Saturday, June 05, 2021

Flying just might become pleasurable for those who can afford it

I, of course, never flew on the Concorde but I did tour one and saw one on a tarmac. This looks like it's going to be a much more luxurious experience. The interior of the Concorde seemed pretty crowned.

"There were few sights more graceful than the Concorde, swooping in to land, its hinged nose drooping like a glistening beak. The sleek white fuselage hasn’t been seen airborne since its retirement nearly two decades ago.

But that may soon change. United Airlines just announced a new leap into supersonic civilian flight, placing orders for 15 new jets designed to fly at Mach 1.7 that could halve the flight from New York to London to just 3.5 hours. The Overture planes, from a company called Boom Supersonic in Denver, haven’t been built yet, let alone proved themselves safe; they’ll face stringent regulatory checks before they can enter service. But United said the jet will be ready to carry passengers by 2029 -- and promised its new bird will use 100% sustainable fuel."