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Last time I flew trans-Atlantic -- last month -- in-flight wifi with mid-ocean coverage was available for $30. And we've got Facebook, SpaceX, et al promising u

by cstross 11y ago

Last time I flew trans-Atlantic -- last month -- in-flight wifi with mid-ocean coverage was available for $30. And we've got Facebook, SpaceX, et al promising us all clusters of satellites delivering broadband everywhere on the planet within 5-10 years. As the energy cost of high speed travel goes up with the square of the velocity, it'd be a whole lot cheaper to stick to subsonic travel in business class -- lie-flat beds, in-flight showers, and broadband. How many people are willing to pay $10,000+ to save 10-15 hours on the flight time from LHR-SYD or LAX-Tokyo? Especially when the accommodation during hypersonic flight is going to be cramped and spartan due to weight constraints (and it's still going to involve security theater at the gate and waiting hours for a scheduled departure time to roll round)? I can believe in Aerion's supersonic Mach 1.5 bizjet -- the core market is CEOs wanting to bounce over to the opposite coast of the USA and back for a meeting within the same working day -- but I just don't believe there's going to be a mass market for hypersonic antipodeal travel on a commercial scheduled service.

Retric 11y ago
Energy costs don't necessarily increase as the square of velocity, at higher speeds you can travel though less dense atmosphere which dramatically reduces drag. Another major issue is afterburners are not efficient and have been used for a wide range of high Mach aircraft. On a positive note, a faster aircraft can do more trips per day which reduces depreciation and crew costs.
ant6n 11y ago
Additionally, they should consider that the easiest way to reduce overall travel time of a journey is to make the slowest sections faster, not the fastest sections.
rconti 11y ago
I like to bitch about this every chance I get, but I just don't understand why nobody puts money into making travel pleasant. I'm not talking about a few inches more legroom, I'm talking about my own armrest (and, okay, maybe a few inches more legroom). I flew first class on a Virgin American domestic leg lately, and the legroom was absurd-- I couldn't even reach the seat in front of my with my legs outstretched. I don't need that much room, and in fact it makes it difficult to reach my underseat bag. (although it means I can escape to the aisle without disturbing my seatmate). If a narrowbody jet went from a 3+3 coach config to a 2+2 that's 50% more cost per passenger. Throw in a couple more inches of legroom. Call it 100% more cost to be generous. How are there not plenty of folks like myself who would be happy to pay it, but can't even fathom the idea of paying 5x as much for today's business class? Yes, I realize today's first and business class fares subsidize coach to some extent, but .. I just don't understand how a premium service can't catch on in this day and age. Talk about customer loyalty.

by cstross 11y ago

Retric 11y ago

Energy costs don't necessarily increase as the square of velocity, at higher speeds you can travel though less dense atmosphere which dramatically reduces drag. Another major issue is afterburners are not efficient and have been used for a wide range of high Mach aircraft. On a positive note, a faster aircraft can do more trips per day which reduces depreciation and crew costs.

ant6n 11y ago

Additionally, they should consider that the easiest way to reduce overall travel time of a journey is to make the slowest sections faster, not the fastest sections.

rconti 11y ago

I like to bitch about this every chance I get, but I just don't understand why nobody puts money into making travel pleasant. I'm not talking about a few inches more legroom, I'm talking about my own armrest (and, okay, maybe a few inches more legroom). I flew first class on a Virgin American domestic leg lately, and the legroom was absurd-- I couldn't even reach the seat in front of my with my legs outstretched. I don't need that much room, and in fact it makes it difficult to reach my underseat bag. (although it means I can escape to the aisle without disturbing my seatmate). If a narrowbody jet went from a 3+3 coach config to a 2+2 that's 50% more cost per passenger. Throw in a couple more inches of legroom. Call it 100% more cost to be generous. How are there not plenty of folks like myself who would be happy to pay it, but can't even fathom the idea of paying 5x as much for today's business class? Yes, I realize today's first and business class fares subsidize coach to some extent, but .. I just don't understand how a premium service can't catch on in this day and age. Talk about customer loyalty.