Following Concorde’s retirement in 2003, it’s been more than 15 years since a supersonic passenger aircraft last operated a commercial service. And yet travelers and travel companies continue
to dream of supersonic travel.
Aerospace firms are working together to tackle the industry’s growing contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. One solution is to power aircraft using electric engines. A prototype of the world’s first commercial all-electric passenger aircraft is already flying.
NASA’s Space Shuttle completed its last mission in 2011, but the appetite for space travel hasn’t disappeared. The race for space has continued among private enterprise. Passengers could be traveling into space as soon as 2020.
Robots can help deliver a personalized experience to travelers. While travelers are happy to use automated technology, they’re less sure about interacting with robots. Deploying robot services in airports and hotels improves customer service and lowers costs.
Getting smoothly around a city can be just as important to business travelers as flying between cities. New business models, such as ride-hailing, are already changing the way we travel around on the ground. Technological innovations including electrification, connectivity and autonomy are poised to further transform the way we travel in and between towns and cities.
The idea of passengers traveling in pods at high speed in sealed transportation tubes may seem to be straight out of a science fiction novel. It’s not. It’s an idea-turned concept inspired by technologist billionaire Elon Musk in 2012. Seven years later, Hyperloop transportation systems are nearing full-scale testing, with the first commercial operations ready perhaps within a few years.If it delivers what’s been promised, Hyperloop could transform short-haul travel, offering business travelers and their companies a sustainable travel option and untold cost and productivity savings.
International environmental organization “Friends of the Earth” estimates aviation emissions more than doubled between 1990 and 2016, while overall emissions from all sources fell by 43%.1 Low aviation taxes, a proliferation of low-cost carriers and the rise of alternative accommodation have been blamed for an air-travel boom. While the debate continues, European governments are starting to look to taxation as a way of reducing aviation’s environmental impact.