Flying in Our Future

Abstract

When put together, I believe the details in the previous chapters explain how the airline industry is set up for a soft landing. This is not an empirical conclusion. A system that is as complex and variable as the global airline industry is not best explained by statistical findings and conclusions. Sure, numbers can tell us a lot, like the overall size of industry losses, passenger load factors, etc. But how can we effectively measure intangibles like stability, personal convenience, and indispensability, as well as future—and unknown— economic and social benefits for individuals and humankind that come from more access to the system? The profound reach of the airline industry into our lives as passengers, consumers, taxpayers, and citizens deserves this and so much more. For these reasons, the case I’ve made here has been rooted in a qualitative evaluation of the relevant facts and evidence.

“Do I contradict myself? Very well, then, I contradict myself; I am large—I contain multitudes.” —Walt Whitman