Well, as they say, “the future ain’t what it used to be.” But it’s sure going to be interesting. I’ve spent a lot of years looking into the crystal ball to formulate a 20-year market outlook. As of tomorrow, my focus will turn to the Baseler Family Outlook.

But before I climb aboard my new tractor and steer it in the direction of retirement, I want to give you a brief vision of the near future for air travel.

Back when Paul McCartney sang “When I’m 64,” that age must have seemed like an old age to live to. But today, when “60” is “the new 40,” I’m sure I’ll still be going strong when I’m 64!

Heck, that’s only six years into the future. Not far at all. But considering all that will happen in that span, I think it will seem like a new and wonderful era. Consider that when I’m 64, there will be several hundred 787s in service. Just think of that! And just maybe the A350 will be getting ready to debut at that time.

Into the sunset? Or the sunrise? Either way, it’s a beautiful new day ahead.

Anyway, with the 787 in service for 5 years by then, millions of people worldwide will have experienced an all-new level of passenger comfort. And that’s going to have a profound effect on the way people choose their flights. People who’ve flown in the Dreamliner will be more discerning in their airline selection. And don’t forget, the 747-8 Intercontinental will also have been delivering people the same new experience for about three years.

There’s just something about a great new experience. It’s going to be hard to go back to the old way of flying, or to even understand or remember back to the way we used to fly.

By this time, too, in the world fleet, most of the DC10s, A300s, and other early large widebodies will be gone or on their way out, having been replaced by 777s, most likely. The 200LR will have opened up a number of new very long-range routes, shortening passenger travel times.

On the short-haul, MD80s and even early model A320s will have been replaced with workhorse Next-Generation 737s, as their higher reliability and fuel efficiency will be as important as ever.

Something else to keep in mind: a new generation will be entering the workforce. These young people will place an even higher value on time. And they’ll be even more globally-focused than travelers today. Fortunately, they’ll start traveling for business just as the fleet of more fuel-efficient and CO2-efficient airplanes such as the 777, 787, and 747-8 starts to achieve critical mass.

Speaking of new generations, by the time I turn 64, we should have a good idea of what the next single-aisle commercial jetliner is going to be. Clearly we’ll be incorporating what we’ll have learned from the new-technology Dreamliner, bringing a whole new level of efficiency to this airplane category as well.

When I’m 64, two of the world’s largest aviation markets (U.S. and Europe) will be several years into the historic Open Skies agreement. With almost all remaining regulatory barriers removed between our two regions, you’d also expect this type of liberalization to continue to other regions around the world.

The continued growth of low-cost carriers in the Asia-Pacific region will make air travel possible for more people than ever before. And of course breakthrough airplanes such as the 787 and 777-200LR will be connecting more cities non-stop than was ever possible in the past - again decreasing travel times.

Environmental stewardship will continue to be at the forefront of our industry. As we’ve done in the past, we’ll continue to improve our products with the goal of minimizing their impact on the world in which we live.

And air travel, already a very safe and reliable form of transportation, will benefit from still more advances in fields such as precision navigation and airplane health monitoring.

Thank you, all!

When I’m 64? Doing the garden, digging the weeds, who could ask for more? Well, I may do a bit of that with my tractor. But I’ll also be riding the highways and byways visiting National Parks and other interesting sites. Who knows where I may end up traveling?

But I’ll make sure to stop off at various truck stops along the way – many of them have Wi-Fi as well as hot coffee these days. This way maybe I can check in on the various aviation discussion Web sites - and stir up a bit of mayhem from time to time.

So when I’m 64, even though I won’t have the platform of Randy’s Journal, I’m sure I’ll still have something “profound” to say. Certainly I’ve never been at a loss for words before – as many of the “victims” of my presentations could attest to over the years.

Which brings to mind another famous Yogi-Berra-ism that may sum it up best: “I really didn’t say everything I said.”

But I’m sure glad I said it!

Take care. Be well. And thank you to all of you who made these past three decades an amazing Magical Mystery Tour!