Airline Alternatives: Why Zeppelins/Rigid Airships/Dirigibles Shouldn't be Relegated to Parallel Universe Science Fiction
Come dream with me tonight. Let's build a giant airship and sail into the sky.
"Wow! Whoopee! A zeppelin!" - Randy Parker, A Christmas Story
As a kid, I loved travelling by airplane/airliner. I always had my head in the clouds, so cozying up in a window seat and looking down at the clouds below me was quite fitting and thrilling. Back in those days, airlines treated their customers well: reserved seating, free meals, soft drinks, pillows, blankets, headphones, movies, honey roasted peanuts, and for the kids, a chance to meet the captain in the cockpit and receive a little badge to commemorate the experience. Those were good times.
Then, 9/11 happened and air travel changed forever. Initially, it was safety related, such as removing your shoes when crossing the metal detectors or the elimination of the cockpit tour for kids. Then, at some point, the airlines became meaner and greedier: charging for everything that was once free, eliminating reserved seating, and even charging obese passengers for two seats. I constantly hear so many horror stories in the news about airlines mistreating their passengers.
Given how unpleasant travelling by airplane/airliner has become, I often find myself wondering why the great zeppelins/rigid airships/dirigibles of old have never made a comeback. From everything I've heard and read, they were far more comfortable and luxurious than airplanes/airliners, and probably much safer and better for the environment, too. These extinct colossi of the skies aren't "blimps". Referring to them as such would be like calling a cruise ship a "yacht" or a crocodile a "caiman". There's no comparison between blimps and zeppelins/rigid airships/dirigibles other than their basic shape and the fact that they're both passenger balloons.
As with ocean liners or transcontinental passenger trains, travelling via zeppelin/rigid airship/dirigible would be a much slower mode of transportation that would likely take several days to reach your destination. As such, those who wish to reach their destinations as quickly as possible would probably stick with the less comfortable but much faster airplanes/airliners. Still, for those of us who prefer comfort over speed, the slower voyages offered by zeppelins/rigid airships/dirigibles would be a more laidback and relaxing experience, as we'd have access to personal cabins with beds, could stroll through the halls, relax in the lounge and restaurant areas, etc. If an airplane/airliner is the equivalent of an intercity bus, then a zeppelin/rigid airship/dirigible is the equivalent of a cruise ship.
While a fictional and fanciful example, exploring the zeppelin/rigid airship/dirigible level of the Ninja Gaiden Black video game was such a cool and memorable experience. If the interiors really looked that grand and spacious, with stylish marble and art deco flourishes, flying in them must have been quite the treat.
I can't believe one tragic disaster that happened way back in 1937 sealed the fate of zeppelins/rigid airships/dirigibles forever, especially when you count the number of fatal airplane or helicopter crashes, shipwrecks, train derailments, vehicular accidents, etc., that have occurred over the decades and into the present. None of those tragedies have killed these modes of transportation, so I don't get why zeppelins/rigid airships/dirigibles became extinct, relegated to appearances in science fiction stories set in parallel universes.
The Hindenburg disaster could've been prevented had it been fuelled with perfectly safe helium rather than highly flammable hydrogen. As this is widely known common knowledge, I highly doubt such a dire mistake would ever be repeated. I'd personally love to see those gigantic zeppelins/rigid airships/dirigibles make a comeback as an alternative to airplanes/airliners. I'm not suggesting to get rid of airlines altogether, but to simply provide another option for those of us who'd rather avoid the discomfort of airplanes/airliners. Given that airlines now charge for everything and do nothing to improve the comfort or quality of their airplanes/airliners, I'd much rather have the choice to travel via zeppelins/rigid airships/dirigibles without having to enter a parallel universe. Thanks for reading. Until next time, love, peace, and chicken grease.