I do a fair amount of description of air travel today in these pages. But what about the past? And the future?
Well, for the past, take this scanned version of a 1961 book, Gordon’s Jet Flight. Granted, it’s a kids book, and a bit of American Airlines propaganda — but there’s no TSA security, and Gordon gets to visit the cockpit and eat steak. He also “gets” to wear a blazer and tie, just like the stewardesses get to wear sharp little hats. No Jetway, just a stroll across the tarmac and up the stairs, just like the President.
It was a simpler, fancier, and much more expensive time.
And for a possibly more realistic view of the future of air travel … we have the Freakanomics Blog talking to folks about what air travel will look like in ten years.
Summary: more crowding as airlines are forced by congestion and fuel costs to reduce flights and make the remainder more full; political unwillingness to correct profound problems around growth, but more private innovation to do so; more high-cost alternatives, more individuated brands in the niches and different classes of service between them, but fewer big airlines; continued security hassles, possibly decreasing if we don’t get another major event.
… and hopefully, more high-speed rail.
Sadly, I just don’t see that happening. The infrastructure investment to get rail into shape, not to mention the actual rolling stock acquisition, is higher than any private firm could make, there’s no political interest in rail as a transport mode, *and* the airline lobby would no doubt move to quash any interest should it arise.
Sadly.
I had this book as a kid, In the end papers there was a paper pilot’s ring and a paper model of an airplane. You could punch out both and assemble them.