3 ms·

Halving travel times would be really good, the problem is that supersonic never had the range to make the difference meaningful. JFK-London in 3 hours vs 6 is

Halving travel times would be really good, the problem is that supersonic never had the range to make the difference meaningful. JFK-London in 3 hours vs 6 is pretty tolerable if you’re more comfortable for the 6 hours. SFO to Shanghai in 7 hours vs 14 would be a lot more compelling but Concorde could not do transpacific range.

thesumofall 10mo ago
I actually prefer a 10+ hrs business class flight over a 6-7 hrs flight. At least you can get a full night of sleep
- hdgvhicv 10mo ago
  Depends on the time zone change. From Europe to with Africa sure a 12 hour figggt is great. If I travel business London to singapore i get far worse jet lag than if I fly via the Middle East and break my journey for a few hours.
- bobthepanda 10mo ago
  Past like hour 12 it becomes really draining. I used to fly JFK to HKG and that was an ordeal; I can’t imagine the newer super long haul like London to Perth.
HarHarVeryFunny 10mo ago
That's the just flight time, but you've also got travel to/from the airport, parking, maybe shuttle bus/monorail, and checking/security/wait time at the airport as well. So, add an hour for door-door travel to airport, and 2-hr before flight check-in, and now the comparison isn't 3 vs 6hr but 9 vs 12hr, which doesn't sound so worthwhile, although no doubt there are customers for it. For longer flights it'd be much more attractive, but this is never going to be an affordable service for the masses.
- Animats 10mo ago
  A service where your limo drives out to the aircraft, with all searches and paperwork pre-done, would have about the same time gain as going Mach 1.7 vs. Mach 0.85.
  - notahacker 10mo ago
    And probably fewer regulatory hurdles (and I don't mean that because they wouldn't be considerable...)
  - pinko 10mo ago
    Underrated observation. The low-hanging fruit is all in the office/home-to-takeoff and touchdown-to-office/home blocks on each end, not the time in the air. The commute, checkin, security, airport transit, boarding, and taxiing are the time-sinks worth optimizing.
    - ekelsen 10mo ago
      private jets already solve these problems.
      - mrguyorama 10mo ago
        Which already is a bad signal for the article's argument. We already have a way to significantly reduce that travel time and it's a niche. Could Boom Supersonic or whoever actually survive selling only to a hundred Taylor Swifts? How are they going to keep the lights on for the 30 years those jets fully saturate the market?
    - Animats 10mo ago
      That's a real service. Some airports, including LAX and London Heathrow, allow a "tarmac transfer", where the limo goes directly to the plane. [1][2] Cost is $200 to $1000. That could save an hour or more at each end. VIP Terminal Access: Skip the standard queues and enter exclusive VIP terminals where you’ll receive expedited passport control, security checks, and personalized services, all while enjoying luxury amenities. Avoid long security lines with expedited security processing, ensuring you spend minimal time in the airport. [1] https://limossist.com/tarmac-transfers/ https://limossist.com/tarmac-transfers/ [2] https://airssist.com/airport-tarmac-transfer-service/ https://airssist.com/airport-tarmac-transfer-service/

thesumofall 10mo ago

I actually prefer a 10+ hrs business class flight over a 6-7 hrs flight. At least you can get a full night of sleep

hdgvhicv 10mo ago
Depends on the time zone change. From Europe to with Africa sure a 12 hour figggt is great. If I travel business London to singapore i get far worse jet lag than if I fly via the Middle East and break my journey for a few hours.
bobthepanda 10mo ago
Past like hour 12 it becomes really draining. I used to fly JFK to HKG and that was an ordeal; I can’t imagine the newer super long haul like London to Perth.

HarHarVeryFunny 10mo ago

That's the just flight time, but you've also got travel to/from the airport, parking, maybe shuttle bus/monorail, and checking/security/wait time at the airport as well. So, add an hour for door-door travel to airport, and 2-hr before flight check-in, and now the comparison isn't 3 vs 6hr but 9 vs 12hr, which doesn't sound so worthwhile, although no doubt there are customers for it. For longer flights it'd be much more attractive, but this is never going to be an affordable service for the masses.

Animats 10mo ago
A service where your limo drives out to the aircraft, with all searches and paperwork pre-done, would have about the same time gain as going Mach 1.7 vs. Mach 0.85.
- notahacker 10mo ago
  And probably fewer regulatory hurdles (and I don't mean that because they wouldn't be considerable...)
- pinko 10mo ago
  Underrated observation. The low-hanging fruit is all in the office/home-to-takeoff and touchdown-to-office/home blocks on each end, not the time in the air. The commute, checkin, security, airport transit, boarding, and taxiing are the time-sinks worth optimizing.
  - ekelsen 10mo ago
    private jets already solve these problems.
    - mrguyorama 10mo ago
      Which already is a bad signal for the article's argument. We already have a way to significantly reduce that travel time and it's a niche. Could Boom Supersonic or whoever actually survive selling only to a hundred Taylor Swifts? How are they going to keep the lights on for the 30 years those jets fully saturate the market?
  - Animats 10mo ago
    That's a real service. Some airports, including LAX and London Heathrow, allow a "tarmac transfer", where the limo goes directly to the plane. [1][2] Cost is $200 to $1000. That could save an hour or more at each end. VIP Terminal Access: Skip the standard queues and enter exclusive VIP terminals where you’ll receive expedited passport control, security checks, and personalized services, all while enjoying luxury amenities. Avoid long security lines with expedited security processing, ensuring you spend minimal time in the airport. [1] https://limossist.com/tarmac-transfers/ https://limossist.com/tarmac-transfers/ [2] https://airssist.com/airport-tarmac-transfer-service/ https://airssist.com/airport-tarmac-transfer-service/