Travel 2050:
The Future of Air Travel

Air travel today is a world away from 2000, let alone 100 years ago. You can book a holiday package in a matter of minutes, check-in as you make your way to the airport, and watch the latest movies at cruise control.

And while the pre-flight and flying experience is better than it’s ever been, there’s still plenty of room for improvement, whether it’s cutting queues at the airport or reducing the aviation industry’s carbon footprint. Scroll down to find out more on how the future of air travel might just look.

2048

Biometrics:
Faster, fluid travel

The year is 2048. There are no queues and no need to stop to show passports or boarding passes. Instead, it’s all seamless, from check-in and baggage drop to security and departures. This is all thanks to advances made in biometrics, as well as embedded tech like chip implants.

By 2050

Automation:
More control,
more time

By 2050, you’ll be able to check in using voice-activated tech at home and make changes to your in-flight experience at self-service kiosks at the airport. In a rush? Send a message to a next-generation ‘Bill’ on your phone and they’ll meet you in the terminal and escort you through the airport.

2050

Hyper-individual personalisation

Over the next 30 years, the flying experience will become increasingly personalised, so much so that no one journey will ever be the same. Think 3D printers making your favourite dish, smart sensors monitoring your wellbeing, and superfast connectivity that lets you do more. And yes, VR is part of the experience.

2045

The in-flight experience
reimagined

There’s very little you can do on a plane in 2020 except take to your seat for the duration of your trip, listening to music and watching movies. Not so in the future. Cabins have evolved and there’s more freedom and comfort. Think full-size beds, gyms and spaces for kids to play in – perfect for family trips to Orlando or Dubai.

2030s

The return of supersonic travel

Imagine being able to fly from London to New York in just under three hours. Well, courtesy of supersonic travel, you’ll be able to do just that by the 2030s. Short breaks in far-flung destinations will become the norm, so too being able to travel halfway around the world and still make it home before the day is over.

2037

The greener, cleaner age of air travel

It's 2037 and air travel has never been greener. One of the main reasons for this is the increasing electrification of commercial flying, with more airlines adding all-electric, hybrid and alternative fuel planes to their fleets. And yes, electric planes in the future can travel long distances without needing to stop to recharge their batteries.

2050

Commercial flying gets smaller

The closest we'll get to flying cars in the foreseeable future will be smaller, zero-emission aircraft that either require a very small runway to get airborne or have the ability to take off vertically. They'll be the flying equivalent for on-demand travel, ferrying passengers directly from cities and towns to similar destinations at a regional level.

2050

Space travel:
Beginnings of something special

By 2050, space tourism will be a real thing, but still very much a bourgeoning industry. Trips will largely revolve around low orbit travel experiences, followed by trips ‘around’ the moon. Actual holidays on the moon, that’ll still be exclusive, aimed at travellers with purse strings that run deep. Mars is still a long way off, Australia will have to do for now.