6 ways the future of flying will be amazing

Zunum jet Family over Seattle

Air travel is in a period of great change. With the rapid pace of innovation, airlines and airplane makers are working hard to keep up.

For the most part, the airlines and the companies that make their planes are not all that well equipped to react quickly to change. A new plane takes more than a decade to put into service and its designed to keep flying for several subsequent decades.

Usually, a major industry-wide overhaul to passenger experience happens once every decade or two. We are currently in such a generational shift. Innovations such as new composite-bodied airliners liked the Boeing 787 and the Airbus A350, as well as technologies like satellite-based internet and geared turbofan engines, come to mind.

But that doesn't mean the industry is fresh out of cool stuff. In fact, the pace of development and innovation is only quickening in its pace.

Like the automotive industry, airplane makers and the people who fly their planes understand the need to unpeg the development of aircraft hardware and software.

An industry once bound by the limits of flying metal is heading towards a future where software is growing in importance.

Currently, the industry is working on many potentially game-changing innovations that could find their way into common airline use over the next couple of decades.

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Electric propulsion

Over the past century, piston power has given way to turbine power. The next frontier is electric power. And the amazing part is that electric aircraft aren't far away.

In 2014, Airbus debuted their all-electric E-Fan demonstrator aircraft. The two-seat test plane is powered by two electric motors each powering a variable geometry fan. Through the E-Fan, Airbus wants to show the public the viability of electric aviation. In 2015, the E-Fan became the first twin-engined electric plane to cross the English Channel.

Airbus isn't alone. In April, Boeing and JetBlue both invested in electric aircraft startup Zunum. This week, the three-year-old company announced that it plans to introduce a 12-passenger hybrid-electric prop plane into service by 2022.

Hypersonic travel

Electric planes might deliver quiet, eco-friendly air travel, hypersonic flights get you to your destination fast.

In 2003, we took step backward with the retirement of the Aerospatiale-BAC Concorde. For the first time in decades, mankind does not possess the capability to conduct supersonic passenger flights.

While affordable and fuel efficiency may be at the forefront of the industry, manufacturers like Airbus and Boeing still have an itch for high-speed flight.

In 2015, Airbus patented a hypersonic jet capable of reaching 4.5 times the speed of sound. The design patented by Airbus shows an aircraft powered by a combination of turbojet, ramjet, and rocket motor.

Earlier this year, Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg told CNBC that he expects hypersonic commercial flights to be a reality within the next decade or two. Even though passengers will probably have to pay a premium for the service, being able to fly from New York to Shanghai in less than two hours may be worth it.

Biofuels

Modern jet engines, for all of their refinement and efficiency, still run on kerosene. But one day, kerosene may be replaced by biofuels. While it isn't as revolutionary as electric propulsion, biofuels represent a step in the right direction towards cutting down on greenhouse emissions.

Airlines just such as United, KLM, and Singapore have all operated commercial flights using biofuels.

Currently, there are a variety of biofuels based on everything from recycled vegetable oil to plant-based ethanol. Virgin Atlantic is even working with a Chinese firm to develop a biofuel using waste gases captured from steel mills.

However, low oil prices currently make biofuels uneconomical for commercial airlines.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider