Future of Transportation
Supersonic
- Boom
- Japan Airlines invested; United Airlines ordered Boom Overture;
- ETA: 2023
- Supersonic aircraft fly higher than other aircraft, cruising at up to 60,000ft. At this altitude, you fly above most of the turbulence, allowing a smoother ride than on subsonic aircraft.
Electric
Autonomous Flights
Advanced material and technologies.
Notably 787/350.
- composite fuselage: lighter, more fuel efficient; not as susceptible to fatigue, can be pressurize at lower(6000ft, comparing to 8000ft) altitude.
- better engines: quieter, both inside(passengers) and outside(group communities)
Super Long Flights
- ETOPS: longer non-stop flights. E.g. 20 hours from Singapore to New York.
- Qantas is targeting direct flights to New York and London from Sydney by 2022. Berth may be added.
The Largest/Smallest Airliners Being Phased Out
These aircraft/categories are disappearing:
- Turboprops: American retired the last Dash 8 on July 4, 2018; still operating in US: Ohana by Hawaiian's ATR and Alaska Horizon's Q400
- 50 seaters: CRJ200 and EMB-135/145
- 4-engines: Delta and United phased out their 747s in 2017; 340s are being phased out; 380 is hard to sell