Stephanie on the Bottom Line

The BBC economics editor Staphanie Flanders guest presents the Bottom Line tonight on Radio 4 at 5.30pm. The program will explore the economics behind the airline industry. Worth tuning in.

Guest presenter Stephanie Flanders discusses the future of the airline industry with Stelios Haji-Ioannou, chairman of Easygroup Ltd and founder of Easyjet, Lord Digby Jones, business entrepreneur and former director of the CBI, and Steve Ridgway, chief executive of Virgin Atlantic Airways.

They discuss the cost conundrum of trying to predict the economic future when buying new aircraft, and reveal whether they have cut back on their personal air travel as environmental concerns get stronger.

The panel also ask if machines are taking over the industry; from computer check-ins and check-outs to automated phone services, it is becoming harder to deal with real people. It might be cheaper for companies, but Stephanie asks if the benefits really get passed onto the consumer