American Airlines is aiming beyond the flight of the Concordes with a new non-refundable down payment on 20 supersonic jets from Boom Supersonic.
American also has the option to buy 40 more aircraft from Boom, according to Tuesday’s agreement. The jets are still in the drawing board phase, years away from production and flying.
“Looking to the future, supersonic travel will be an important part of our ability to deliver for our customers,” American Airlines Chief Financial Officer Derek Kerr said in a press release.
This commitment, along with a United Airlines deal with Boom last year for 15 such Boom Overture jets, represent the newest stirrings of supersonic commercial flight since the last flight of the Anglo-French Concorde on Oct. 24, 2003, from New York to London.
Boom Supersonic does not put too much emphasis on the comparison to the now-defunct Concorde.
The company is aiming for a 2029 debut, with flights between New York and London costing $4,000-$5,000, carrying 65-80 passengers, taking around 3 1/2 hours, and flying at a max speed of around 1,300 miles per hour (1.7 times the speed of sound), per the Associated Press.
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Because of the time difference, a passenger taking off from London would arrive in New York “earlier” that day.
“There are tens of millions of passengers every year flying in business class on routes where Overture will give a big speed-up, and airlines will be able to do it profitably,” Boom Supersonic CEO Blake Scholl told the AP.
Mr. Scholl also played up the speed benefits to American Airlines.
“We believe Overture can help American deepen its competitive advantage on network, loyalty and overall airline preference through the paradigm-changing benefits of cutting travel times in half,” he said.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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