Evidence of Abundance 21: Affordable Airfare Plummeting Price of Air Travel

In this hectic holiday travel season, it's easy to forget about the magic of airflight.

And in today's evidence of abundance, I'll show you just how affordable it's gotten, let alone the convenience of booking online.

In 1980, it cost just under $600 to take a round-trip flight within the United States. Just 30 years later, that fare has been slashed nearly in half.

Graphic above shows a steep decline in round-trip U.S. domestic airfares between 1979 and 2011 based on data from the World Bank.

Because it's cheaper and easier to fly than ever before, air travel is becoming democratized.

What was once only available as a "once in a lifetime experience for the wealthiest" just 50 years ago, is now common place.

And we'll see even more disruption as other technologies that allow us to connect dematerialize and demonetize.

For example, 20 years ago, to communicate with someone in another country, you'd have to pay a hefty long distance phone fee or wait for a letter to arrive in the mail.

Now, we connect via Skype or Google+ Hangout and see our friends and loved ones' faces live.

Soon, we'll use telepresence devices like Suitable Technologies' Beam robot and virtual reality goggles.

I suspect that in 20 years, we'll be as jaded to the magic of two-dimensional communication forms like Skype (if you aren't already) as we are now about the wonder and accessibility of air travel.

I hope you enjoyed this bit of perspective.

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