Christmas and the New Year fast approach. What hopes do we have for 2008? USAToday seems to feel it is full of hope for fliers. Their reasons?
- The Boeing 787
- Despite delays, the plane is set to have its test flights and first delivery in 2008. The first delivery will be to ANA, and the first delivery to a U.S. carrier will be in 2009 to Continental and Northwest. If it fails, it will lose the ground it gained due to Airbus’s delays on the A380 superjumbo.
- New Bag Screening Techniques
- New X-Ray machines give a better picture of what is inside carry-on bags and allow views from two instead of one angle
- The machines are already in use at Washington National, New York-JFK, and Los Angeles
- The agency has purchased over 200 of the machines of the $100,000 machines
- Millimeter-wave and backscatter machines are being tested at Phoenix, and will go into testing sometime next year at other airports.
- Security
- The border restrictions that have caused so much passport trouble will come into effect on January 31st. At that point, passports or issued ID plus proof of citizenship will be required at all land and boat crossings, as well as air, which is currently required.
- Airports
- Chicago-O’Hare will open an eighth runway in November, which is expected to reduce average delays from 24 to 16 minutes. The runway will be used mostly for bad weather arrivals. Five runways at O’Hare intersect, leading to delays and near-collisions, and three of them will be demolished by 2014, and replaced.
- London Heathrow’s new Terminal 5 will open in March. It will be occupied by British Airways, which currently occupies two terminals.
- Jetblue will move to its new terminal at JFK in September
- Open Skies
- The U.S-European Union Open Skies treaty has already produced changes, even before it comes into effect in March.
- London Heathrow will receive a great deal of new service, as it was previously limited to four airlines. Continental will begin service from Newark and Houston, Northwest will add Detroit and Minneapolis/St. Paul and Seattle service, US Airways will add service from Philadelphia, and Delta will fly there from Atlanta, and partner with Air France for Los Angeles service.
- In Flight Wireless Internet
- Jetblue has already begun testing limited wireless which will be provided as a free service. It uses ground to air cellular service as a carrier.
- American and Virgin America are working with Air Cell to provide full wireless access for a fee. It will use the same technology. American will offer it on 15 of its 767s that fly transcontinental flights and Virgin will offer it on all 12 of its aircraft
- Alaska is working with Row 44 to begin testing its satellite-based internet service.
- Southwest plans to begin testing a service of its own next year on four aircraft, although it has yet to partner with a technology corporation
- Several foreign carriers will also begin testing service
- Travel Delays
- The US Department of Transportation has seen a sharp increase in airline complaints this year. Out of over 8000 complaints logged up until September, they have closed only 25 investigations. The number of complaints is up 70% from last year. The department’s enforcement office has only 31 employees, less than they had three years ago. This can only go on for so long.
- Chronically late flights are up, and the solution of the airlines is to continue padding the scheduled flying time. On a recent flight we took, it was blocked at two and a half hours, and after takeoff, the pilot informed us our flying time would be only fifty-five minutes. Before long, a 400 mile trip will be scheduled for 5 hours…about time to take the train.
- Fares
- Airlines have raised fares multiple times this year. They are reducing capacity on many routes and are thus using this to charge more.
Will things get worse or better in the New Year? We still have two weeks left in this year. What surprises are to come?