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Air travel: The more the ... cheaper

The mass transition to electric-powered aircraft was made possible by a breakthrough in battery technology, which did away with the costliest part of flying — the fuel. Plane tickets are now comparable in price to train rides (proportional to the distance, of course). Anyone can fly!

However, affordability is inversely proportional to comfort; no square inch of cabin space is wasted. Seemingly crazy solutions such as replacing seats with bicycle-type saddles, and double-decker seating in the central part of wide-body airliners, have already been patented. In latter case, wave-shaped partitions divide the cabin vertically, and passengers sit one above the other in a chessboard arrangement.

That said, don’t expect aircraft cabins of the future to resemble subway cars at rush hour; packing passengers in too tightly would be a breach of safety standards, which require the ability to evacuate the plane quickly, without creating a crush.

So as not to scare off well-heeled travelers, the cabins are divided — but by zone, not class. In particular, the 2050 Airbus Concept Cabin aircraft envisages the abandonment of traditional service classes in favor of interactive “zones of interest”: some people play VR golf; others read bedtime stories by video linkup to their kids back home, or shop virtually; still others sit in massage chairs and gaze at the planet below.

To pack in as many as possible, airplanes have outer shells made of nanomaterials. The “smart membrane” can become more or less transparent and regulate the temperature and air pressure inside the cabin, replacing the current valve-based system. The engines are electric, so they do not heat the outside air. For the sake of the environment, even passengers’ body heat is recirculated to warm the cabin, much the way their exhalations currently maintain cabin humidity.
 

I agree
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I don't agree
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Lotertoi Good on every thing, the only comments that I have are the wingspan and the maximum wheigh. Also who and how do you shop virtually? Still this is a solid and well pattented way to propose a vehicle like this, plus there might be a way to make it not need as much fuel as one would believe, and instead use a megnetic launcher (yes this is a thing today) and make the plane a glider. For larger distances, it is fine to use fuel and a different aircraft.
29 May 2023
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Charissa Thanapreechasakul If the production of this type of aircraft in the future may cause the aviation industry around the world to be amazed by the development of world-class technology, but do not forget that it can be manufactured, but must also consider its advantages and disadvantages as well. 如果未来生产这种类型的飞机,可能会让世界各地的航空工业惊叹于世界级技术的发展,但不要忘记它是可以制造的,但也要考虑到它的优缺点。好吧。Если производство этого типа самолетов в будущем может вызвать удивление авиационной промышленности всего мира развитием технологий мирового уровня, но не забывайте, что он может быть изготовлен, но также должен учитывать его преимущества и недостатки как хорошо.
22 Feb 2022
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Frank Grossman Continued: 1) conventional air travel in subsonic aircraft, 2) Supersonic travel in Boom Aerospace or similar aircraft, and 3) suborbital or fractional-orbit travel via SpaceX Starship or similar vehicles for the super-rich. UAL has already contracted with Boom Aerospace for a fleet of jets with sufficient range to fly the Pacific Rim. SpaceX is already testing its Starship prototypes. Get there tomorrow at economy prices. Get to New York yesterday if you fly Starship fromj Tokyo or Hong Kong..
06 Sep 2021
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Frank Grossman Based on recent headlines, we could see a revolution in intercontinental travel by 2030. Transportation could be available at 3 price points.
06 Sep 2021
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Ümit Uzkan "So as not to scare off well-heeled travelers, the cabins are divided — but by zone, not the class" for sure ...Technology is changing, but no one will fly for the first time. What matters is how much it responds to social expectations.
09 Jan 2021
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Ada Gursoy Air travel is also taking place now, but not into space. As we have seen in the news, they say space hotels and similar will be done, but it is still being considered. So left behind :(
28 Sep 2019
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Yunus Yeşil I agree with you. We need electric-powered planes and more such as electric-powered cars, ships. Because we know, we have battled with Global warming. If electric-powered planes exist, it is a big change for our humanity.
25 Sep 2019
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Mustafa Ören true yes
22 Sep 2019
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Ken Clinton A self-guided laser electrical fueling platform follows the flight path for on-the-fly recharging from the ground, drone network, or satellites.
02 Sep 2019
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Ethan WE GOTTA HAVE THIS IN EVERY PART OF THE WORLD!!!
17 Aug 2019
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Ravi Prajapati True
10 Aug 2019
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