What is the future of the airline industry?

john p: What is the future of the airline industry?
I am interested in becoming an airline pilot. I am also, however, discouraged by the daily news. Every time the television is on, all you see is news about layoffs, bankruptcies, salary cuts, etc, in the airline industry. When will the industry stabilize and prosper again?

Answers and Views:

Answer by kicker/punter
Most of the commercial airline industry will die. In the near future. Maglev trains/bullet trains will take their place. They are cost effective. they save fuel. They have relatively low running costs once the tracks are in place, and they can carry more people per hour/train than they could on an airplane per hour/ per plane. They say personal planes might take over, But not with the rising cost of fuel. Public transportation is the future, and its by train. The industry may never stabilize until we can run airplanes off alternative fuel. Not ethanol either/ Because at upper atmospheric levels of flight. Ethanol can do an extraordinary amount of damage. It damages the atmosphere at ground levels too. Its just cheaper to produce, and we can produce it in the US. We also need to see space as the next place we are going. With hotels, resorts, and possibly city’s up there. BUT, until then, it will be trains leading the way The technology for maglev IS HERE ALREADY, and its been done. So look at that to take over.

Answer by max
I disagree, and I hope I am right (I am a pilot and hope to find a job). Airlines are large businesses. There are two possible outcomes if you plan to run or start an airline. One: you make a lot of money. Two: you lose all you’re money. People still need to get across continents and ocean (a place where trains cannot go) and quickly. There will always be a small need for aircraft but, other people will still want to go by air. This is a large consumer base which means that airlines will go to great lengths to make air travel cheaper. Plus, airlines have always been through tough times (9/11) and have still rebounded. Wherever there is a demand for air travel someone will risk everything to bring it to them. If there are airlines there will also be company’s willing to build aircrafts, and aircraft parts. We could see Boeing make much more fuel efficient aircraft because there is demand. Boeing has (mostly) been inspired by the customer, which is why they will change.
Of course if we stay on this track, were domed, but the airlines have always come back, and where theres money to be made in air travel, there will be airlines.
I think that this is also a great time for some other company (either aircraft or engine) to step in and be a huge competitor in the market. Anyone interested? This is going to be exiting to see what happens in the next couple of years.

Answer by laptopgamingdude
Not good, as we now have worse service and prices going up daily. I refuse to fly now for many reasons. Airline deregulation has been an absolute disaster and should have never happened, as it has basically ruined an industry. Some airlines will end up just going away and many will have to just find new careers, though painful, it will happen. I find it ironic that over seas carriers are doing way better.

Answer by barneys_assasin
i’ve seen enormous plans for the future airline industry. ideas such as ethanol/hybrid/hydrogen powered airliners are being discussed and are in development almost right alongside automobiles. in asia and europe, trains will most likely prevail for the majority, however, people still need to travel from continent to continent leaving airlines as the only logical option for people that need to be somewhere fast. it’s possible that far in the future, intercontinental rail systems will be built but just the cost would be astounding for a rail from US to europe, not to mention the task of doing routine maintenance and inspection on the rails would be an engineering challenge in itself.

Answer by maestro
I’m an aviation based student , and if there is one thing i’ve learnt, it’s that this industry is very unpredictable. Things can change very very quickly and drastically in aviation, I think we all learned that on 9/11. Airlines place orders for planes when business is good and the economy is strong, and they receive them when times are hard, like now. Don’t be discouraged from pursuing your dream as a pilot, but don’t limit yourself to just that, for example i’m looking to be an Air Traffic Controller, but i’m also getting my BS in airport management as a base.

All the best

Answer by herkco
The industry will stabilize but never prosper. In reality it is inherently unreliable as regards, employment, return on investment and customer service/satisfaction. Learn to fly for the joy of flying…not as a career…the military being the great exception. Airlines no longer are worth the sacrifice.

Answer by jtexas
give us half a year after fuel prices stabilize to dial in the right capacity, then we’ll start growing again. Until the next crisis.