This past summer was another predictable nightmare for U.S. air travelers. With record-high passenger traffic, expanded schedules at many of America’s busiest hubs, and the cost-cutting policies of post-bankruptcy airlines, the slightest thunderstorm or security hiccup resulted in massive delays. Some flights, especially in the Northeast corridor, were delayed every day they operated.

Meeting with senior officials at the White House last week, President Bush identified the chief problems as customer service and congestion. He instructed Transportation Secretary Mary Peters to devise a solution by Christmas, which will no doubt be a short-term fix. But because of the interconnected structure of air travel, any real solution needs to be system-wide. Continue reading “How to Fix Airport Delays”

On the apposite date of July 8, 2007, Boeing will unveil the first assembled 787, its long-expected widebody jet. But with so much attention on the Boeing’s heated competition with Airbus, new developments in aerospace are slipping by unnoticed—especially in emerging-market countries like China, where some of this century’s big aviation action may well take place.

Later this year, the Chinese state-owned company ACAC will unveil China’s first “homegrown” commercial jetliner: the ARJ21, a regional jet seating 70-100 with a range of 1,800 miles. When the ARJ21 takes flight, it will be for China a prouder moment than the 787’s unveiling will for Boeing. China’s aerospace ambitions are bigger than the ARJ21, and they may have big global consequences.

The weeds of nationalism grow well in aviation’s garden. Continue reading “Boeing, Airbus: Prepare for Turbulence”

The last time I flew on Ryanair, Europe’s scrappy low-cost airline, I sensed some message confusion. Its garish blue-and-yellow planes and spartan terminals bear slogans such as “The Low Fares Airline,” “The On Time Airline,” “Fly Cheaper,” and even one that read “Europe’s Favourite Airline”—an obvious dig at its larger rival British Airways, whose longtime slogan was “The World’s Favourite Airline.”

Ryanair gets its share of bad press, and while I’ve never had an unpleasant flight on the airline, I’ve never had a particularly pleasant one either. It is a truly no-frills experience—no window shades, no reclining seats, charges for checked luggage, everything on the plane for sale. So can it really be Europe’s favorite airline? Can it be anybody’s favorite airline? Continue reading “A Valuable New Airline Service You May Not Have Noticed”