All posts tagged: air travel

 The best way to board an airplane, according to science

 The best way to board an airplane, according to science

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. By signing up, you confirm you are 16+, will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time. Navigating air travel in 2026 is full of annoyances, but few bring more dread than the boarding process. What was once a straightforward exercise has grown increasingly complicated due to the proliferation of groups, zones, and variations of priority-based seating. All of this, studies show, has contributed to boarding times getting gradually longer each year. Boarding in the 1970s reportedly took just 15 minutes. Today, that process often takes up to 40. Now, a University of Florida master’s student named Adam Jacobs has built a simulator that clearly visualizes what so many travelers already feel in their gut. Jacobs created a computer model simulating a 186-seat Airbus A320neo and had computer-generated travelers board using three well-documented methods: random, back-to-front, and the lesser-known but …

This Summer Travel Season Could Forever Alter the Future of Sustainable Aviation Fuel

This Summer Travel Season Could Forever Alter the Future of Sustainable Aviation Fuel

Published by skeptic

Late last year, Vancouver-based aviation analyst Mark Miller bought airplane tickets to bring his family of four to Rome this summer. The Millers would spend Italy’s high season trawling the city’s ancient ruins, exploring the Vatican, and swooping down to Sardinia to experience the island’s dramatic sea cliffs, white sand beaches, and ancient limestone caves. Five months later, Miller, a commentator for CBC News, watched in disbelief as Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz—a crucial waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, through which nearly 20 percent of the world’s oil supply flows. The unprecedented closure sent global stockpiles of jet fuel plunging, depleting strategic reserves in the UK, Germany, and France. “Reports out of Europe said that the fuel supply could run low by end of June, which was about the time we would have been there,” Miller says. “The last thing we wanted to do is get stuck in Europe.” The supply shortage has spread to the US as the war in Iran continues. On Thursday, an American Airlines spokesperson …

Norse Atlantic Airways Offers Dirt-Cheap Tickets. There’s a Catch

Norse Atlantic Airways Offers Dirt-Cheap Tickets. There’s a Catch

Published by skeptic

On March 31, I received an email from Norse Atlantic Airways. The $940 flights for my upcoming round trip to Rome had been canceled, it said, and I had 14 days to request a refund. At first, I didn’t panic. That began to change when the company’s refund request page wouldn’t load on two browsers across three devices. After Norse didn’t respond to several emails, I looked for a phone number. There wasn’t one. On Reddit, I found dozens of posts about Norse’s allegedly haphazard customer service. The same day, I filed a public records request with the Federal Trade Commission, which I hoped would give me a better idea of how common this experience was. I eventually received around 75 detailed complaints from people who had bought or tried to buy tickets from the airline. Many described a customer service operation in which the inability to get in touch with a human created a vacuum that scammers appeared happy to step into. Of the 41 complaints that reported a dollar figure, 21 claimed they …

World’s largest solar-powered aircraft crashes after losing power

World’s largest solar-powered aircraft crashes after losing power

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. The groundbreaking experimental aircraft known as Solar Impulse 2 has met an untimely end. According to a National Transportation Safety Board report, the completely solar-powered plane crashed into the Gulf of Mexico during an autonomous test flight on May 4. While there were no injuries or fatalities, the wreck of the Solar Impulse marks an unfortunate end for one of the most impressive and inspirational planes in aviation history. Solar Impulse was first conceptualized in 2003 by Bertrand Piccard, the grandson of Swiss deep sea pioneer Auguste Piccard and the son of Jacque Piccard, the first person to reach the Mariana Trench. Piccard never intended the vehicle for commercial use, but instead envisioned it as a way to raise awareness for sustainable energy by building the first solar-powered plane capable of circumnavigating the globe. The first iteration, Solar Impulse 1, completed its inaugural test flight in 2009 followed by multiple additional trips over the next few years. Construction on …

Best Carry-On Suitcases (2026): Away, Rimowa, Tumi

Best Carry-On Suitcases (2026): Away, Rimowa, Tumi

Published by skeptic

Summer is right around the corner. We’re headed out on adventures and bringing our stuff with us. Here are all the tech and tips that WIRED Reviews recommends for your travels. There is a surprisingly robust debate among frequent travelers about whether it’s best to carry on a suitcase or to check it. Sure, checking a bag saves you from worrying about space restrictions and confusing security requirements, needing to tote your suitcase into a bathroom stall with you, and sweating about snagging overhead bin space once you board. But you need only one really bad experience with checking luggage to convince you to avoid doing so whenever possible in favor of being a carry-on purist. My version of that incident occurred at the Delta counter in Dulles International Airport and almost made me miss my flight. (In fact, I’d prefer to not even use a carry-on! But that’s another story entirely.) I fly more often than I’d like—short work trips, cross-country flights to visit family, and international vacation hauls. I’ve tested countless carry-on suitcases …

NASA’s new supersonic X-59 aircraft shows off its dizzying acrobatics in new video

NASA’s new supersonic X-59 aircraft shows off its dizzying acrobatics in new video

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. It’s been over a decade since engineers officially got to work on the X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology (QueSST). Designed in collaboration with NASA, Lockheed Martin’s state-of-the-art aircraft is built to fly very high and very fast, all without leaving a telltale sonic boom in its wake. Lockheed finally revealed the X-59 to the public in January 2025 a few years behind schedule, and completed its first subsonic test flight that October.  They’ve been making up for lost time ever since. The X-59 has flown on nine more occasions, most recently on April 14 when it accomplished some of its biggest feats to date while cruising over the Mojave Desert in California. This time around, however, Lockheed was ready to show off the aircraft in action. From the opening maneuvers, it’s clear that a ride in the plane isn’t for the faint of heart. The dizzying ascensions and precise axial turns look uncomfortable even from the distance of a computer …

What the Spirit Airlines Implosion Means for Your Vacation

What the Spirit Airlines Implosion Means for Your Vacation

Published by skeptic

Things have not been looking good for Spirit Airlines for years now. The budget airline known for its bare-bones approach to the sky filed for bankruptcy in 2024 and then again in 2025. And yet, its demise on Saturday felt sudden and shocking: Spirit said it would go out of business, canceling flights, shuttering its customer service lines, and laying off workers without warning. Why Is This Happening? Spirit’s demise was several years in the works. The company hadn’t made a profit since 2019. Other airlines, including larger and richer Delta Air Lines and American Airlines, invaded its low-cost turf by unbundling tickets and offering their own cheap, perk-free fares. In 2022, the US Department of Justice sued to block a proposed merger with JetBlue, arguing the deal would increase fares for all fliers. In early 2024, following a months-long trial, a federal judge blocked the merger. Then came two bankruptcies, one in early 2024 and one in summer 2025, with Spirit cutting staff, routes, and flights in an attempt to save itself. Finally, the …

Best Travel Tote Bags for Every Kind of Excursion (2026): Away, Le Pliage, Topo Designs

Best Travel Tote Bags for Every Kind of Excursion (2026): Away, Le Pliage, Topo Designs

Published by skeptic

Compare Top 6 Travel Totes More Travel Totes I Recommend Longchamp Large Le Pliage Tote for $180: This bestseller is the equivalent of a classic white tee: timeless, versatile, and built to be passed down for generations. Inspired by origami, Le Pliage folds down small when you need to pack it, but it’s also roomy enough to double as your personal item. I can fit all the essentials in here—laptop, Kindle, my airport toiletries, snacks, and then some. With its minimalist design and zipper closure for valuables, it’s also the ideal work bag for business trips. My one gripe with this travel tote bag is the lack of internal compartments (besides two impractical flat pockets), but if you’re someone who has little pouches and tech organizers for your gear, you might not miss it. Cincha the Vegan Leather Go-Tote for $130: This vegan leather bag is deceptively huge. The base is 7.5 inches deep, so while it doesn’t look that big in pictures, it holds an astonishing amount of stuff. I’ve packed enough clothes in …

NYC deploys surveillance tech to catch fake airport cabbies

NYC deploys surveillance tech to catch fake airport cabbies

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. New York’s Port Authority police are reportedly leaning on new digital surveillance tactics to crack down on  unlicensed taxi hustlers. These scammers operate at transit hubs across the city in a gray market that critics say exploits passengers and steals fares from licensed cab drivers.  The new enforcement effort is part of a $100 million initiative called Operation Legal Ride. Officers use controversial license plate readers to automatically scan every car that enters John F. Kennedy International Airport’s (JFK) five terminals, regardless of whether the driver is a scammer. Officials told local news site Gothamist that the data is then used in coordination with undercover officers on the ground to identify suspects and issue fines.  But this expansion of license plate readers and other digital surveillance tech also comes amid growing public backlash against the technology in communities nationwide. Recently elected Mayor Zohran Mamdani has also publicly expressed weariness over police use of similar surveillance tools in the past.   …

6 Proven Tips to Find Cheaper Airfare

6 Proven Tips to Find Cheaper Airfare

Published by skeptic

As a general rule, global instability leads to higher prices, and boy, is the world a doozy right now. Airfare hasn’t escaped the tumult: US airfares are up 14.9 percent compared to a year ago, according to NerdWallet, largely due to fuel price spikes linked to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz caused by blockages, bombs, and blockades. While the medium-term outlook for the airline business isn’t great, there are still a few smart and tricky ways to save a little money when flying this summer. These are tips I’ve learned from covering transportation for more than a decade, and from conversations with airline industry experts over the past two months. Some are tailor-made to this weird time in history; some are evergreen. For those especially sensitive when spending hard-earned cash right now, all might be worth investigating. Go, Go, Go! Move quickly! Airlines have been warning about big price changes since fuel prices first went up in early March. Those businesses are especially sensitive to higher prices because fuel alone accounts for more than …