november-2010

THE PROBLEM WITH predicting things
is that it leaves you open to ridicule.
“The motorcar will never replace the
horse,” Motor magazine reported in
1903. Asked about computers in 1943,
IBM’s chairman said: “There is a world
market for maybe fi ve.” Bill Gates
supposedly said in the early 90s that
the internet was just a passing fad. And
yet we’re fascinated by what the future
holds for us, so much so that all major
organisations spend considerable time
and money trying to work out what’s
coming next, and how they can get a
head start on it.
At easyJet the smart money is on a
future of air travel that’s cleaner, more
effi cient and more comfortable. The
ecoJet is a design project that shows
what the future of short-haul superclean
aircraft could look like, and
aviation experts predict that it could be
in service across the network as soon as
2015. Up to 25% quieter, and emitting
50% less CO2 and 75% less NOx
(nitrogen oxide) than today’s newest
aircraft, the ecoJet builds on current
advances and adds innovations like rearmounted
“open-rotor” engines that give
unrivalled environmental performance
for short-haul fl ying.
According to Dana Dunne, easyJet’s
Chief Commercial Offi cer, the ecoJet
is part of a much broader long term
plan. “Today’s aircraft are typically 70%
cleaner and 75% quieter than their 1960s
counterparts. Now we’re planning the
next generation of aircraft that will help
towards taking the plane out of the
emissions equation.”
BUSINESS | FUTURE 15
It’s a remarkably bold ambition,
but don’t forget this is the future
we’re talking about – you can’t rule
anything out. As Jonathan Margolis,
the technology expert at the Financial
Times, once told me: “If you’re looking
for what’s going to be big tomorrow,
it’s probably the stuff that sounds
unremarkable, ostentatious or mad right
now.” After several years of working as
resident futurologist at the technology
magazine T3, and as editor at trends
and forecasting network LS:N Global,
I can confi dently predict a few things
that I think will defi nitely be around
15 years from now. Even if they sound
unremarkable, ostentatious and maybe
even a bit mad to you right now.
15 TH BIRTHDAY ISSUE | TRAVELLER | 69