SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Losing even one in 10 customers would substantially reduce airlines' revenue. They don't make much money on each flight as it is; less income would likely cause them to shrink their service, flying fewer routes less frequently.
The problem wouldn't just be customers who chose not to fly. Some passengers might split trips between self-driving cars and airplanes, which would further reduce airlines' revenue. For instance, a person in Savannah, Georgia, who wants to go to London could choose to change planes in Atlanta—or take a self-driving car to the Atlanta airport, and skip the layover.
These changes could substantially change the aviation industry, with airlines ordering fewer airplanes from manufacturers, airports seeing fewer daily flights and lower revenue from parking lots, and even airport hotels hosting fewer guests. The future of driverless cars is appealing to consumers—which means the future of commercial flight is in danger.
A personal fondling session from a TSA agent named Brad, or 5 hours in your self-driving Mazda that your four-year old smeared peanut butter in?
(Score: 4, Informative) by PinkyGigglebrain on Wednesday June 12 2019, @05:39AM (4 children)
I pretty much stopped flying when the TSA started making taking a flight more painful than driving. Only time I fly now is for international travel to Asia, if I need to be anywhere in the USA I drive there, even if it takes a couple days to get there.
what would make me consider flying domestically more?
For starters get rid of the TSA, go back to pre-2001 security levels. No one will ever be able to hijack a plane again no mater what they manage to smuggle on board.
Get rid of a of a couple rows to add more leg room. I'm tall and having my knees mashed into the seat in front of me for hours is an experience I prefer to avoid.
It would also be nice if the air lines started treating the passengers less like cattle.
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 12 2019, @07:22AM (3 children)
lol couple of days drive
sure you do internet tough guy
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 12 2019, @04:20PM
He might. I do. By the time you deal with traffic, TSA, layovers, etc. any air trip from where I live is going to take a full day. If I can do it in two days as a car trip, even with a decent hotel it's cheaper, more relaxing, and I arrive happier. Add in a good book from Audible and it's even entertaining.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday June 12 2019, @05:41PM
You find that hard to believe? I don't, because I don't fly any more either. I can drive to most of the important cities in the Midwest in a day. If I need to speak to someone on the west coast I use video conferencing. Driving anywhere as far west as Pittsburgh or south as Richmond or north as Boston is as fast, or faster, than flying.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday June 12 2019, @11:13PM
I'm utterly confused as to why you think 2 days of driving is "tough guy" behaviour.
There are lots of reasons to do it, and some people actually find driving extremely fun and enjoyable.
I drive from the East coast of Canada to Southern California last winter, did so in 4 days, and enjoyed the entire drive down and back. And since I stayed there from some of the winter -- it was a win/win. I had my car with me, instead of it sitting at home (and me paying for it regardless), and I didn't need to rent one.
Driving is also often much cheaper than flying. When you're "away from home", such as a vacation, you're pretty much in a hotel or rented accommodation anyhow. Yet driving (especially with a family of 4 people, as happened when I was a child) is quite cheap, compared to flying. Again, the plus is .. get to keep the car.
EG, drive to Florida as a Canuck.. that's a 2 day drive (about 12 hours a day), with one hotel stop over half way there. Cost? 4 or 5 tanks of gas, which is far cheaper than even one person flying down (flight costs in Canada are more than the US...). And we got the whole family there for that price.
Fair enough that maybe you don't like driving. But some do -- and heck, to give you an example? As a teenager, it was 60 miles to drive to my high school (there were school buses, but...), then after it was 45 miles to drive to work, then I delivered pizza for 8 hours some nights (anywhere from 20 to 60 more miles), then I drove home again, another 60 miles or so. 200 miles daily, plus school, plus job.
When you grow up like that, you're just used to 'car time'.