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NEWS / MARCH 2010 / WHY WE TRAVEL
Yesterday’s Observer featured a fascinating article by Jonah Lehrer about the cognitive benefits of travel. Noting the “visceral thrill of being someplace new”, Lehrer demonstrates the benefits of flying for the human condition. As tax rises and lack of infrastructure threaten people’s ability to fly, the article serves as a reminder of why we all aspire to do so.
OUR REACTION
Rt Hon Brian Wilson
commenting on
Why we travel
It's very interesting to read about some of the benefits that travel brings to humans. That's why we campaign to keep flying affordable for all, especially hard working families who have only in the last 30 years been able to enjoy the benefits of air travel.
The world has been fundamentally changed by air travel and it isn’t possible – even if it were desirable – to return to a time where most people had never travelled beyond their own town. The genie is out of the bottle. Having tasted the delights of foreign travel people want to continue to do so and work and save hard to travel. Aviation has played a pivotal role in creating these mind-broadening, life-enhancing expectations and should be proud of having done so.
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Press Our latest press release
FlyingMatters reaction to public attitudes to air travel and the environment survey
Reacting to statistics published by the Department for Transport on attitudes to air travel and the environment, showing that the proportion of people willing to pay extra fell from 69% in 2006 to 60% in 2010 among those who do believe that air travel harms the environment and from 50% to 40% among those who have flown in the last 12 months, Brian Wilson, Chairman of FlyingMatters said: "Just as the public's appetite for paying more for flying is waning, the Government plan to push ahead with eye-watering rises in the tax on flying so that from November a family of four will pay up to £340 in tax alone. This will push flying out of the reach of many ordinary families who only fly occasionally."
