Future cost savings for carriers in the bag

Intelligent luggage and vertical landings are two of the visions of Goldman Sachs analysts of the future airline industry.

Executive director Guy Kekwick said 'smart bags' imbedded with electronic chips and other improvements in bag-handling technology would help reduce carriers' costs.

Vertical-landing planes could use the same amount of air space used by one aircraft and clear runways for twice the number of take-offs, he told the Issues and Outlook Conference - Looking Back From 2005.

Jean-Louis Morisot, executive director of transport sector research, said passengers would pre-order meals such as Big Macs when they booked their flights on the Web. David Evans