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Published Aug 30, 2007
From online booking and paperless tickets to those frustrating TSA
screening lines, the travel landscape has shifted dramatically over the past
quarter-century.
1 - Online booking
Computer geeks with an affinity for alphabet-soup fare codes could access
flight information as early as the mid-1980s. But PC Travel’s nationwide
debut in 1994 helped jump-start the growth of online booking sites such as
Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz and dozens of others — including Priceline and
its revolutionary “name your own price” concept. This year, Internet sales will
represent more than half of all travel bookings.
2 - TSA airport security
Created after 9/11, the Transportation Security Administration drastically
altered the carry-on rules. Now passengers wait in line, shoeless, jacketless
and clutching toiletry-filled transparent baggies.
3 - Airline e-tickets
Ticketless air travel began in October 1993, when ValuJet, a predecessor of
AirTran, sold the first paperless airline ticket. A family from Washington state
bought the first paperless tickets ever sold via the Internet from Alaska
Airlines in December 1995.
4 - Roll-aboard luggage
Working out of his garage in 1987, Northwest Airlines pilot Robert Plath
affixed wheels and a pull-out handle to a suitcase, creating the first rolling,
vertical carry-on. Available only to the airline industry at first, he mass-
marketed his Travelpro Rollaboard in 1991.
5 - Smoke-free flights
Northwest Airlines became the first major U.S. carrier to ban smoking on its
North American flights in 1988. At the same time, a federal regulation took
effect to bar lighting up on flights of less than two hours. In 1995, Delta was
the first to ban smoking on all flights.
6 - Boutique hotel chains
In 1983, Bill Kimpton opened his second San Francisco hotel, effectively
launching the USA’s first boutique lodging group. Kimpton Hotels jump-
started the move toward high style, personalized service and individual
design in small- to medium-size urban lodgings.
7 - Airports as malls
Pittsburgh’s airport pioneered a revolutionary concept in 1992: guaranteed
street pricing in its shops and restaurants. This brought in major chains and
led to the “mallification” of U.S. airports.
8 - Indian casinos
Once considered illicit outlets for crooked mobsters, casinos spread
nationwide after a 1988 federal law sanctioned Indian gaming on reservations
and tribal land. Today, about 40% of the nation’s 562 tribes run gaming
operations in 28 states.
9 - GPS car-navigation systems
We were lost, and now we’re found, thanks to these all-knowing devices,
which began popping up in cars in the 1990s. Tapping U.S. satellite signals,
they offer befuddled travelers turn-by-turn directions.
10 - Self-service ticketing kiosks
Do-it-yourself ticketing kiosks started appearing in airports in 1994,
although Southwest had a rudimentary self-ticketing machine as early as
1979.
11 - Airbus A380 SuperJumbo
This mammoth airliner, introduced this year with a capacity of 853
passengers, ended the Boeing 747’s 38-year reign as the world’s largest
passenger jet.
12 - Airline code-sharing
Begun in the mid-1980s, it allowed one airline to sell seats on flights
operated by partner airlines. As a result, passengers could book flights on
their preferred carrier and accrue its frequent-flier miles without ever actually
boarding one of its planes.
13 - Seat-back entertainment systems
When Northwest Airlines tested the first in-seat video system in 1988, it
launched an arms race in seat-back entertainment that continues with the
rollout of video-on-demand and live TV.
14 - Yield management
Yield management — dirty words to travelers who discover that their
seatmate paid half as much as they did — was developed in the mid-1980s
by American Airlines and now is used universally by airlines, hotels and rental
car companies. It allows them to adjust prices in real time based on various
factors affecting demand.
15 - The Mirage, Las Vegas
Las Vegas tourism was sagging when Steve Wynn opened the $630 million,
3,049-room Mirage casino/hotel — The Strip’s first mega-resort — in 1989.
It revived Sin City and helped propel it into the most-visited city in the USA.
16 - Westin's Heavenly Bed
Westin Hotels scored an overnight sensation in 1999 when it introduced the
pillow-top mattress shrouded in three high-thread-count cotton sheets and
topped with a down blanket, duvet, comforter and five goose-feather pillows.
Other major lodging chains soon beefed up their own boudoirs.
17 - Trip Advisor
Tens of millions of consumers got to voice their views on where to stay and
what to do after TripAdvisor created its Internet forum in 2000. The website
set the standard for user reviews of hotels, restaurants and attractions.
18 - Flights without meals
Airline passengers suddenly faced in-flight hunger pangs when on Sept. 14,
2001, America West said it would stop serving meals because of 9/11
security measures. Others soon eliminated free coach-class meals to save
costs.
19 - Sovereign of the Seas
Royal Caribbean reinvented the cruise business in 1988 with the launch of
what is often billed as the world’s first mega-ship. It featured unprecedented
resort-like amenities and carried a then-astounding 2,852 passengers.
20 - Ascent of low-cost airlines
The low-cost concept, with its simple fare structure, single passenger class,
limited in-flight service and use of secondary airports, soared when
Southwest Airlines expanded nationwide in the early 1990s. Low-cost
carriers now fly worldwide.
21 - Affinity credit cards
American Airlines and Citibank revolutionized the way we earn miles in 1987
with the first mile-earning credit card. The basic concept, 1 mile for every
dollar charged, still is the rule. It allowed even non-!frequent fliers to accrue
miles.
22 - High-tech roller coasters
The inverted coaster, pioneered at Six Flags Great America in 1992, literally
turned theme parks’ biggest attractions upside down — and spawned a new
generation of !stomach-churning scream machines.
23 - Queen Mary 2
The age of grand ocean liners was over. Or so people thought before Cunard
brazenly (and successfully) launched the 2,592-passenger Queen Mary 2, the
largest, tallest and longest ocean liner ever, in 2004.
24 - Flying beds
Air France introduced the first 180-degree flat-bed seats in its first-class
compartments in 1995. Four years later, British Airways was the first airline
to install beds in business class.
25 - End of commerical supersonic travel
Doomed by high fuel costs and environmental opposition, the Concorde
made its last flight in 2003 after more than three decades of service. It
remains an icon of aviation design and engineering.
From online booking and paperless tickets to those frustrating TSA
screening lines, the travel landscape has shifted dramatically over the past
quarter-century.
1 - Online booking
Computer geeks with an affinity for alphabet-soup fare codes could access
flight information as early as the mid-1980s. But PC Travel’s nationwide
debut in 1994 helped jump-start the growth of online booking sites such as
Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz and dozens of others — including Priceline and
its revolutionary “name your own price” concept. This year, Internet sales will
represent more than half of all travel bookings.
2 - TSA airport security
Created after 9/11, the Transportation Security Administration drastically
altered the carry-on rules. Now passengers wait in line, shoeless, jacketless
and clutching toiletry-filled transparent baggies.
3 - Airline e-tickets
Ticketless air travel began in October 1993, when ValuJet, a predecessor of
AirTran, sold the first paperless airline ticket. A family from Washington state
bought the first paperless tickets ever sold via the Internet from Alaska
Airlines in December 1995.
4 - Roll-aboard luggage
Working out of his garage in 1987, Northwest Airlines pilot Robert Plath
affixed wheels and a pull-out handle to a suitcase, creating the first rolling,
vertical carry-on. Available only to the airline industry at first, he mass-
marketed his Travelpro Rollaboard in 1991.
5 - Smoke-free flights
Northwest Airlines became the first major U.S. carrier to ban smoking on its
North American flights in 1988. At the same time, a federal regulation took
effect to bar lighting up on flights of less than two hours. In 1995, Delta was
the first to ban smoking on all flights.
6 - Boutique hotel chains
In 1983, Bill Kimpton opened his second San Francisco hotel, effectively
launching the USA’s first boutique lodging group. Kimpton Hotels jump-
started the move toward high style, personalized service and individual
design in small- to medium-size urban lodgings.
7 - Airports as malls
Pittsburgh’s airport pioneered a revolutionary concept in 1992: guaranteed
street pricing in its shops and restaurants. This brought in major chains and
led to the “mallification” of U.S. airports.
8 - Indian casinos
Once considered illicit outlets for crooked mobsters, casinos spread
nationwide after a 1988 federal law sanctioned Indian gaming on reservations
and tribal land. Today, about 40% of the nation’s 562 tribes run gaming
operations in 28 states.
9 - GPS car-navigation systems
We were lost, and now we’re found, thanks to these all-knowing devices,
which began popping up in cars in the 1990s. Tapping U.S. satellite signals,
they offer befuddled travelers turn-by-turn directions.
10 - Self-service ticketing kiosks
Do-it-yourself ticketing kiosks started appearing in airports in 1994,
although Southwest had a rudimentary self-ticketing machine as early as
1979.
11 - Airbus A380 SuperJumbo
This mammoth airliner, introduced this year with a capacity of 853
passengers, ended the Boeing 747’s 38-year reign as the world’s largest
passenger jet.
12 - Airline code-sharing
Begun in the mid-1980s, it allowed one airline to sell seats on flights
operated by partner airlines. As a result, passengers could book flights on
their preferred carrier and accrue its frequent-flier miles without ever actually
boarding one of its planes.
13 - Seat-back entertainment systems
When Northwest Airlines tested the first in-seat video system in 1988, it
launched an arms race in seat-back entertainment that continues with the
rollout of video-on-demand and live TV.
14 - Yield management
Yield management — dirty words to travelers who discover that their
seatmate paid half as much as they did — was developed in the mid-1980s
by American Airlines and now is used universally by airlines, hotels and rental
car companies. It allows them to adjust prices in real time based on various
factors affecting demand.
15 - The Mirage, Las Vegas
Las Vegas tourism was sagging when Steve Wynn opened the $630 million,
3,049-room Mirage casino/hotel — The Strip’s first mega-resort — in 1989.
It revived Sin City and helped propel it into the most-visited city in the USA.
16 - Westin's Heavenly Bed
Westin Hotels scored an overnight sensation in 1999 when it introduced the
pillow-top mattress shrouded in three high-thread-count cotton sheets and
topped with a down blanket, duvet, comforter and five goose-feather pillows.
Other major lodging chains soon beefed up their own boudoirs.
17 - Trip Advisor
Tens of millions of consumers got to voice their views on where to stay and
what to do after TripAdvisor created its Internet forum in 2000. The website
set the standard for user reviews of hotels, restaurants and attractions.
18 - Flights without meals
Airline passengers suddenly faced in-flight hunger pangs when on Sept. 14,
2001, America West said it would stop serving meals because of 9/11
security measures. Others soon eliminated free coach-class meals to save
costs.
19 - Sovereign of the Seas
Royal Caribbean reinvented the cruise business in 1988 with the launch of
what is often billed as the world’s first mega-ship. It featured unprecedented
resort-like amenities and carried a then-astounding 2,852 passengers.
20 - Ascent of low-cost airlines
The low-cost concept, with its simple fare structure, single passenger class,
limited in-flight service and use of secondary airports, soared when
Southwest Airlines expanded nationwide in the early 1990s. Low-cost
carriers now fly worldwide.
21 - Affinity credit cards
American Airlines and Citibank revolutionized the way we earn miles in 1987
with the first mile-earning credit card. The basic concept, 1 mile for every
dollar charged, still is the rule. It allowed even non-!frequent fliers to accrue
miles.
22 - High-tech roller coasters
The inverted coaster, pioneered at Six Flags Great America in 1992, literally
turned theme parks’ biggest attractions upside down — and spawned a new
generation of !stomach-churning scream machines.
23 - Queen Mary 2
The age of grand ocean liners was over. Or so people thought before Cunard
brazenly (and successfully) launched the 2,592-passenger Queen Mary 2, the
largest, tallest and longest ocean liner ever, in 2004.
24 - Flying beds
Air France introduced the first 180-degree flat-bed seats in its first-class
compartments in 1995. Four years later, British Airways was the first airline
to install beds in business class.
25 - End of commerical supersonic travel
Doomed by high fuel costs and environmental opposition, the Concorde
made its last flight in 2003 after more than three decades of service. It
remains an icon of aviation design and engineering.
"Top 25 changes in way we travel (in USA)"
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/top25-travel.htm
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/top25-travel.htm
Anne Zahalka
Reader
Reader
