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Calgary's airport is undergoing a major expansion
Yet, in my opinion, the golden age of travel has come and gone
Everyone today has seen video of the young 3 year old child
at a US airport in utter fear and crying
a she's being patted down for security measures
That is not good news
And with the US Thanksgiving being less that 1 week away
And a large out cry from citizens
that they opt for the pat-down search, just to slow up the airline security measures
Has got to be bad news for all travelers
Of course airlines have been under attack for the last decade
Airplanes have been used as weapons, there have been attempts at terrorism
with the underwear bomber, the shoe bomber
The price of fuel has forced airlines to start charging for carry-on baggage, checked luggage
All these different things are affecting air travel
And one by one, it is going to erode the number of people travelling
In my opinion, the golden age of air travel has peaked
From now on, it will be down hill
It's really interesting to consider in light of the fact that
globally, travel and tourism is the world's biggest economy
It's the heart. It is what pumps the life blood of so many destinations and economies and keeps them going
It doesn't matter if it's the Okanagan that depends in the winter, on people coming to ski or in the summer, coming for the sun
It's just a part of the economic impact
If you think of Florida - Ft. Lauderdale, Miami there's cruise ship terminals
Before people get aboard a cruise ship, many of them have to fly there
Los Vegas, London, with the Olympics coming
You've got to think of all these different areas that are being impacted
and will continue to be impacted
So if the golden age of air travel has passed
And it is not going to recover
What will the future hold for all these areas that are so dependent on travel and tourism
Up until now, many Governments and politicians and businesses have taken this mind-set of 'build it and they will come'
What happens when they stop coming?
What happens to Cancun? What happens to Ft. Lauderdale Miami?
What happens to London and the Olympics? What happens around the world when people are flying less and less?
What happens if there's another terrorist attack or attempt on an airline and more security measures go in?
What happens, and it's predicted,when the price of fuel/oil, will go into the mid $100 level or even higher
in this decade, between 2010 and 2020?
What will be the impact on air travel, on local economies - travel, tourism, hotels, tour operators, excrusions. . .
the wine industry in the Okangan?
It's a very serious question to ponder and I think
everybody should start looking at ways to lessen the impact of the golden age of travel having come and gone