Advantages and Disadvantages of Air Travel

The popularity of air travel has been increasing in the past few decades.  This increase in popularity has been due to the convenience and safety one could enjoy by traveling by air.  The following are some of the positive and negative factors involving air travel.

Disadvantage: Airplanes Cause Pollution.

The major shortcoming of air travel is the pollution caused by it. Greenhouse gases are emitted into the atmosphere by the aero planes and these gases are responsible for global warming. A lot of people are keen to minimize the effect of global warming on the planet and they find this a major setback. In order to overcome this problem many airlines nowadays make efforts to become more environmental friendly. Many airlines take action for retrofitting winglet that is usually intended to improve the efficiency of fixed-wing aircraft thereby reducing greenhouse gas emission. Airlines also spend millions of dollars upgrading their fleets to newer and more efficient aircraft. 

Disadvantage: High Cost

One major disadvantage in traveling by air is its cost. In many instances it is inexpensive to travel by car to certain destinations instead of going by air. One way of solving the high cost air travel problem is to take advantage of discount
airline travel.  You can decide to fly in case you get a very good deal on your airfare.

Disadvantage: Fear of Flying

Many people refrain from flying.  If anyone has travelled in a flight which has hit an air pocket you will see that they have gone through a lot of rough weather due to turbulence and this can be rather terrifying. 

Advantage: Speed of Travel

traveling by air is much faster as compared to other means of transportation as long as these places are connected by air. While it can take days to drive across the United States, a person can fly the same distance in a number of hours.  The savings obtained in this mode of air travel gives you an opportunity to enjoy your vacation for a longer period.

Advantage: Easy to Travel Long Distances

It is possible to cover long distances by flight in a reasonably short time whereas it is difficult to cover far off destinations by other modes of transportation. traveling to any destination in the world is possible if you travel by air. Flying to far off destinations takes longer duration; however they are still shorter than the time taken if you had to rely on alternative modes of transportation.

Advantage:  Safety

It has been found in general that air travel is the safest form of travel as compared to other travel modes. We normally hear more about car accidents taking place as compared to air accidents. On the other hand you find that the occurrence of train accidents is also quite common. Air travel related disasters do happen but they occur much less frequently.  Decision making on the mode of travel has been very easy for many people who consider safety as the main factor for opting to fly.

Choosing air travel is a personal decision, based on the factors discussed above along with a multitude factors not discussed here.  For most travelers safety, speed of travel and cost are the over riding factors.  As long as cost remains affordable air travel will continue to grow in popularity.