Will vs Would ( Ron, please help!)

[brparajuli]

Despite the growing number of people who purchase plane tickets online, airline executives are convinced that, just as one-third of bank customers still prefer human tellers to automatic teller machine, many travelers will still use travel agents

A) growing number of people who purchase plane tickets online, airline executives are convinced that, just as one-third of bank customers still prefer human tellers to automatic teller machines, many travelers will

B) growing number of people who purchase plane tickets online, airline executives are convinced, just as one-third of bank customers still prefer human tellers to automatic teller machines, that many travelers would

C) growing number of people purchasing plane tickets online, airline executives are convinced, just as one-third of bank customers still prefer human tellers as compared to automatic teller machines, many travelers will

D) fact that the number of people purchasing plane tickets online is growing, airline execituves are convinced, just as one-third of bank customers still prefer human tellers as compared to automatic teller machines, that many travelers would

E) fact that the number of people who purchase plane tickets online are growing, airline executives are convinced that, just as obe-third of bank customers still prefer human tellers compared with automatic teller machines, many travelers would

Will is correct!
You say ""would" can be used as a past-tense form of "will" -- for instance, i know that we will win translates into the past tense as i knew that we would win -- or to express a hypothetical situation that isn't true. neither of these is the case here; this is a prognostication of future events, so the future tense makes sense and the conditional ("would") doesn't."

The company announced that its profits declined much less in the second quarter than analysts had expected it to and its business will improve in the second half of the year.

A) had expected it to and its business will improve
B )had expected and that its business would improve
C )expected it would and that it will improve its business
D )expected them to and its business would improve
E) expected and that it will have improved its business

Would is correct!
Stacy says, "the company is essentially expressing a hope that the business will improve - they can't be certain (or near-certain). As such, we should express it as "The company announced that its business would improve next year." The company expects it to... but it may or may not really happen."

So, on the certainty wise, why the first question expresses certainty and second question does not. Both are about future events that may or may not happen. Aren’t both, in your words, prognostication of future events?
Ron, please help!

[jlucero]

1) Airline executives are convinced that many travelers will still use travel agents.

2) The company announced that its business would improve.

The first is in the present tense and requires a future tense verb in any situation:
I am convinced that 100 years from now, pigs will fly.
I am announcing that pigs will fly.

The second is a past tense and requires a distinction between certain events and hopeful events.

The company announced that they will begin stealing from children. (certain)
The company also announced that they believe this would lead to complaints from anti-stealing from children customers. (hopeful)