personalized and budget-conscious approach to luxury travel . We're not just suggesting destinations; we're crafting unforgettable adventures tailored to your unique desires.

What role do you see AI playing in the future of travel booking, and how is World Trip Deal preparing for it? (Focuses on future trends and WTD's position)

World Trip Deal (WTD) leverages AI to shape the future of travel booking, promising a dynamic, personalized experience.

Envision AI tailoring itineraries based on real-time factors like weather or mood, simplifying processes such as airport check-ins, and offering real-time translation.

WTD invests in continuous AI advancement, ensuring a seamless, intuitive user experience, and revolutionizing travel from planning to discovery.

●      Transparency with AI: "How transparent is World Trip Deal with travellers regarding how AI is used in the booking process? Do they have any control over the AI recommendations?"

Mahdi Nourian emphasizes transparency at World Trip Deal (WTD), clearly outlining AI’s role in the booking process:

1. Clear Communication: WTD provides easy-to-understand explanations where AI impacts recommendations.

2. AI Preferences: Travelers can tailor their AI interactions by setting preferences for travel style, interests, and pace.

3. Curated Transparency: Instead of complex technical details, WTD highlights when recommendations are AI-driven, based on travel trends and user behaviors.

4. Control Through Customization: The platform allows extensive customization, enabling travelers to refine searches and adjust itineraries.

5. Human Expertise: AI is enhanced by human experts who provide insights to balance and personalize the travel experience.

WTD’s approach ensures that travelers understand and control AI’s input, enhancing their booking experience while keeping personal choice paramount.

Future of Travel and WTD:

●      AI and Sustainability: "Is there a role for AI in promoting sustainable travel practices within World Trip Deal's platform?" 

Mahdi Nourian: at World Trip Deal we emphasize AI’s role in sustainable travel with eco-friendly suggestions and carbon offset options. WTD prioritizes user experience, innovates continuously, and ensures data transparency.

This approach not only enhances travel but also promotes responsible tourism and builds user trust in AI integration.

Finally, let's explore the broader impact of AI on the travel industry.

Transforming Travel:

●      Hyper-Personalization: AI will personalize travel experiences beyond imagination. Imagine itineraries tailored not just to destinations but to your mood, preferences, and even real-time data. AI will transform travel from a one-size-fits-all experience to a truly personal journey.

●      Streamlined Booking & Management: Travel booking will become effortless. Imagine AI automating tedious tasks like visa applications, travel insurance, and even managing itinerary changes with ease.

●      Accessibility & Inclusivity: AI can break down language barriers and assist travelers with disabilities. Imagine real-time translation tools and AI-powered accessibility recommendations, making travel a more inclusive experience for everyone.

However, AI also comes with challenges:

●      Ethical Considerations: Transparency and data privacy are crucial. AI algorithms need to be free from bias and ensure responsible data usage.

●      Human Interaction: Travel advisors still have a vital role. AI shouldn't replace the human touch. We envision a future where AI complements human expertise, offering a dynamic and personalized travel experience.

So, there you have it. World Trip Deal (WTD) is shaking things up in the travel industry with a potent blend of AI and affordability.

From personalized itineraries to hidden gem recommendations, WTD is making luxury travel accessible for the budget-conscious adventurer.

But WTD's vision extends beyond booking. They're looking to leverage AI throughout your entire journey, offering real-time recommendations, fostering a travel community, and even promoting sustainable practices.

 As AI continues to reshape the travel landscape, WTD is poised to be a leader in this exciting transformation.

So, the next time you're dreaming of an escape, ditch the outdated guidebooks and endless price comparisons.

Head over to World Trip Deal and let AI craft the perfect adventure for you. After all, travel should be an unforgettable experience, not a logistical nightmare. And with WTD, it can be just that.

Contact Info: Name: Mehdi Nourian Email: Send Email Organization: World Trip Deal Address: UAE, Dubai, Barsha Heights, Sheikha Noora Building, Office 709 Website: https://www.worldtripdeal.com/

Release ID: 89127569

If you come across any problems, discrepancies, or concerns related to the content contained within this press release that necessitate action or if a press release requires takedown, we strongly encourage you to reach out without delay by contacting [email protected]. Our committed team will be readily accessible round-the-clock to address your concerns within 8 hours and take appropriate actions to rectify identified issues or support with press release removals. Ensuring accurate and reliable information remains our unwavering commitment.

The world's first doggy jet service will cost you $6K for a one-way ticket

Dogs will soon be able to experience their own “ fur st” class flight with the launch of the world’s first jet charter company specifically designed for man’s best friend. 

BARK, the dog toy company that coordinates the popular treat subscription BarkBox, is partnering with a jet charter service to take away the challenges of long-distance traveling with dogs, according to a press release. BARK Air, as the company calls it, offers the “white glove experience typical of a human’s first-class experience and redirected all that pampering to pooches.”

Taking dogs on airplanes is, typically, a stressful endeavor with different airlines having different policies for pet travel. For example, American Airlines allows small dogs in a carrier to be placed under the seat in front, but larger dogs are put in the cargo space, which has been found to be stressful for the pet. For United Airlines , pets can fly in the cabin if there’s enough space, but they must fit in a carrier under the seat in front.

“We are excited to take the insights we’ve learned over years to create an experience that is truly dog-first, which is drastically different from just accepting dogs – from the ground to the skies,” said Matt Meeker, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at BARK, in a statement. 

First-time Fido's taking to the sky? Here are tips from my flight with a dog

Learn more: Best travel insurance

However, you’ll need to pay a hefty fee for the dog-friendly flight. For now, a ticket for just one dog and one human will run you at least $6,000 one way. 

The first BARK Air flights will take off on May 23, and so far, there are only two flight routes available, both from New York’s Westchester County Airport. From New York to London’s Stansted Airport, it’ll cost $8,000 one-way and to Los Angeles’s Van Nuys Airport will cost $6,000 one-way. Tickets are available for purchase on April 11.

Not only does BARK Air allow dogs, it also focuses on the furry friends by treating them like VIPs, the press release said. BARK Air passengers can skip TSA checkpoints and screenings and instead experience a simple check-in process where they can meet the other dogs on the flight and the humans are served a meal cooked by on-site chefs. 

When boarding, a BARK Air concierge is on-hand to ensure the dogs are socializing and adjusting to the environment well. 

Each flight will undergo “Dogs Fly First” flight prep that includes “calming pheromones, music, and colors that pups prefer.” To make the flying experience easier and more enjoyable, dogs have access to various aids such as calming treats, noise-canceling ear muffs, and calming jackets.

During takeoff and descent, dogs are given a beverage of their choice to help their ears adjust to cabin pressurization. Of course, there will be plenty of treats on the flight.

Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Hawaii. You can reach her at [email protected] .

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Modernising Moscow: how the Russian capital is transforming its transport services

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Posted: 4 October 2018 | Maxim S. Liksutov | No comments yet

Luke Antoniou, Editor of Intelligent Transport, asks Maxim S. Liksutov, Deputy Mayor of Moscow and Head of the Department of Transport and Road Infrastructure Development, about the development of Moscow’s public transport network in the last few years and what the future holds.

What is transport like in Moscow at the moment and how has it changed in recent years?

Since 2010, the Moscow transport system has changed dramatically, especially when considered against the lack of change throughout the preceding decades. Consequently, the network has become more comfortable, faster and more accessible for residents across the city.

We have expanded the subway at a quicker rate than ever before in its 80-year history.  In eight years, 73 new metro stations and the Moscow Central Circle (MCC) have entered into operation.

We have renewed the ground public transport network, with present routes altered and additional routes introduced following the requests of Muscovites. Since 2010, 148 new routes have been introduced to the city and by the end of 2018, ground public transport will be launched along another 29 routes. The transport operators have managed to keep operations running to schedule 95 per cent of the time, meaning there are minimal delays for passengers. This is a great improvement in comparison to 2010, where they were on time only 76 per cent of the time i. This is partially thanks to the introduction of detached lanes for public transport, which have made mobility more comfortable for the 2.5 million passengers.

Today in Moscow, 19 million trips are made using public transport every day – 14 per cent more than in 2010. In morning rush hour, 68 per cent of citizens take public transport to get to work, choosing metro, buses, trams and suburban trains. During the last eight years we began to form a new backbone of transport, building and reconstructing not only the metro and MCC, but the roads, junctions, tunnels, bike lanes, organised pedestrian spaces and streets.

We have also managed to regulate taxi operation in the city – today there are 55,000 legal taxis working in the city. The waiting time is one of the shortest in the world – only five to seven minutes on average.

Car-sharing has been introduced to complement the existing public transport system. Car-sharing is a private investment sector that has developed incredibly quickly; in 2015, there were only 100 shared cars in Moscow, but now there are 11,500.

Since 2010, the average car speed in Moscow has increased by 16 per cent as congestion has eased. The introduction of paid parking, a decrease in the number of road accidents by 59 per cent since 2010, the development of intelligent transport systems and the increasing popularity of public transport have all contributed to a decrease in congestion.

At the Moscow Urban Forum, the Dutch company TomTom supplied evidence of our success with varying statistics. In 2018, congestion in Moscow decreased by 25 per cent compared with the peak year – 2012. The decrease in congestion is proved by traffic statistics at certain streets. For example, in the first half of 2018, the average speed at the Garden Ring increased by 16 per cent, at the Moscow Ring Road by 12 per cent, and one can now drive through the Third Ring Road and major city highways 11 per cent faster.

What plans are your plans for further modernisation?

It is imperative that we continue developing – and that is why we will continue launching new stations and lines on both the underground and overground metro whilst developing suburban rail transport and renewing rolling stock with more comfortable vehicles. This will help make travelling through Moscow faster and more enjoyable.

After renewing 40 per cent of the Moscow Metro trains, today we receive only the most modern metro trains – ‘Moskva’, which are produced in Russia. Their capacity is 15 per cent higher than a regular train. Thanks to the greater number of seats, improved air conditioning, enhanced noise insulation and other advantages, passenger experience on the new vehicles is more comfortable. During 2018 we have received 292 modern ‘Moskva’ cars, increasing the total to 556 cars. By the end of 2018, the Moscow Metro will have received another 206 cars, and in 2019 another 552.

Since 2010, 98 per cent of Moscow’s bus fleet has been renewed, alongside 90 per cent of all types of ground transport rolling stock. In two years we have received more than 200 new ‘Vityaz M’ trams – a modern tram consisting of three eco-friendly cars that caters for passengers with reduced mobility.

Another new project that we are proud of is the Moscow e-bus launch. The first eight e-buses, delivered by Russian manufacturers, already operate within the city’s routes and are charged by a pantograph at ultra-fast charging stations located at the terminus of the route. Along the 14km route the Moscow e-bus uses no more than 20 per cent of the battery’s capacity.

Manufacturers collect operational data – that is under the control of the city’s transport operator, SUE ‘Mosgortrans’ – from the vehicles 24/7. This is used to help maintain the vehicles and reduce down time and costs. By the end of 2018, another 100 e-buses will be delivered to Moscow, and in 2019 we are expecting 500 more. In 2020 and 2021 we plan to annually purchase 300 e-buses and in 2021 we will have completely stopped purchasing diesel buses.

By the beginning of 2020 we aim to launch a large project – the Moscow Central Diameters – that will be focused on ensuring suburban rail routes go through the city. It will help to better integrate rail into the city’s transport infrastructure and encourage more people to use overground rail during their daily commute. At first, two diameters will be launched with four more scheduled to be launched before 2023.

How are rail advances helping develop Moscow as a city?

The Moscow Central Diameters (MCD) is a fundamentally new system of overground metro that will be constructed on the base of existing railway infrastructure. The goal of the project is to connect existing radial routes and turn them into through-routes, which will connect surrounding towns with the city centre.

Passengers will be able to switch between metro, the MCD and other public transport by using convenient interchanges will encourage residents to leave privately-owned cars at home, reducing congestion, improving air quality and developing Moscow as a city. Overall, we forecast a general reduction in the load on the city’s transport infrastructure by 12 per cent.

How big a part has digitalisation played in updating Moscow’s transport network?

It can be argued that Moscow is further ahead of many megalopolises in terms of the digitalisation of transport services. Almost all passenger services are available via a smartphone with 80 per cent of taxi bookings made through mobile apps and 86 per cent of paid parking transactions performed in-app. Car-sharing and bike-sharing are also fully dependent on the existence of a digital application. The public transport operators have mobile apps available for the passenger to download, which provide route-planning options and offer service information in several foreign languages.

By the end of 2018 turnstiles at all metro stations will be equipped with special readers, so that passengers can pay  using Apple Pay, Samsung Pay or Android Pay (this technology is currently implemented at more than 80 metro stations). So far, only a small proportion of passengers are using these payment options, but the system was only introduced two years ago.

Users of Android-based smartphones with NFC technology can replenish the transport smartcard ‘Troika’ with the help of the ‘Metro Moscow’ app. In the near future we will announce a tender for ticket system modernisation, so that the card can be replenished remotely by all passengers.

There is also the ‘Moscow Helper’ mobile app. The service allows Muscovites to independently influence the traffic situation in the city, and most importantly prevent road accidents caused by improperly parked cars. By using the app, one can record parking violations in the area (with the ‘Stop prohibited’ and ‘Parking prohibited’ features); , improper parking on pavements, pedestrian crossings and taxi ranks; and payment evasion. The app has been installed more than 280,000 times since it launched.

How has urbanisation affected Moscow and how has the city coped with it?

One of Moscow’s most significant challenges is the large concentration of jobs within the city centre: more than 40 per cent of citizens work inside the Third Ring Road, which places a huge weight on the city’s road network.

Therefore, we are required to provide residents of the Moscow agglomeration with fast, comfortable and eco-friendly transport that is a worthy alternative to a personal car, since during peak hours Moscow highways and streets are substantially overloaded at virtually all entrances into the city from the suburbs.

In addition, urban transport is also a driver for improving impacts on the environment. For example, to achieve a significant improvement in the environmental situation in Moscow, we restored order on roads, developed pedestrian areas and bicycle paths, renewed the public transport fleet, and regulated truck traffic, as well as introducing other regulating measures.

Finally, encouraging use of public transport and environmentally-friendly transport also helps improve resident health. A car user on average actively moves less than a minute a day, a public transport passenger, however, moves between eight and 15 minutes, and a cyclist or a pedestrian for approximately 22 minutes. People like these who are physically active every day are at lesser risk to type 2 diabetes by 35-50 per cent, to depression by 20-30 per cent and coronary heart disease by 20-35 per cent.

By the Decree of the Mayor of Moscow on 25 September 2012, he was appointed as Deputy Mayor of Moscow, Head of the Department for Transport and Road Infrastructure Development of Moscow.

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Why Heat Pumps Are the Future, and How Your Home Could Use One

The highly efficient devices are the darlings of the environmental movement. Here’s why.

By Hilary Howard

Heat pumps, which both warm and cool buildings and are powered by electricity, have been touted as the answer to curbing greenhouse gas emissions produced by homes, businesses and office buildings, which are responsible for about one-third of the emissions in New York State.

But how do they work? How much do they cost? Is New York ready for them? And can they really help solve the climate crisis? Here are some heat pump basics.

Why are heat pumps better for the environment?

Currently, we mostly burn fossil fuels to produce heat. This causes pollution. Heat pumps are all-electric.

Even though most electricity still comes from combustion, the United States is slowly transitioning to renewable power like hydro, wind and solar. As this shift occurs, heat pumps will help eliminate greenhouse gases.

How do they work?

A heat pump moves heat.

It consists of a boxy component outside and a sleek-looking blower inside. A thermostat controls the temperature. During warm weather, a pump works just like an air-conditioner by rerouting indoor heat outdoors.

When it’s cold outside, the process is reversed: Heat from the chilly outdoor air is extracted and delivered indoors with the help of refrigerants and a compressor.

Will heat pumps overburden the electricity grid?

New York City’s transition to renewable energy and electrification is happening gradually, involving many projects and moving parts. Con Edison is making investments in the grid to prepare it for an increase in demand, said Jen Hensley, a senior vice president at the company. But for the time being, the grid is ready for heat pumps, she added.

The devices are highly efficient, which should help limit the growing burden on the grid, said Rohit T. Aggarwala, the city’s climate chief.

Miguel Modestino, the director of the sustainable engineering initiative at the Tandon School of Engineering at New York University, explained the pumps’ efficiency: They move heat, they don’t create it. Using the same amount of electricity, a heat pump can provide three to four times more warmth than a plug-in space heater.

Is there more than one kind of heat pump?

Yes. Air-source heat pumps are the most common. Geothermal pumps , another kind, take in heat from below the ground, where the temperature is more stable, Dr. Modestino said.

Geothermal systems, which tend to be more expensive to install, can provide energy for large buildings and even entire communities. But in New York City, where the real estate underground is jammed with pipes, cables and subway tunnels, geothermal pumps, with a few notable exceptions , can be difficult to install. So air-source pumps work better in the city.

What kinds of buildings can use the pumps?

Small buildings (one- to four-family homes and some businesses) are ideal.

New constructions are using larger-scale heat pumps, which can be placed on roofs or across entire floors, said Greg Elcock, vice president for energy efficiency at Con Ed.

It’s the older, larger buildings that are the problem, he said. “We call them the hard-to-electrify stock.”

Installing heat pump pipes across more than 12 stories of a building is still a major challenge, said Pallavi Mantha, an associate at Arup, a global sustainable-development company.

The large buildings are the worst polluters. How can they reach New York’s climate goals?

City law states that properties larger than 25,000 square feet — of which there are about 50,000 — must curb their emissions by 40 percent by 2030.

A state program is helping several city properties, like the Empire State Building , develop heat recovery systems and partial electrification plans. But “there are still technical advances that are happening and we don’t have all the answers yet,” Ms. Mantha said.

Until then, buildings can take an incremental approach by replacing windows, improving insulation, and reducing consumption, Ms. Mantha said.

“If you do all this, it creates an enabling path for electrification,” she said. “It’s buying time until the technology and policy evolve.”

Are people really buying heat pumps?

They are starting to. In New York City, Con Ed customers have completed more than 30,000 installations since 2020. And across the state, nearly 23,000 heat pump projects were installed in 2022, a threefold increase from the year before.

In the United States, shipments of heat pumps outpaced those of gas furnaces by over 15,000 units in January, according to the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute, a trade association for manufacturers.

“I’m an evangelist,” said James Rosenthal, who owns an apartment in a 29-unit co-op in Lower Manhattan. Although his building runs on gas, which he still uses for cooking and heating water, he converted his home to rely on heat pumps in 2022. Since then, he has convinced six other neighbors to do the same. Their units were installed either at the base of the building or on its roof.

Aren’t they expensive?

Yes. Installing a heat pump in a single-family home can cost upward of $20,000.

There are financing options, however. Through 2032, a federal tax credit of up to $2,000 is available for installation, and New York State’s Clean Heat program offers rebates through utility companies that can amount to between $8,000 and $12,000 in savings, according to a Con Ed spokesman. There is also financial assistance available specifically for low- and middle-income households. And Mr. Rosenthal said his electricity bills were about 30 percent less in the summer, spring and fall.

Later this year, the Inflation Reduction Act is expected to release more funding for New Yorkers, state officials said.

Is it a pain to install one?

Like any home project, the experience can vary. “It’s major surgery,” said Mr. Rosenthal, who compared the weekslong construction to a renovation. “It was surgical,” said Robert Montalvo, a homeowner in the Bronx, whose pump system was installed in one day.

The level of disruption and duration of the project depends on the space and the piping work involved, said Victor Rodriguez, whose Brooklyn company, Ice Age Mechanical, installs heat pumps in small buildings and homes.

But the steps are always the same, he said, adding that sometimes the process can slow down if a building’s electrical system needs to be upgraded.

“This is the new way forward,” Mr. Rodriguez said. “We are kept pretty busy.”

Hilary Howard is a Times reporter covering how the New York City region is adapting to climate change and other environmental challenges. More about Hilary Howard

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