4 ms·
Transpacific and trans-hemisphere super sonic flights would be an interesting. the demand to fly to Asia from North America is likely higher than currently obs
by lumost 6y ago
Transpacific and trans-hemisphere super sonic flights would be an interesting. the demand to fly to Asia from North America is likely higher than currently observed due to lack of interest in 12-24 hour flights.
With careful planning the fastest I can get to Australia/New Zealand is ~18-24 hours flight time - on a 10 day vacation that's ~40% of my vacation time including recovery from an 18 hour flight. I'd be fine flying 6 hours to the west coast then hopping on a supersonic flight for a 2-3x premium ( still expensive, but worthwhile every few years ).
- mc32 6y agoAsia-North America. Would they do a polar trajectory? Or would they worry too much about the radiation?
- stetrain 6y agoExisting flight routes between Asia and North America often fly over the arctic already: https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/winter-winds-how-singapore-airlines-new-worlds-longest-flight-is-saving-time-and-fuel-by-flying-farther/ https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/winter-winds-how-singapor...
- BurningFrog 6y agoNot if it crosses a landmass, I guess.
- bobthepanda 6y agoI don't think the planned Boom plane has the range to go trans-Pacific. Maybe with a stopover in Honolulu to refuel (which could still be substantially faster)
- jessaustin 6y agoAnchorage seems a more likely stopover for most Pacific routes?
- kortilla 6y agoAbsolutely. To expand on this a bit, the great circle route between something like Hong Kong and Seattle is a leisurely flight up the Canadian coast, along Alaska, down it’s Archipelago, by Russia, Japan, and Korea. At no point do you come anywhere near Hawaii. https://www.greatcirclemapper.net/en/great-circle-mapper.html?route=KSEA-VHHH&aircraft=&speed= https://www.greatcirclemapper.net/en/great-circle-mapper.htm... Anchorage is a very busy airport for cargo routes for this reason. Traveling to Hawaii is a more dangerous than to something like Japan from mainland US due to the distance from land being much greater. Never look at Mercator projections when thinking about flights, they will mislead greatly.
- bobthepanda 6y agoFair enough. Though honestly even 4500nm is not very far for transpacific; from ANC Hong Kong and Manila are barely within/outside range, Bangkok and Singapore are out of the question.
- tim333 6y agoI wish they'd do bunk beds for the 18-24 hrs flights. Not super lux super expensive but utilitarian - I'd lie down on the floor if they'd let me. For me I think supersonic will be a bit expensive and polluting.