Airline Travel

Airline travel over the last century has shown a rapid development of airplane types, industry liberalization, and passenger-related technology. Airline travel and global tourism are closely related: Economic measures, movements, cycles, and fluctuations in one industry influence the other as well. Yet the two industries also have opposing interests, since benefits for the one can handicap the other, and vice versa. Balancing these interests has challenged national regulations; however, a trend toward airline liberalization has emerged that still continues. Two of the most influential developments of airline travel in relation to worldwide travel and tourism have involved liberalization and information technology (IT), making airlines and airports more flexible, fast, efficient, and profitable and making global tourism more affordable.