Questions about the future of air travel continue to smolder

The wholesale closure of European airspace in mid-April while a cloud of volcanic ash drifted toward the continent offered a painful reminder of two truths about jet travel: Modern society can't function without it, and the whole system is easily thrown into chaos.

The shutdown, which left roughly 10 million people stranded, was only the latest in a long line of predicaments for the industry. In recent years, airlines and passengers have struggled with terrorist threats, a fuel-price spike and a global economic meltdown. These difficulties have punctuated a backdrop of more mundane headaches including bad weather, over-stretched infrastructure, broadsides from environmental activists and calls for greater taxation of air travel.

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