Air travel is the best (and oftentimes only) way to travel across oceans and continents. But sitting through an hours-long flight isn't always the most convenient mode of transportation. Spending that amount of time sitting in one spot can get boring and uncomfortable, fast.
Super-long flight times may not be as much of an issue in the near future. Not with supersonic jets potentially becoming a thing again before the end of the decade.
Recently, United Airlines announced its plans to buy 15 supersonic passenger jets from a small start-up, with the potential to buy 35 more, Business Insider reports.
They would offer travel speeds much faster than the average commercial passenger plane currently on the market.
Boom Supersonic is based in Denver, and this project would be their first commercially available passenger plane. The planes, named Overture, have not been built yet, but Boom expects the first models to be completed by 2025.
They could take to the skies as early as 2026, and could be available for passenger flights as early as 2029.
They're called jet planes for a reason. The Overture will be twice as fast as the average airplane, meaning you could get from point A to point B in half the time. This is huge because it would mean spending significantly less time cramped on a plane.
According to Business Insider, we could see potential flight time estimates like Newark to London in three and a half hours, or San Francisco to Tokyo in six.
Imagine being on a plane for less than a full day. That would be amazing.
Just like the regular planes we're used to being on, these United Overtures would be equipped with in-flight entertainment, contactless technology, and they'd be a bit roomier, too. I'm already liking the sound of this.
To top it all off, they'd be eco-friendly, too. According to Business Insider, the jet would be the first commercially available passenger plane to run on fully sustainable aviation fuel, thus being net-zero carbon. Pretty impressive!
Faster plane, reduced emissions, and enough comforts to keep you from losing your mind mid-flight? This could be the answer to what's arguably one of the worst parts of cross-continental travel.
And with up to 50 of these in United's arsenal, it has the potential to put the airline leagues ahead of the rest.
It'll still be a while before we see this plane in action. But it's still so cool to think about. Could this be where the future of air travel is headed, or is all a little too optimistic? Right now, only time will tell.
