For 2, GPS is currently being used by some carriers (Alaska and Southwest come to mind) to do Required Navigation Performance procedures into and out of some airports. Coming in the future, technology called ADS-B will be used for surveillance and it will supposedly be much more accurate than conventional radar and will thus allow us to reduce separation between aircraft (both domestic and oceanic) and unlock a lot of benefits by giving pilots a lot more information than they currently receive. The FAA has mandated that all carriers be equipped with ADS-B Out, which utilizes GPS and ground based transmitters, but 2020. For more on ADS-B and how it works, you can go to FAA's extremely limited description at http://www.faa.gov/airports_airtraff...hnology/ads-b/ or look on wiki.

ADS-B In and Out will also theoretically allow reduced seperation in the Oceanic space and allow for more in-trail climbing and maneuvering that isn't possible today because of the reasons AP described. If we can get to the point with ADS-B in Oceanic Airspace in terms of surveillance as we experience domestically today, we can climb and space aircraft like we do over, say, Kansas, and allow for more switches for ride comfort, etc.

In terms of the Pacific, to follow up with what AP said about the Atlantic, Oakland Center has a large Oceanic control room that pretty much handles the entire Pacific Ocean until you get to Japan, China, Australia, etc. I forget the exact figures, but the amount of the Pacific that they control is absolutely staggering. I think we have a controller here from Oakland if I'm not mistaken, and I'm sure they can correct me or fill in the numbers.