A FELLOW Gulliver, cheery chap that he is, kicked off the new year explaining why 2017 might be even worse for business travellers than the year we have just put behind us. The reasons are largely geopolitical: the fallout from Brexit, the uncertainty surrounding soon-to-be-President Donald Trump, the likely rise in oil prices, the Chinese economic slowdown and the threat of terror. But there’s one trend that could have a pleasant effect on travel, making flying more comfortable despite efforts by airlines to pack passengers in tighter and charge for the most basic amenities. No doubt you’ve beaten me to it: carbon-reinforced plastic composites.

Much of the discomfort of flying—whether reclining in a private first-class suite or jammed into coach—comes from two factors: air pressure and humidity. At 35,000 feet, the air pressure outside an aeroplane is extremely low, so the cabin is pressurised to bring it to a level closer to what we experience on the ground. The trouble is that raising it all the way to sea-level pressure would put tremendous strain on the body of the plane, which would have to contend with the sharply contrasting PSIs on the inside and outside. And so most airliners maintain a cabin pressure equivalent to the one we experience at 8,000 feet above sea level. That is approximately the elevation in Bogota, Colombia or Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

As anyone who has visited the Andes or the east African highlands knows, spending time there is exhausting for those not accustomed to the thinner air. Your lungs and heart have to work harder to deliver oxygen to your body and brain. One reason that marathon winners tend to come from east African countries such as Ethiopia is that their hearts and lungs have grown stronger from training at that altitude. Flying is a considerably more sedentary activity, but as George Hobica explains on his Airfarewatchdog blog, altitude can also interfere with sleep and cause exhaustion while flying.

This is where those carbon-reinforced plastic composites come in. The aluminum bodies of most existing planes would struggle to withstand the larger pressure differential that would come from bringing cabin pressure below the 8,000-foot level. But new aircraft are being built with these stronger composites. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, for example, is constructed with such plastic and features a cabin pressure equivalent to 6,000 feet. A study conducted in coordination with Boeing found that while flying at 8,000 feet can cause a 4% decline in blood oxygen, flying at 6,000 feet is similar to being on the ground, in terms of the effects on passengers’ bodies.

Now, on to humidity. Air passengers generate quite a bit of water vapour by exhaling and perspiring, but planes expel much of it in order to maintain a certain humidity level. The problem is that metal aeroplane frames corrode if there is too much humidity, so planes generally have a level that is optimal for them, not for passengers. That can lead to dry eyes and throats. Again, enter those carbon-reinforced plastic composites. As a Boeing representative told Hobica, “Carbon fibre doesn’t care if it gets wet.”

Like the Boeing 787, the Airbus A350 features a composite plastic frame with a cabin pressurised to 6,000 feet. Both aircraft are in operation, but in limited numbers. However, as they become more common—according to the respective manufacturers there are currently 810 orders for the A350 and 1,210 for the 787—and as other models follow suit, cabins with more pleasant pressure and humidity levels will become the norm. Even planes with metal frames could adopt these changes: Boeing claims that the durable fuselage on its 777X, set to enter operation in 2019, will also be able to handle a lower cabin altitude.

In other words, with each successive year, flyers’ likelihood of suffering fatigue, sleeplessness, scratchy throats and eyes, and the jet lag to which these symptoms contribute will diminish. Unfortunately, carbon-reinforced plastic composites can’t do much to shorten airport lines, restore complimentary bag check or raise the value of the pound.