Menu Close

Articles on Air travel

Displaying 101 - 120 of 124 articles

The scene of the fatal crash at Essendon Airport, where authorities allowed extensive development between the runways and surrounding housing. Joe Castro/AAP

Airport privatisations have put profit before public safety and good planning

Airport operators enjoy the privileged position in Australian planning law of being able to decide their own futures. Their exemption from state planning rules threatens orderly planning and safety.
What a novelty: Qantas chief Alan Joyce and WA Premier Colin Barnett announce the new non-stop route. AAP Image/Angie Raphael

Perth to London non-stop: great for travellers, but little help for emissions

Qantas’s new non-stop route from Perth to London might be a watershed for travel times between Australia and Europe. But super-long-haul routes won’t do much to cut aviation’s greenhouse emissions.
Lower prices make for more congestion, and passengers aren’t happy. Daniel Lobo/Flickr

The rise of the whiny air passenger

Everyone loves to complain about airline travel, leading to what the airline industry has called the “entitled passenger”.
US domestic carriers won’t face emissions curbs until the rest of the world’s airlines do too. Lasse Fuss/Wikimedia Commons

Without a global deal, US curbs on airline emissions are hot air

Greenhouse emissions from the aviation industry are still largely unregulated. The prospect of regulations for US flights sounds like progress, but it won’t happen without an elusive international consensus.
Who will be the first to crack? Daniel Lobo

Air rage: bad behavior at 30,000 feet

People do disgusting and disruptive things on airplanes. They show little regard or patience for fellow passengers and their needs. Inconsiderate behavior on the part of passengers can make air travel…
Oil prices have been in a tailspin for month, falling to a five-year low, yet airfares have barely budged. What gives? Shutterstock

Oil prices have nosedived – why aren’t airfares doing the same?

Oil prices are down almost 50% from their peak this year, and jet fuel has plunged 33% since last December. Given energy costs consume almost a third of airline operating expenses, shouldn’t we expect…
Mass spectrometry will identify those explosive molecules. Marcia Cirillo/Flickr

The science of airport bomb detection: mass spectrometry

You’ve probably had your hand luggage swabbed after walking through the metal detector at the airport. Whatever molecules were picked up by the swab have been separated using gas chromatography. So how…
You have gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to thank for keeping you safe from explosives in air travel. Dustin Ground/Flickr

The science of airport bomb detection: chromatography

As the holidays draw near, many of us will hop on a plane to visit friends and family – or just get away from it all. Some will be subjected to a swab at the airport to test clothes and baggage for explosives…
One of the perks of becoming an elite flyer is it’s easier to upgrade to better cabins, such as Virgin Atlantic’s upper class cabin. Phillip Capper, CC BY-SA

Frequent flying is getting a lot more rewarding – for those at the very top

Frequent flyer programs are one of the primary ways airlines build customer loyalty. In a nutshell, the more you travel with the same airline (or its partners), the higher the odds you will be able to…
Prior to the introduction of jets, most commercial airplanes were propeller driven, like the DC-3 pictured here. These planes had a limited cruising altitude – and experienced much more turbulence. NOAA Photo Library

Longing for the ‘golden age’ of air travel? Be careful what you wish for

Sure, you got meals served on china. But planes were frequently delayed, hijacked, and prone to fatal crashes.

Top contributors

More