MEETING CONSUMER EXPECTATIONS

• London-New York: 8 hours

• Madrid-Brasilia: 9 hours 30 minutes

• Frankfurt-Buenos Aires: 14 hours

• Athens-Sydney: 18 hours 30 minutes

• Paris-Wellington (NZ): 23 hour

New technologies under current development promise a massive decrease in flight times. Reform of current regulatory aviation regimes would allow these technologies to compete with existing plane types and have the potential to make flying faster and thus more convenient for millions of passengers.

In past decades, most of the innovation in long-haul commercial passenger aviation was in-cabin products. Both soft and hard products in the cabin have been improving a lot in recent years. This can be seen in individual entertainment screens in economy class, the emergence of a premium economy class, flatbeds and a la carte dining in business class, and showers and enclosed suites in first class. Additionally, new planes reduced in-cabin noise, introduced wireless internet, improved ambient lighting and increased the humidity. These are all massive improvements in passenger comfort that all aim to treat symptoms of long flights: boredom and tiredness. Massive suites and showers might be less necessary for premium passengers, however, if the total flight time was drastically reduced.

Long flight times have adverse consequencesfor passengers, ranging from general discomfort to serious problems in medical emergencies. The latter is particularly consequential at cruising altitude over an ocean. Shorter flight times could, therefore, reduce the number of emergency landings caused by medical situations. In a more general sense, spending less time on an aircraft also contributes positively to the health of frequent travellers.

Shorter travelling times could also reduce incidences of violence stemming from fatigue and stress levels, often exacerbated by long flight times. This would contribute to the safety of both the flight crews and other passengers. Shorter flight times would also be beneficial for the exposure of cabin crew to the stress of long haul flights.

Other benefits of reduced flight times would be purely administrative. Today, city administrations and local communities must strike a balance between the amount of night time flights needed for economic prosperity and the necessary calm needed in the residential areas surrounding airports. Traditionally there are ‘rush hours’ for airports early in the morning and late in the evening to make red-eye flights to other continents feasible. Massively faster flight technologies such as super- and hyper-sonic planes might make red-eye flights less necessary. Reduced flight times could lead to faster and more numerous connections per day, which would cut down on nighttime flight necessities.

 A REVOLUTION FOR AIR TRAVEL