Most of what you read about airlines these days is bad news. Ticket sales are down, surplus planes are being retired to the desert and long flight delays are stranding passengers. Yet, despite the economic struggles that are affecting many carriers’ bottom lines, some are still managing to make passenger improvements that have been a long time coming.
In a new article from Budget Travel, Bing Travel highlights many of the flight innovations that you’re sure to love. From new seats on Cathay Pacific that don’t squash the passenger behind you to cabin lighting on Virgin America that reduces the effect of jet lag, the airlines are stepping up their game.
Getting yourself and your luggage to and around the airport is getting easier, too. In some cities, you can check your bags at a central train station before heading to the airport. At London’s Heathrow, futuristic pods have replaced exhaust-spewing buses to shuttle passengers around the sprawling airport. And while paperless boarding passes are quickly becoming a reality, new GPS-based navigation technology may soon replace dated radar-tracking systems. It appears that the future is almost here.
Some things — like airline food — may never improve, but these latest innovations give us more hope than ever before. What additional changes would you like to see in air travel? Share your ideas in the comments section.
I would like to see sleeping compartments rather than traditional seats. On larger planes for long overseas flights, for example, there could be a single aisle down the middle of the plane, and on each side you could have sleeping pods stacked three-high, with a 3x3' opening at each pod onto the aisle. It would look like a bee hive, or like the mailboxes in your office next to the secretary's desk. Each passenger would have his own space to do with as he sees fit, and not be bothered with his neighbor's elbows jabbing him, the guy in front reclining his seat back, etc. Look at all the wasted space for carryon luggage. What if you don't carry any luggage on, why should you suffer for those who do? If each passenger buys his own horizontal pod space, he may choose to carry on a bag, or 2, or 3, or whatever he wishes, so long as he keeps it with him in his own pod. Each pod would be large enough to stretch out at length and sleep. They would be equipped with a hospital style mattress where you push a button and it raises up halfway to a sitting position. Remove the overhead compartments and the seats from a 747, there is plenty of space to have 3 people sitting in compartments one on top of the other. Each pod would also have a curtain or sliding door to seal off the pod for darkness and peace. You could push a button to summon the stewardess, or just hang out a little flag like at a Mexican restaurant when you want more tortilla chips. That way, if you want the stewardess, you get her, and if not, you're not bothered. Easier on everyone. There would be a dimmable reading light, a mini TV, every pod could even have its own small window. Every unpleasantness associated with flying begins with the current arrangement of having rows of people sitting next to each other. We need to switch to individual stacked pods. That is why I am Demetrius, and if you disagree with me I will end you.
I would like to see heated seats, especially on long flights. Massage heated seats would be even better...
How about a friendly flight crew that doesn't treat passengers like crap...and honesty about why flights are delayed...I fly Northwest mostly so these are important to my travel...
Would it compromise the structural integrity of the plane's body if they expanded the size of the windows? It would do so much to reduce the claustrophopic closeness of that long, narrow steel cylinder, plus bring in more natural light. I am over six feet, so I'm never able to turn and look out the window. I can only see if I crouch. Of course, they would need to allow them to be covered for light control and to minimize anyone's anxiety over heights. I would REALLY welcome this modification. I also am a huge advocate of the proposed re-design of the seats. I often sit and imagine ways the design could be improved and comfort and space maximized.
Sleeping compartments just like on a train or boat. Wouldn't need much room, but enough to lay down. Would make long trips SO much nicer than sitting in cramped seating. Time would pass more quickly because you could sleep your way across the ocean. When you wake up, you're there.
When a flight lands allow passengers who do not have carry-ons in the overhead bins deplane first. In this way they can leave immediately without having to deal with baggaage being toted ahead of them
I live in the Pacific N.W. which is remote from many places in the world that I want to visit. Also I'm claustrophobic. Being crammed into that tiny aluminum tube for 15 hours each way is miserable. I'd like airplanes to be much roomier and 2 or 3 times faster. Alas, the laws of physics and economics make these developements highly unlikely anytime soon. Most airlines are struggling as is.
Arrive at the airport 10 minutes before the plane is due to depart...make a mad dash to the gate...and the only notice that is taken is "there's another idiot that waited 'til the last minute to get here." I guess what I want is time-travel...to the 50's.
This isn't an innovation; it's a return to something we used to have. Amtrak needs to admit that "sightseer" cars are not equivalent to Vista Domes, which offered a view forward over the roof.
Only problem with the "pod" system is that older folks could not climb into them. It's a good idea, fix it older persons could enjoy it.
I like the sleeper compartment idea, now improve on it with allowing cell phone access...
This post was mentioned on Twitter by TravelHoncho: Bing - Travel innovations you'll love - Travel Blog - Bing Community http://bit.ly/SFUPr
How about mandatory weight and friendly personality requiremnts for flight attendants???? Remember the "old days"? Think I am wrong? Fly Korean Air, JAL, or any of the other foreign airlines that focus on passenger comfort rather than cutting costs to boost corporate profits.
There would be some passengers who would not be able to get in and out of sleeping pods such as elderly people, and also some people might just prefer the traditional seating style. The solution is to have one section of the plane be traditional style, then you pass through a curtain just as you do from first class to coach, and the next section is set up in pods. You could buy a specific type of seat.
My guess is that the airlines could charge significantly more for the pod-style seats. Personally I would rather be in a horizontal individual pod than in a large first class seat. I never fly first class, but I would pay several hundred dollars more for an ordinary flight if I could have a pod. I would actually look forward to flying, I would show up at the airport with pajamas in my carryon, just get in the pod and drink some sodas, listen to music, and be left alone, not bothered by loud people, coughing and sneezing people, male stewardesses barking orders at me as though I'm a child, etc. Just climb in the pod, pull shut the curtain, and relax and go to sleep, wake up refreshed and feeling good, not jetlagged and feeling like a walking corpse.