 |
Alamy
Long-haul flights will increase thanks to widebody planes like the new Airbus A350.
|
Creative seating, upscale airports, and more affordable private air travel are all on the horizon in the new year.
This past year fliers experienced plenty of turbulence in the skies, what with labor disputes disrupting international flying, and new security fears after the bombing of a Russian airliner. But 2015 was also a time of stability for U.S. airlines, with on-time performance and baggage handling showing big improvements. So what’s in store for fliers in 2016? Here are some trends to watch in the coming year.
AIRLINES WILL GET CREATIVE WITH SEAT SOLUTIONS.
Overcrowding in the skies isn’t going away; the typical flight in the U.S. takes off with more than 80 percent of its seats occupied. So look for more unusual seating ideas to hit patent offices—and perhaps your next flight—as airlines seek ways to cram us in further. Among the weirder ones: Airbus’ latest seat patent would stack people in a split-level, mezzanine-style layout. But the most far-out design, literally, would create a bubble on top of the plane for a privileged few who presumably would pay more for the 360-degree view. And in a more practical design that would be welcomed by many a suffering traveler, B/E Aerospace applied for patent for a unique seat that would adjust legroom based on the height of the passenger.
AFFORDABLE WAYS TO FLY ON A PRIVATE JET? DO TELL.
Who wouldn’t want to fly private—if they could afford it? We may find out in 2016, as a new class of aviation entrepreneurs offers more alternatives to traditional air transportation, building on the success thus far of companies like Surf Air and Beacon, which offer reasonably priced trips out of private air terminals on the West and East Coasts, respectively. Their secret: smaller turbo props that can keep costs down. Look for a new jet-based variation on this theme to emerge in the L.A. area early in the year—plus more apps like Blade to make booking these services even easier.
THE WORLD WILL SHRINK AS LIGHTER, FASTER PLANES ARRIVE.
Airbus’s newest widebody plane, the A350, made its first transatlantic flight in December under Qatar Airways’ colors; the 300-passenger craft, along with its direct competitor, Boeing’s Dreamliner, is already reshaping route maps as airlines use the carbon-body jets—built with composite materials instead of the usual aluminum—to launch new ultra-long-haul flights. Singapore will fly the A350 as it revives its 19-hour nonstop between Newark and Changi by 2018.
SUPERSONIC AIR TRAVEL WILL STAGE A COMEBACK.
Ever since Concorde faded into aviation history in 2003, airline travelers have been waiting for the return of supersonic service. Their wait may soon be over, as next year the world’s first supersonic business jet will will get closer to reality as part of an Airbus-backed project. The 12-passenger jet will make a trip fromNew York to London in under one hour—flying at just under twice the speed of sound, or 1,300 mph, when it’s over the ocean—and below Mach 1 over land. If all goes well, test flights should begin in five years.
TSA WILL PUT THE BRAKES ON EXPEDITED SCREENING.
When TSA came out with its PreCheck expedited screening program a few years ago, it felt like an exclusive club—with airlines inviting their most elite fliers to be charter members. TSA may now be wishing it could return to those days; after working hard to expand the popular program, which costs $85 for five years, the agency also began allowing regular passengers to sail through on a random basis to ease backlogs during peak travel times. Frequent fliers were annoyed, and now, with security concerns on the rise, TSA is restricting these lanes yet again to members only. Even still, fliers have been noticing that the special lanes—which free passengers from having to remove shoes, laptops, and jackets—have been open less frequently due to "security and staffing" issues, putting everyone into the same slow-moving lines. Expect this trend to continue in 2016, but for international fliers returning home, things may improve as the U.S. adds Global Entry facilities to more customs gateways abroad.
Courtesy Blue Smoke
Apps like Airgrub help travelers find the best spots—like Blue Smoke on the Road in JFK's Terminal 4—to grab a meal.
THE ELECTION YEAR WILL BRING SCRUTINY OF AIRLINES’ PRICING, PROFITS.
If it’s an election year, then it must be time for airline bashing; after all, fed-up fliers do go to the polls. In the past, candidates have successfully seized on popular resentment of high airfares and deteriorating service. But in the presidential race in 2016, the focus will more likely be the airlines’ high profits and whether airfares should drop along with the price of oil. The Justice Department is already investigating airlines for collusion on prices. Airlines and their workers’ unions may get some support from politicians in their battle against the Middle East carriers; charges that those airlines are unfairly subsidized and are costing U.S. jobs could gain traction as election day nears.
NICHE AND BUDGET AIRLINES WILL GROW ABROAD, BUT NOT STATESIDE.
Budget carriers are already crossing the Atlantic, but mainly it’s a one-way street, with European players like Norwegian and Iceland’s Wow Air launching new nonstop flights to the U.S., but no U.S. discounter has yet jumped in. Next year we’ll see more mainstream lines getting into the act, with Lufthansa, for one, planning new routes to the U.S. on its low-cost subsidiary Eurowings. But in the states, the outlook fornew low-fare airlines is dismal due to the difficulty in securing financing and getting past government regulators: a couple of upstart wannabes have gone nowhere, including recent attempts to revive thePeople Express and Eastern Airlines brands.
AIRPORTS WILL GO UPSCALE.
If you’ve been noticing a lot of “pardon our appearance” signs at airports lately, take note: Passengers are beginning to reap the rewards of these construction projects as airport restaurants, shops, and other amenities get a facelift. Already the reviews are positive with J.D. Power, in its just-released North America Airport Satisfaction Survey, declaring that travelers “are substantially more satisfied with retail experiences in the airport.” Major hubs are also opening new hotels, like the luxury lodging that will abut the iconic TWA terminal at JFK, as well as improving transit links. In 2016, look for airports to devise more ways to part you from your money; at Newark, for example, at United’s Terminal C, you can pay for meals and merchandise with miles instead of cash.
Creative seating, upscale airports, and more affordable private air travel are all on the horizon in the new year.
This past year fliers experienced plenty of turbulence in the skies, what with labor disputes disrupting international flying, and new security fears after the bombing of a Russian airliner. But 2015 was also a time of stability for U.S. airlines, with on-time performance and baggage handling showing big improvements. So what’s in store for fliers in 2016? Here are some trends to watch in the coming year.
AIRLINES WILL GET CREATIVE WITH SEAT SOLUTIONS.
Overcrowding in the skies isn’t going away; the typical flight in the U.S. takes off with more than 80 percent of its seats occupied. So look for more unusual seating ideas to hit patent offices—and perhaps your next flight—as airlines seek ways to cram us in further. Among the weirder ones: Airbus’ latest seat patent would stack people in a split-level, mezzanine-style layout. But the most far-out design, literally, would create a bubble on top of the plane for a privileged few who presumably would pay more for the 360-degree view. And in a more practical design that would be welcomed by many a suffering traveler, B/E Aerospace applied for patent for a unique seat that would adjust legroom based on the height of the passenger.
AFFORDABLE WAYS TO FLY ON A PRIVATE JET? DO TELL.
Who wouldn’t want to fly private—if they could afford it? We may find out in 2016, as a new class of aviation entrepreneurs offers more alternatives to traditional air transportation, building on the success thus far of companies like Surf Air and Beacon, which offer reasonably priced trips out of private air terminals on the West and East Coasts, respectively. Their secret: smaller turbo props that can keep costs down. Look for a new jet-based variation on this theme to emerge in the L.A. area early in the year—plus more apps like Blade to make booking these services even easier.
THE WORLD WILL SHRINK AS LIGHTER, FASTER PLANES ARRIVE.
Airbus’s newest widebody plane, the A350, made its first transatlantic flight in December under Qatar Airways’ colors; the 300-passenger craft, along with its direct competitor, Boeing’s Dreamliner, is already reshaping route maps as airlines use the carbon-body jets—built with composite materials instead of the usual aluminum—to launch new ultra-long-haul flights. Singapore will fly the A350 as it revives its 19-hour nonstop between Newark and Changi by 2018.
SUPERSONIC AIR TRAVEL WILL STAGE A COMEBACK.
Ever since Concorde faded into aviation history in 2003, airline travelers have been waiting for the return of supersonic service. Their wait may soon be over, as next year the world’s first supersonic business jet will will get closer to reality as part of an Airbus-backed project. The 12-passenger jet will make a trip fromNew York to London in under one hour—flying at just under twice the speed of sound, or 1,300 mph, when it’s over the ocean—and below Mach 1 over land. If all goes well, test flights should begin in five years.
TSA WILL PUT THE BRAKES ON EXPEDITED SCREENING.
When TSA came out with its PreCheck expedited screening program a few years ago, it felt like an exclusive club—with airlines inviting their most elite fliers to be charter members. TSA may now be wishing it could return to those days; after working hard to expand the popular program, which costs $85 for five years, the agency also began allowing regular passengers to sail through on a random basis to ease backlogs during peak travel times. Frequent fliers were annoyed, and now, with security concerns on the rise, TSA is restricting these lanes yet again to members only. Even still, fliers have been noticing that the special lanes—which free passengers from having to remove shoes, laptops, and jackets—have been open less frequently due to "security and staffing" issues, putting everyone into the same slow-moving lines. Expect this trend to continue in 2016, but for international fliers returning home, things may improve as the U.S. adds Global Entry facilities to more customs gateways abroad.
Courtesy Blue Smoke
Apps like Airgrub help travelers find the best spots—like Blue Smoke on the Road in JFK's Terminal 4—to grab a meal.
THE ELECTION YEAR WILL BRING SCRUTINY OF AIRLINES’ PRICING, PROFITS.
If it’s an election year, then it must be time for airline bashing; after all, fed-up fliers do go to the polls. In the past, candidates have successfully seized on popular resentment of high airfares and deteriorating service. But in the presidential race in 2016, the focus will more likely be the airlines’ high profits and whether airfares should drop along with the price of oil. The Justice Department is already investigating airlines for collusion on prices. Airlines and their workers’ unions may get some support from politicians in their battle against the Middle East carriers; charges that those airlines are unfairly subsidized and are costing U.S. jobs could gain traction as election day nears.
NICHE AND BUDGET AIRLINES WILL GROW ABROAD, BUT NOT STATESIDE.
Budget carriers are already crossing the Atlantic, but mainly it’s a one-way street, with European players like Norwegian and Iceland’s Wow Air launching new nonstop flights to the U.S., but no U.S. discounter has yet jumped in. Next year we’ll see more mainstream lines getting into the act, with Lufthansa, for one, planning new routes to the U.S. on its low-cost subsidiary Eurowings. But in the states, the outlook fornew low-fare airlines is dismal due to the difficulty in securing financing and getting past government regulators: a couple of upstart wannabes have gone nowhere, including recent attempts to revive thePeople Express and Eastern Airlines brands.
AIRPORTS WILL GO UPSCALE.
If you’ve been noticing a lot of “pardon our appearance” signs at airports lately, take note: Passengers are beginning to reap the rewards of these construction projects as airport restaurants, shops, and other amenities get a facelift. Already the reviews are positive with J.D. Power, in its just-released North America Airport Satisfaction Survey, declaring that travelers “are substantially more satisfied with retail experiences in the airport.” Major hubs are also opening new hotels, like the luxury lodging that will abut the iconic TWA terminal at JFK, as well as improving transit links. In 2016, look for airports to devise more ways to part you from your money; at Newark, for example, at United’s Terminal C, you can pay for meals and merchandise with miles instead of cash.
www.cntraveler.com
No comments:
Post a Comment