ADVANCEMENTS IN AIR TRAVEL
Brands revolutionizing the flying experience
It’s been a long, long time since people thought of air travel as glamorous. These days, flying is seen more as a fraught, uncomfortable, and expensive step necessary to get where you need to go. It's also a major contributor to the climate crisis. Still, some significant changes to air travel are in development, such as supersonic flights and VR inflight entertainment options, making taking to the skies more enjoyable and accessible. So come fly with us as we spotlight three more examples revolutionizing our next airborne experience.
AIRLINES PRIORITIZING ACCESSIBILITY
In 2022, over 11K wheelchairs were mishandled by US airlines. Delta has finally decided to step up and is developing a new first-of-its-kind airline seat that allows wheelchair users to stay in their chairs. The working prototype was officially unveiled last month, though the seat must be certified and tested before officially making its way to a plane cabin. Still, the company hopes the seat will be well-received by the disabled community, who have actively told their stories about airlines destroying their vital and extremely expensive mobility devices.
GET READY TO HAIL A RIDE IN AN AIR TAXI
Back to the Future and the Jetsons may have been on to something big, as aviation companies, including United, Boeing, and Delta, are researching ways to shift local transportation from the road to the air with electrically-powered “air taxis” for short flights. In fact, interest is so fierce that in May, the Biden administration formed an interagency team, including NASA, to develop a national strategy relating to advanced air mobility efforts such as flying taxis. Reports further suggest that air taxi operations will begin at a low rate, similar to helicopters, and using existing routes and infrastructure such as helipads and vertiports.
— Natasha, 23, MA (Cassandra Collective)
IS IT A VW, IS IT A BMW? NO IT’S THE EPIPHANY TRANSPORTER!
Not only are we looking at a future of flying taxis, now one company is hoping we’ll park a fantastic flying machine in our home garage. This week, Applied eVTOL Concepts presented its plan for the Epiphany Transporter, a vertical take-off, and landing (VTOL) vehicle that is capable of a top speed of 160 mph but generates less than 55 decibels of noise- which is somewhere between the volume of steady rainfall and normal human conversation. The company says the Epiphany is about the size of a Tesla Model S and is designed to seat two passengers and their luggage.
For more on travel, such as the motivations that inspire 85% of young LGBTQ+ people to prioritize travel to get away from the stress of everyday life, check out Cassandra’s recent report Traveling With Pride, available to members.