2120: The Future of Air Travel

Some might say that we haven’t progressed as far as we thought we would have only 40 years ago. Sure, we thought everyone would have flying cars and strange machines that spontaneously generate delivery-style pizza from a small, round disc. However, a quick look at the technology we use every day will show you how far we’ve actually come.

We have the intelligence of the world in our pockets - devices that capture internet flying through the air on light waves just about everywhere in the world. We can fly halfway across the world in less than a day, and order groceries for delivery without ever leaving our house. You can contact someone in a different country instantly, and see their face - how crazy is that?

Compared to the 80s, we are living in a vastly futuristic age; it’s just a different one than we had imagined! So far, our technological advancements have been geared towards making life easier and more productive; we haven’t yet branched out into frivolous things like flying cars!

2120 - 100 Years from 2020

Based on averaged projection statistics, the Earth will be home to over eleven billion people in 100 years. Our diets will likely look drastically different, due to the need to feed almost twice as many of us, and cars will have markedly decreased emissions, if any at all!

What Will Airports be Like?

In 100 years, we’re likely to see far more air traffic due to increased population and affordability of air travel. In turn, there will be more airports to make air travel more efficient. Technological advancements will allow for shorter flights due to faster planes - this will further increase the appeal of leisurely flight. Increased fuel efficiency will likely lead to less time spent fueling planes and, therefore, shorter waits for boarding.

It can be expected that we will see much more intense airport security, but less time spent in security check due to technological improvements - full baggage, carry-on, and body walkthrough scans will make checkpointing a breeze! Maybe we’ll even have a passport and state ID implant that can be scanned in the blink of an eye!

What if airports themselves had on-site suites for layover guests? No more checking in and battling with other passengers for a taxi! Airlines will probably extend new technology into the shops and restaurants, too. All your favorite fast food and coffee shops are now robot-employed 24/7, making the prices more favorable, and service times twice as fast.

You can expect changes on the plane itself, too. Looking for some entertainment up at 36,000 feet?  Perhaps VR headsets will be available for watching movies and television - for a small fee, of course.  What if airline seats were like tiny flatscreen cubicles, allowing you to visualize the night sky and can get some much-needed sleep? Time for lunch? Robotic, AI flight attendants will roll by and ask if you’d like a sandwich!

I think we can all agree, however, that those bathrooms need some work. Perhaps, 100 years from now, we’ll have finally figured out how to atomize plane waste - then we could really take air travel to the next level!

What do you think air travel will be like 100 years from now?

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