No one can reasonably deny the importance of air travel today, but no one can claim that it is enjoyable either. The combination of the delays, the long waits in airports, the luggage carrying, the squashed legs, and jet lag all lead to a terrible time. Even if everything goes to plan, the most you hear people say is that their journey 'wasn't too bad'.
And if we look at it from a global perspective, the environmental cost to the planet is considerable. When things are this bad, we often look to the future to find some comfort, hoping that leaps forward in technology and social policy will lead to an effective, green and maybe even enjoyable air travel industry. A recent announcement by Southwest Airlines diminishes such hope.
In order to reduce their yearly outgoings, and to make their flights more environmentally friendly, the airline will refit all of the cabins of their planes with more seats. What this translates to for the passenger is an inch less in leg room and a diminished recline on their seat. Though the company assure passengers that new ergonomic designs on their seats will make sure the flights are actually more comfortable, this sounds a little feeble.
There is some hope, however. Finnair, the Finnish air company recently put on a big event to celebrate their 85th anniversary in which they invited professionals from all walks of life to put their heads together and paint a picture of what flying will be like in 2093. What they came up with was very optimistic and can only fill you with hope. They saw designs of sleek aircrafts that run on organic matter, giving off non harmful fumes, flying into space to take advantage of the Earth's turning, so as to reduce flight time.
As science fiction as this sounds, there are certainly pressures acting on the air flight industry that will see drastic technological changes in the future. There is pressure to make sustainable, green technology, and there is, of course, the economic demand for short, comfortable flights.
And if we look at it from a global perspective, the environmental cost to the planet is considerable. When things are this bad, we often look to the future to find some comfort, hoping that leaps forward in technology and social policy will lead to an effective, green and maybe even enjoyable air travel industry. A recent announcement by Southwest Airlines diminishes such hope.
In order to reduce their yearly outgoings, and to make their flights more environmentally friendly, the airline will refit all of the cabins of their planes with more seats. What this translates to for the passenger is an inch less in leg room and a diminished recline on their seat. Though the company assure passengers that new ergonomic designs on their seats will make sure the flights are actually more comfortable, this sounds a little feeble.
There is some hope, however. Finnair, the Finnish air company recently put on a big event to celebrate their 85th anniversary in which they invited professionals from all walks of life to put their heads together and paint a picture of what flying will be like in 2093. What they came up with was very optimistic and can only fill you with hope. They saw designs of sleek aircrafts that run on organic matter, giving off non harmful fumes, flying into space to take advantage of the Earth's turning, so as to reduce flight time.
As science fiction as this sounds, there are certainly pressures acting on the air flight industry that will see drastic technological changes in the future. There is pressure to make sustainable, green technology, and there is, of course, the economic demand for short, comfortable flights.
No comments:
Post a Comment