> how much will people pay for civil supersonic?
Do we know how much more it's likely to cost? I could easily see people paying 1.5x - 2x.
Anything beyond 2x I imagine would start to price out the average person and anything beyond 5x would probably price out the vast majority of potential customers.
Re:XB-1 First Supersonic Flight [video]
by johncalvinyoung on Tuesday January 28, 2025 @03:05PM
(#42857272)
Their business model for a long time has theorized that they can deliver an operating cost that would allow airlines to offer tickets at roughly current business class ticket costs, which would be a fraction of Concorde ticket prices expressed in current dollars.
I don't know if those theorized efficiencies will be delivered (a lot depends on that engine) or if airlines will price tickets at that level. But it's the theory so far.
Re:XB-1 First Supersonic Flight [video]
by JumpCrisscross on Tuesday January 28, 2025 @03:17PM
(#42857408)
> could easily see people paying 1.5x - 2x
People pay more than that for domestic first class, which doesn’t even have lay-flat seats. $2,500 or even $5k for a New York <> San Francisco 2-hour flight would absolutely sell.
Re:XB-1 First Supersonic Flight [video]
by alamortsubite on Tuesday January 28, 2025 @04:37PM
(#42858377)
A number of US carriers offer lay-flat seats for at least some of their coast-to-coast domestic flights. UA has over a half dozen Dreamliners flying back and forth daily, all with Polaris cabins. I know AA and Delta have routes with them, too. I agree, a two-hour flight time would be better!
Re:XB-1 First Supersonic Flight [video]
by JumpCrisscross on Tuesday January 28, 2025 @05:12PM
(#42858756)
> number of US carriers offer lay-flat seats for at least some of their coast-to-coast domestic flights
They're limited. And I regularly see them going for $4k+.
1: Well, their Plan B intended engines. Their Plan A was that one of the Big 3- RR, PW, GE- would make engines for them, but none were interested in taking the risk that a difficult engine could be designed and built in enough volume to make the investment back.
2: Their biggest legal question is over-land supersonic regulations. Their biggest economics question- and probably the biggest and most important of all of them- is how much will people pay for civil supersonic?