American Airlines on Tuesday agreed to purchase 20 supersonic jets that can travel at 1,300 miles per hour, but are still years away from reaching the friendly skies.
The Texas-based airline make a non-refundable deposit for the fleet of Boom Supersonic Overture jets and has the option to purchase 40 more.
The supersonic jets will be used for international travel and can travel twice as fast as a regular commercial passenger jet.
Boom calls his planes the “fastest plane in the world” because they can travel from Miami to London in just under five hours or from Los Angeles to Honolulu in three hours.
Tickets to fly from New York to London — a three-and-a-half-hour journey — would cost about $4,000 to $5,000.
The supersonic jets would only be used by American Airlines for international travel, as planes must stay below the speed of sound when traveling overland. reported the Dallas Morning News. Over the water, the Overture could go up to Mach 1.7 and carry 65 to 80 passengers.
The jets are still in the experimental phase, but Boom hopes to conduct flight tests as early as 2026. If all goes well, passengers will be able to travel in the Overturn as early as 2029.
Tickets to fly from New York to London — a three-and-a-half-hour journey — would cost about $4,000 to $5,000. Boomjets can reach speeds of Mach 1.7 or about 1,300 mph, the company says.
United Airlines agreed last year to purchase 15 Boom jets, which will fly entirely on sustainable jet fuel, often made from plant-based materials.
Supersonic jet travel died two decades ago after the Concorde was retired by Air France and British Airways after a fatal crash and high fuel and maintenance costs.
With Post wires
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