Editorial #5-"The future of flight"

This editorial discusses the Next Generation Air Transportation System known as NextGen. The Federal government is spending billions of dollars to equip the nation's airports with this satellite-based technology that is said will make air travel faster, safer and greener. According to the author the system will allow air traffic controllers to know the precise locations of an aircraft, and it will allow more takeoffs and landings and more direct routes. The reduced congestion, fuel use and pollution will eventually improve air carrier profitability. The problem with this system however is that it costs between $25 billion and $30 billion, and many airlines are not happy with having to pay their share of the price.

In my opinion it is a very good decision to bring this new technology into air travel, after all "The global positioning system in your car -- even your Wii -- is infinitely more advanced than the 1950s-era radar system used to guide planes in and out of the nation's airports." I do however understand that as many of the airlines are already struggling as a result of the poor economy, so this type of spending might not be something they want. I think it would be a good compromise to have this new technology put into planes that are being made, and then rather then installing it in all old planes, gradually grandfather in the new planes and get rid of the old planes as they are no longer needed or useful. This plan would take longer, but it would update the technology while limiting the amount of money airlines have to pay.