Reinventing the Airline Industry

Is reversing the democratization of international travel, which I would argue has been, proportionally, much more of a force for good economically and socially than it has been an instrument of environmental destruction, really the best answer we've got?

For me the best thing solution is to avoid it all.

I'm not saying "stop flying" I'm saying: knock me unconscious until I reach my destination! Then I don't have to worry about the annoying passenger next to me, the crappy food, the primitive climate control, the foggy, greasy screen on the buggy entertainment system, the harassed and overworked flight attendants, that smell coming out of the washroom, whether my overhead luggage is getting crushed by the massive duty free bag someone jammed on top of it, etc. etc. etc.

Bring on the hibernation chambers!

Between the inner pod, and the outer skin, you'd need to make sure that doors would work in almost any condition. Sure, you can blow the bolts holding the tail on and use parachutes to make the pod descend, though without the pilots since they're in a separate pressure vessel. But what if there's a fire when the plane is on the ground? Parachutes won't work in that situation, and neither would ejection rockets (unless you want to crush the passenger's spines by launching a multi-ton pod high enough for parachutes to deploy).

The main problem facing airlines is simple. How to pack in as many people as possible onto a flight in order to cover it's costs (airport fees, fuel, food, wages, etc.). More people who can cover the flight's costs means more profit for the airline, or lower costs for the passengers.

The real question with the Pod idea is this. Either way people have to board through a door and go to their seats, so that remains the same. But consider this, would people have to board a pod immediately at the gate, or would they wait in a lounge until the plane arrives? Because if they board the pod immediately, it may save time, but passengers will be sitting in cramped seats, with only airline food, and the limited toilet facilities available for possibly HOURS (if the plane is delayed or the flight cancelled in the end. Since these passengers are not physically ON the plane, the passengers' rights would be questionable in these situations.

Technically you could also fill out a pod and have it wait in a holding area on the airport tarmac while the plane arrives, freeing up gates for other airlines. But this impacts the airport retail system (restaurants & stores), which all pay rent to airports. If you eliminate passengers waiting in gates, you eliminate the need for retail. You eliminate retail, you make it that airports would increase fees for airline operations at the airport. And in the end, it would impact ticket prices negatively.