Cheddar's Crystal Ball: The Road Ahead for Travel and Transportation
*By Hope King, Tamara Warren, and Amanda Weston*
This year marked the first voyage for Cheddar's weekly series Cheddar Rides, covering the changes happening in transportation and the future of getting from here to there. To celebrate the last episode of its inaugural year, Rides is looking at the road ahead.
Here are our top predictions for what to expect from the travel industry in 2019:
**3. Self-driving will continue to make big headlines**
This year marked Waymo's launch of a robo taxi fleet in Arizona and Uber's reinstated license to test self-driving cars in Pittsburg, Pa. The desire to get autonomous vehicles up and running will drive car makers and tech companies to [team up](https://cheddar.com/videos/ford-and-argo-team-up-with-walmart-postmates-on-self-driving-delivery), as Ford and Walmart did with Postmates and Argo AI to explore delivery via self-driving cars in Miami-Dade County, Fla.
One big question is whether Apple will enter the race. The tech giant has recently hired former Tesla employees. Perhaps 2019 will be the year Apple sheds light on the work it's doing behind closed doors.
**2. Cities will start to take mobility seriously**
More charging stations, scooter and bike lanes, and apps for every mapping service imaginable are on the way. But the planning to accommodate innovations like electric cars do come with [some challenges](https://cheddar.com/videos/what-the-electric-car-boom-means-for-city-power) when it comes to infrastructure.
**1. Someone will go to space (who is not an astronaut)**
The new space race is accelerating. Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Galactic, made history in December by sending two test pilots to space aboard the SpaceShipTwo. It marked the first time a commercial craft designed to carry passengers reached the U.S. definition of space ー an altitude of 50 miles. Branson said he plans to become the ship's first passenger by the middle of 2019, with other tourists following soon after.
But Branson is far from alone in this endeavor. Amazon ($AMZN) CEO Jeff Bezos said he hopes to send his own batch of tourists into space next year.
Finally, Elon Musk's SpaceX has indicated it intends to send people to the moon in 2023.
Thanks for joining us on this crazy ride! Cheddar Rides moves to a new time in 2019. Tune in for the first episode of the new year Wednesday, January 2 at 3:00 p.m. EST.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
Tesla, the car company run by Elon Musk, reported Wednesday that it sold more vehicles in the past three months after boycotts hit hard earlier this year, but profits still fell sharply. Third-quarter earnings fell to $1.4 billion, from $2.2 billion a year earlier. Excluding charges, per share profit of 50 cents came in below analysts' estimate. Tesla shares fell 3.5% in after-hours trading. Musk said the company's robotaxi service, which is available in Austin, Texas, and San Francisco, will roll out to as many as 10 other metro areas by the end of the year.
Starbucks’ AI barista aims to speed service and improve experience. Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune Business Editor, explains its impact on workers and customers.
