Originally Posted by
kcockayne
I take your point, but surely there comes a point when you cannot squeeze any more in. Many would argue that point has already been reached. I agree that we squeezed more in years ago by exercising our ingenuity & pulling our fingers out - but we reached our limits, nevertheless. New technology & procedures can, undoubtedly, squeeze more in - but it will certainly reach its own limit. I would argue that this limit is finite & is fast approaching.
Reminds me a little of "Team Sky" and the "aggregation of marginal gains"....
With each gain (e.g. TBS which, IMHO, was quite impressive) there are further opportunities to push those gains further (hence eTBS - although, personally I think there are bigger gains to be had with TBS than just LHR...).
Each breakthrough will be refined over time to become better than the first iteration.
The limits you talk about are surely only today's limits...based on what we know today?
Below is an excerpt from wiki (apologies) which demonstrates the point of progress and "limits" (setting limits, reducing limits and then increasing them again):
"The 1861 Act introduced a 10 mph (16 km/h) limit (powered passenger vehicles were then termed “light locomotives”). The 1865 'Red Flag Act' reduced the speed limit to 4 mph (6 km/h) in the country and 2 mph (3 km/h) in towns and required a man with a red flag or lantern to walk 60 yards (50 m) ahead of each vehicle, and warn horse riders and horse drawn traffic of the approach of a self-propelled machine. The 1878 Act removed the need for the flag and reduced the distance of the escort to 20 yards (20 m)."
And here we are in an age where we are seriously looking at driverless cars...planes too...some even question whether there is a future for human ATC.
IMHO that's a while off yet, but technology creep will get there, as will public acceptance...in time.