Topic: Air Travel

The Progression of Air Travel

One century ago this month, commercial air flight took off. And before we know it, we could be flying in cars, or taking family vacations to space. As airline bigwigs convene in London to talk the future, we glance at the bumpy path that got us here.READ»

• Now: November 2010
• Read: Decision Points
• Share: National Philanthropy Day

JetBlue Goes Populist For New Ad Campaign [Video/Pics]

At last night's Masters of Design event, Fiona Morrisson, who helped transform JFK's T5 terminal into JetBlue's hip, people-friendly gateway, teased the audience about the airline's forthcoming brand campaign. Behind it, she ...READ»

Put Me in Coach...

About that seat next to you on the flight that you were hoping to be empty...READ»

How B2B Stars Innovate – and Why Airlines Have Hit a Black Hole

A recent article in U.S. News & World Report disclosed that in 2010, airlines have generated $2.1B in additional passenger revenues through clever, and often egregious pricing strategies. The "pay to breathe, walk or eat" pricing approach is rapidly eclipsing customer service in the airline industry, and customers like me are furious. StarCite, a B2B technology company serving the travel industry, has charted a different course.In this article, CEO Greg Dukat outlines a customer-centric innovation strategy that will surely outlive the airlines' approach.READ»

Fiona Morrisson Brands JetBlue With Whimsical Design

Fiona Morrisson helps JetBlue soar above the airline industry’s turbulence by merging branding and design.READ»

• 2010 Masters of Design

Back in the Saddle Again

 It is with no small amount of glee with which I report, dear readers, that I did not say it first. In fact, Wired magazine's "World's Most Cramped Airline Seat to Launch Next Week" article said what we were all thinking: ...READ»

How Plane Fuel Kills 8,000 People a Year

As if airlines needed any more reason to reduce emissions, MIT scientists report that pollution from airplanes flying at cruise altitude in the First World cause deadly pollution in the Third World.READ»

Work/Life: Is It a Gold Rush or a Roller-Coaster Ride?

 Whether the recession has just ended or we are sliding back into a double dip, no one seems to really know. but that hasn't stopped the recent surge in stories about how the airline industry is recovering, or that ...READ»

Steve Jobs Is a Ninja, Carries Throwing Stars

We all knew he was a Jedi Master--but a ninja warrior too?READ»

Bagging It

Business travelers travel light. Long ago we learned that the formula for disaster on a business trip was to depend on the airlines to deliver luggage on time and undamaged. Woe betide the road warrior who makes the mistake of checking baggage that contains something vital to a business meeting or is otherwise irreplaceable.READ»

Smooth Landing For New Plane Guidance Technology

GE has launched a flight path program aimed at reducing delays, cutting carbon emissions, and saving airlines billions. READ»

Employees Taking Flight

How to really prevent your employees from jumping ship.READ»

From Winning to Crazy: How to Assess Your Company's Ideas

The review of Kaihan Krippendorff's strategy framework continues with a look at how to evaluate potential strategies to isolate those with the highest potential.READ»

"Greener Skies" Project Lowers Flight Emissions by 35%

This week, Alaska Airlines demonstrated a set of next-generation flight procedures that dramatically reduced fuel consumption and carbon emissions. Under the banner of its "Greener Skies" project, AA used satellite-based guidance ...READ»

What Will Commercial Aircraft Look Like in 2050?

Boeing's 747-8 jumbo jet may represent the best of what engineers have to offer now, but Airbus has reached 40 years into future and come back with a design that barely resembles the aircraft of today. The Concept Plane, revealed ...READ»

How Honeywell Is Redesigning the Skies for Quicker, Greener, Less Painful Flying

Bob Smith, Honeywell's CTO, talks with FastCompany.com about the technology that will soon control the skies overhead.READ»

Tips for Business Travel

Just got back from an international trip and was I reminded of the days when I was doing 22 transatlantic trips a year. (See the Wall Street Journal's "Globetrotter's Tips To Boost Performance on Long Business Trips.") That was ...READ»

iFive: BP's Bill Comes Due, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan, EasyJet AVOID, Facebook Attack Ad, ARM Launches Linaro

What happened last night, between counting sheep and opening your eyes? Innovation, that's what. 1. President Obama, who's cancelled a trip to Asia because of the Gulf oil disaster, has been using his solar-powered calculator ...READ»

Why the United and Continental Merger - and Other Mergers - Are Not Going to Fly.

Merger Mania is once again in the air – literally. United Airlines and Continental Airlines announced they will merge into one company. Continental CEO Jeff Smisek and United CEO Glen Tilton claim the $3 billion deal will save at ...READ»

Work/Life: The Summer of Ugh

Forty-odd years ago people were writing about something called The Summer of Love. I predict this is the year anyone who has to travel aloft on business will be writing instead about The Summer of Ugh. Meaning be prepared for ...READ»

Bluebox is Turning iPad Into an In-Flight Entertainment System

You know that handheld media-friendly new tablet gizmo from Apple? Yeah, that one. Turns out that companies are looking at it and wondering how to use it in business--and one, Bluebox, has turned it into an in-flight entertainment ...READ»

Southwest Lands in Two "Overpriced, Underserved" South Carolina Airports

Dave Ridley made good on his word. Southwest’s senior VP for marketing and revenue management said that the discount carrier chooses to add destinations based on whether a city’s airport is "overpriced and underserved" and ...READ»

Work/Life: A New Day Dawns on the Tarmac

Most business travelers know someone who has been marooned for hours on the tarmac, running low on water, food, and clean restrooms. It's every road warrior's nightmare to be "tarmacked."The Department of Transportation's (DOT) new ...READ»

Bumped Passengers, Fines Aside, "It's All About Relationships" for Southwest Airlines

Southwest has pissed off its fair share of customers, bumping more of them from oversold flights than any other carrier last year. You don't have to look to far to find disgruntled flyers saying things such as, "I have always flown ...READ»

Work/Life: The Next Generation

I wrote about the FAA's "NextGen" solution to the problem of airline traffic jams back in December — actually, it was my first blog post. December 2009 was when the FAA had promised to have its ERAM, or En Route Automation ...READ»