For those of us who travel frequently by air, it can sometimes seem that our trips are designed to challenge our stamina and resilience more than anything else. In 2008, we will continue to work behind the scenes to try to improve things for the traveler – here are some of the topics we'll be keeping our eye on. Do let us know if there are other issues that concern you by commenting on this article.

Security concerns will remain to the fore.
No-one with any sense would argue that security at airports should be anything other than paramount. But in an era when the threat of terror remains real, surely it is not beyond the wit of airport authorities and regulatory bodies to come up with a better approach. The current system simply causes confusion (for example, in the UK, how many bags you can take in the cabin currently depends which airport and airline you fly with) and anxiety (many of our members report increased hostility at US immigration).

Low-cost airlines will continue to grow.
The growth of low-cost airlines over the last decade has been a truly seismic shift in short-haul air travel. Starting with Southwest Airlines in the US some 36 years ago, the concept of no-frills, point-to-point air travel took some time to spread, but with Ryanair and EasyJet leading the charge in Europe and others picking up the baton around the world, the old-established national carriers who have not yet adapted will continue to lose market share in their short-haul markets. The irony is that some (not all) of these airlines get a bad press from passengers – but those passengers continue to book with them in ever-greater numbers.

London Heathrow Terminal 5 – coming soon!
London Heathrow handles more international passengers than any other airport in the world, and on 27 March 2008, a brand new terminal will open. A lot depends on that, as Heathrow has had a torrid time in 2007 including major security delays, tens of thousands of bags lost and the resignation of its managing director in July, shortly after describing the airport as "unacceptable". We'll be watching eagerly to see if the extra terminal will improve the passenger experience at this airport, or simply provide another soulless shopping mall to while away the hours while waiting for a delayed departure.

US flight delays – can things improve?
After the worst summer on record for flight delays in 2007, a hurriedly-convened series of meetings involving the Department of Transportation and the FAA took place to try to ensure that things could be improved for this year. The discussions focused on the airports and airspace around New York, as the concentration of aircraft movements in this small geographical area has such a big knock-on effect on the rest of the country. As far as we can see, the main initiative seems to be to restrict the number of flights and this will almost certainly result in higher fares. While our instinct is very much to oppose anything that will increase fares, it's clear that something has to be changed – but our fear is that it's only the fares that will change and the delays will remain the same. We will wait and see!

Mobile phones – coming to a seat next to you!
For some of our members, the thought alone is a nightmare vision of the future, but the reality is here already as Air France / KLM began a 6-month trial in December 2007 of allowing passengers to use mobile phones in-flight. The trial is on a single aircraft and will initially only allow travelers to send and receive texts and emails – but voice calls will be allowed later in the trial period. Meanwhile, Ryanair will have 25 aircraft enabled for mobile phone use by the end of March, with the whole fleet being adapted during the rest of the year. Although we can see some advantages in being able to use mobile devices in-flight for "silent" applications like text (SMS) and email, we feel strongly that allowing unrestricted use of phones for voice calls would cause immense irritation.

More hidden costs
We have mixed feelings about one of the trends that has been gathering pace is 2007. This is where airlines (especially low-cost airlines) split out the cost of various elements of the booking so, for example, you pay extra if paying by credit card, you pay extra to check a bag in and you even pay extra (with Ryanair) simply to check-in at the airport desk. Our mixed feelings are that, on the one hand, it seems right that only those who are using a service should pay for it, and if you are travelling light and don't need the help of anyone to load and unload any bag from the hold, why should you pay towards the infrastructure? On the other hand, we feel that this trend is partly due to the new laws (in the EU) forcing airlines to advertise "inclusive" fares, including taxes; it seems that some airlines have taken the view that if they have to include taxes, they will then strip out every possible "optional" item from the basic fare, enabling them to retain a low "headline" price.

Keep the enjoyment of travel!
Despite some of the more challenging aspects of air travel these days, it remains a fact that those of us who get to fly are still very privileged in many ways. While delays and bad service can cause immense frustration, don't forget the simple pleasures you can get from visiting new cities and countries and meeting people face-to-face!