A Few Future Improvements To Look Out For...

[AA 1818]

Two great articles that explain a little about future improvements that are on the horizon.

To passengers:

One good idea comes from Virgin Atlantic: taxi-sharing from airport to downtown. The line is partnering with Taxi2, a startup company that actually operates the service. It's already up and running, in beta, and expects to expand rapidly.

Another good idea, this time from Qantas: "Boarding pass and baggage check for life" frequent flier chip-enabled ID cards and baggage tags. To check in, just pass your card near a kiosk and put your baggage with chip-enabled check cards on the conveyor; the electronics do the rest.

http://www.mercurynews.com/travel/ci...788?source=rss

To pilots and/or industry-insiders:

The broad program is called NextGen. And for all the improvements planners say it will bring, it is destined “to change the way the system operates in ways we can’t envision today,” according to Vicky Cox, senior vice president for the project at the Federal Aviation Administration, who shared her insights on the program with a group of FAA employees during a “lunch and learn” session earlier this year.

http://features.csmonitor.com/innova...-smart-planes/

The last article is great, because it does not detract from the facts (and concepts) with high use of jargon and complex terminology. Great article/read.

As for the Qantas' program with chip-enabled ID cards, simply stunning. I can expect that soon after launching, the program could be easily hailed here in the U.S. as well as a miracle for FFs.