Planepooling and Air Taxis for Post-COVID Aviation (preprint)

For most of its history, commercial aviation has tended toward large airplanes, large airports, and rigidly scheduled flights. Now, however, two phenomena—technological innovation and long-term societal changes accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic—are creating an environment in which many flight routes would be better served by “planepooling”: smaller planes, smaller airports, and, for some routes, ad hoc scheduling. We highlight social and technological changes—including COVID-19 prevention measures, electrification of aircraft, and autonomous planes and air taxis—that could make private regional aviation attractive and affordable for business travelers and the middle class. Making planepooling convenient and cost-effective will require some technological advances and some changes in public policy. We propose in particular that regulators consider more-flexible Essential Air Service grants to small airports and the development of a market for regional aviation aerial corridors.

Prioritize Fast and Accurate Diagnostic Testing in the Short Term (preprint)

It’s commendable that lawmakers, governors, and mayors around the country, including in Pennsylvania, are prioritizing public health in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Using contact tracing apps like the one proposed for Pennsylvania should be voluntary, lawmakers should know how they function, and users should know what information is collected and who will use it. That said, caution is warranted: the public is skeptical of using these apps. While the app under consideration doesn’t track user location, the public is reasonably quite skeptical of new public health surveillance, and acclimating residents to public health surveillance has long-term social effects that are difficult to assess.