From the invention of the wheel to the remarkable achievement of human flight, there have been a handful of major milestones in human mobility. In each case, invention is later followed by innovation that turns relatively limited use cases into highly efficient and widely available forms of travel.
If you live in the developed world, you probably think flight is in the category of mass availability. But the reality is that fewer than one in five people worldwide have experienced flight.
And for the people who have, it’s been a mixed bag. Airlines do their best to make flight comfortable and seamless, but too often the journey is fraught with delays, cancellations and discomfort.
Airline technology is really only now entering the era of innovation that will make flight a widely available and consistently positive experience. At Boeing, we see five key areas fundamentally changing the economics and ecosystem of…