Microjets
Microjets, piloted by a single pilot with room for four to eight passengers, are designed to provide as-needed service between destinations. While they can travel up to 1,300 miles, most trips are expected to be 500 miles or less, said travel writer Rob Lovitt in his article, "'Microjets' may be the future of air travel."
Crowded Skies
According to a NewsHour special report on pbs.org, Federal Aviation Administration chief Marion Blakey estimated that even if only 2 percent of passengers move to microjets, air traffic controllers will have to handle three times the current number of take-offs and landings.
Airports
With a steady rise in air traffic, major air hubs like Atlanta and Los Angeles are starting to bear the brunt. Microjets can use most of the roughly 5,000 local and regional U.S. airports where parking is free, security is relaxed and rental cars are right outside the door, said Lovitt.
Blended Wing Planes
Paul Steele, director of aviation environment for the International Air Transport Association, said that new blended-wing planes---a wide-bodied, glider-type aircraft---are a major breakthrough and improve efficiency by 30 percent while carrying more than 1,000 passengers. A modified version, replacing the claustrophobic original models, incorporates advanced lighting and screen technology to provide a view outside the plane.
Past the Sky
Private companies like Virgin Galactic, Orbital Sciences Corp., Space Exploration Technologies Corp. and others plan to make space tourism more accessible, taking adventure-seeking civilians into low-Earth orbit. According to Fox News, space tourists will be able to extend their stay outside Earth's atmosphere at the solar system's first orbiting hotel, The Galactic Space Suite Hotel, set to open in 2012.
