Celebrate the Freedom of Flight

PRESS RELEASE

‘Celebrate the Freedom of Flight’

In a challenge to the miserabilism of the Heathrow airport protests, the Manifesto Club has today begun to ask the public to ‘Celebrate the freedom of flight’.

The Manifesto Club’s James Panton said:

• ‘The dream of flight, which has captured the human imagination for millennia, is now within the reach of millions of people – thanks to the huge expansion of cheap and affordable flights.’

The Manifesto Club has today launched a new webpage for people to post their experiences of the benefits of flying - a trip that changed your life, a visit to long unseen friends or family overseas, or plans for a summer in the sun.

www.manifestoclub.com/flightfreedomviews

Commenting on the current protests against the expansion of Heathrow airport Panton stated:

• ‘Contrary to what protestors and environmentalists would have us believe, the public are not simpletons duped by cheap flight deals; they are people, you and me, taking advantage of the cosmopolitan experiences that air travel can provide.’

Of course, there are problems:

• ‘There are too many queues and too many delays; there are too many planes for too few runways. And heightened security fears have lead to many ludicrous measures - lining passengers up like cattle, confiscating lip salve, squeezing cosmetics in regulation-size plastic bags, asking mothers to test their babies’ milk. What should be the quickest, easiest and most pleasurable form of transport has become an ordeal. Whatever the practicalities, the future must lie in expanding flight provision, not cutting it back. Flying now is often a dehumanising experience – but it needn’t be.’

On the environmental claims that we must stop flying for the sake of the planet, Panton argues:

• ‘It was instructive that when aeroplane manufacturers recently announced the launch of more fuel-efficient planes, the response from the environmental lobby was that more efficient planes would only encourage people to fly more. They don’t seem to want to accept that flying is part of modern life. The possibility of more efficient, cleaner, faster planes is within our reach. This is something to celebrate.’

Notes to Editors:
1. See the full Manifesto Club statement, ‘Celebrate the Freedom of Flight’ by James Panton, at: http://www.manifestoclub.com/flightfreedom
2. To see the flight campaign webpage, go to: http://www.manifestoclub.com/flightfreedomviews
3. The Manifesto Club was launched in May 2006 as a pro-human campaigning network for people who believe in developing our creativity and knowledge. www.manifestoclub.com
4. For more information and to arrange interviews contact +44 (0) 07792 795 462 or email press@manifestoclub.com