The demand for air travel may seem to be on the decline, but it's actually rising -- and playing a major role in determining which places are more economically successful.
As Greg Lindsay argues in this op-ed, the U.S. needs to think of its air travel infrastructure as a key strategic investment in its future prosperity.
"The problem is that aviation in America is slowing down. For decades, even as demand grew, we failed to expand runways, upgrade technology and build larger terminals. New York‘s three airports, which suffer some of the worst delays in the country, cost travelers $1.7 billion annually in lost time alone. Similar stories abound across the country.
America may not see the advantage to such investments, but China and India do. Both are experiencing annual aviation growth rates as high as 20 percent as their growing middle classes take to the skies. And they are building hundreds of new airports to connect their once-obscure, now-booming cities to each other and their neighbors, not to us."
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