An American Airlines 737-800 in Montréal. Photo by Alexandre Gouger, used with permission.
Depending on who you talk to — or whose blog you read — its easy to make competing claims about whether we have entered a new “golden age” of air travel or an increasingly class caste and popularly depressing era of travel.
Business class seats are better than ever, while new low-cost entrants in the long-haul airline industry have made far away destinations more accessible to more people than ever, albeit in sometimes painful circumstances. The economics of airfare may be at an inflection point, but arguments abound about which direction the inflection is headed. This question may even depend on what airport you fly from.
The past year saw what will undoubtedly be looked upon as important historical shifts in the aviation industry. Airlines installed both narrower and wider seats on the same aircraft at the same time. Smaller aircraft began replacing the largest jumbo jets on some of the most competitive and farthest routes in the world. Turf wars over aircraft manufacturing boiled over into international conflict. Supersonic air travel re-emerged as a viable dream.
Over the next 11 days, Point Me To The Plane will be reviewing the most important and most popular stories of the past year in aviation. We want to hear from you, the reader, the ultimate eyes on the ground and in the sky! What will you remember most from this year in air travel. What are you most keen to forget? We want to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
