Jun 3, 2021, 9:25 am
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
United Adding Supersonic Speeds with New Agreement to Buy Aircraft from Boom Supersonic
First U.S. airline to sign commercial agreement with Boom Supersonic
New aircraft will cut travel times in half and operate on up to 100% sustainable aviation fuel
Photos(2)
CHICAGO and DENVER, June 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- United Airlines today announced a commercial agreement with Denver-based aerospace company Boom Supersonic to add aircraft to its global fleet as well as a cooperative sustainability initiative – a move that facilitates a leap forward in returning supersonic speeds to aviation.
Under the terms of the agreement, United will purchase 15 of Boom's 'Overture' airliners, once Overture meets United's demanding safety, operating and sustainability requirements, with an option for an additional 35 aircraft. The companies will work together on meeting those requirements before delivery. Once operational, Overture is expected to be the first large commercial aircraft to be net-zero carbon from day one, optimized to run on 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). It is slated to roll out in 2025, fly in 2026 and expected to carry passengers by 2029. United and Boom will also work together to accelerate production of greater supplies of SAF.
"United continues on its trajectory to build a more innovative, sustainable airline and today's advancements in technology are making it more viable for that to include supersonic planes. Boom's vision for the future of commercial aviation, combined with the industry's most robust route network in the world, will give business and leisure travelers access to a stellar flight experience," United CEO Scott Kirby said. "Our mission has always been about connecting people and now working with Boom, we'll be able to do that on an even greater scale."
Capable of flying at speeds of Mach 1.7 – twice the speed of today's fastest airliners – Overture can connect more than 500 destinations in nearly half the time. Among the many future potential routes for United are Newark to London in just three and a half hours, Newark to Frankfurt in four hours and San Francisco to Tokyo in just six hours. Overture will also be designed with features such as in-seat entertainment screens, ample personal space, and contactless technology. Working with Boom is another component of United's strategy to invest in innovative technologies that will build a more sustainable future of air travel.
"The world's first purchase agreement for net-zero carbon supersonic aircraft marks a significant step toward our mission to create a more accessible world," said Blake Scholl, Boom Supersonic founder and CEO. "United and Boom share a common purpose—to unite the world safely and sustainably. At speeds twice as fast, United passengers will experience all the advantages of life lived in person, from deeper, more productive business relationships to longer, more relaxing vacations to far-off destinations."
About United
United's shared purpose is "Connecting People. Uniting the World." For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter and Instagram or connect on Facebook. The common stock of UAL is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol "UAL."
About Boom Supersonic
Boom Supersonic is redefining commercial air travel by bringing sustainable, supersonic flight to the skies. Boom's historic commercial airliner, Overture, is designed and committed to industry-leading standards of speed, safety, and sustainability. Overture will be the first commercial aircraft to be net-zero carbon from day one, capable of flying on 100% sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) at twice the speed of today's fastest passenger jets. Overture's order book, including purchases and options, stands at 70 aircraft, and Boom is working with the United States Air Force for government applications of Overture. XB-1, a demonstrator aircraft, rolled out in 2020, and its net-zero carbon flight test program is underway. The company is backed by world-class investors, including Bessemer Venture Partners, Prime Movers Lab, Emerson Collective and American Express Ventures. For more information, visit https://boomsupersonic.com.
Connect with Boom Supersonic on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Medium.
First U.S. airline to sign commercial agreement with Boom Supersonic
New aircraft will cut travel times in half and operate on up to 100% sustainable aviation fuel
Photos(2)
CHICAGO and DENVER, June 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- United Airlines today announced a commercial agreement with Denver-based aerospace company Boom Supersonic to add aircraft to its global fleet as well as a cooperative sustainability initiative – a move that facilitates a leap forward in returning supersonic speeds to aviation.
Under the terms of the agreement, United will purchase 15 of Boom's 'Overture' airliners, once Overture meets United's demanding safety, operating and sustainability requirements, with an option for an additional 35 aircraft. The companies will work together on meeting those requirements before delivery. Once operational, Overture is expected to be the first large commercial aircraft to be net-zero carbon from day one, optimized to run on 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). It is slated to roll out in 2025, fly in 2026 and expected to carry passengers by 2029. United and Boom will also work together to accelerate production of greater supplies of SAF.
"United continues on its trajectory to build a more innovative, sustainable airline and today's advancements in technology are making it more viable for that to include supersonic planes. Boom's vision for the future of commercial aviation, combined with the industry's most robust route network in the world, will give business and leisure travelers access to a stellar flight experience," United CEO Scott Kirby said. "Our mission has always been about connecting people and now working with Boom, we'll be able to do that on an even greater scale."
Capable of flying at speeds of Mach 1.7 – twice the speed of today's fastest airliners – Overture can connect more than 500 destinations in nearly half the time. Among the many future potential routes for United are Newark to London in just three and a half hours, Newark to Frankfurt in four hours and San Francisco to Tokyo in just six hours. Overture will also be designed with features such as in-seat entertainment screens, ample personal space, and contactless technology. Working with Boom is another component of United's strategy to invest in innovative technologies that will build a more sustainable future of air travel.
"The world's first purchase agreement for net-zero carbon supersonic aircraft marks a significant step toward our mission to create a more accessible world," said Blake Scholl, Boom Supersonic founder and CEO. "United and Boom share a common purpose—to unite the world safely and sustainably. At speeds twice as fast, United passengers will experience all the advantages of life lived in person, from deeper, more productive business relationships to longer, more relaxing vacations to far-off destinations."
About United
United's shared purpose is "Connecting People. Uniting the World." For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter and Instagram or connect on Facebook. The common stock of UAL is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol "UAL."
About Boom Supersonic
Boom Supersonic is redefining commercial air travel by bringing sustainable, supersonic flight to the skies. Boom's historic commercial airliner, Overture, is designed and committed to industry-leading standards of speed, safety, and sustainability. Overture will be the first commercial aircraft to be net-zero carbon from day one, capable of flying on 100% sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) at twice the speed of today's fastest passenger jets. Overture's order book, including purchases and options, stands at 70 aircraft, and Boom is working with the United States Air Force for government applications of Overture. XB-1, a demonstrator aircraft, rolled out in 2020, and its net-zero carbon flight test program is underway. The company is backed by world-class investors, including Bessemer Venture Partners, Prime Movers Lab, Emerson Collective and American Express Ventures. For more information, visit https://boomsupersonic.com.
Connect with Boom Supersonic on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Medium.
UA to sign commercial agreement with Boom Supersonic
Jun 3, 2021, 10:48 am
#91
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 397
So uh... this is great and all, but:
- Boom estimates they need $6B to do this. They have $270m.
- They need an engine to do this. They do not have an engine.
- The plane's range rules out TPAC. They advertise "Sydney in 8 hours!", but to get to Sydney they'd have to refuel in PPT or something.
- "Net zero carbon" lol no.
- All of the numbers seem have changed since they presented this last, with no explanation. Speed is down to M1.7 from M2.2 - that's significant. Seats have gone up from 55 to "65-75", somehow.
- Their timeline has them having this plane out in production around the same time that Boeing does the 777X. That seems... ambitious.
- *why would you name a plane after the sound widely associated with an explosion*
- Boom estimates they need $6B to do this. They have $270m.
- They need an engine to do this. They do not have an engine.
- The plane's range rules out TPAC. They advertise "Sydney in 8 hours!", but to get to Sydney they'd have to refuel in PPT or something.
- "Net zero carbon" lol no.
- All of the numbers seem have changed since they presented this last, with no explanation. Speed is down to M1.7 from M2.2 - that's significant. Seats have gone up from 55 to "65-75", somehow.
- Their timeline has them having this plane out in production around the same time that Boeing does the 777X. That seems... ambitious.
- *why would you name a plane after the sound widely associated with an explosion*
Jun 3, 2021, 11:10 am
#92
Join Date: Feb 2015
Programs: united
Posts: 1,636
And that's going to make the plane at least SEEM more cramped.
Jun 3, 2021, 11:12 am
#93
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: SEA once more (previously CDG and NRT)
Programs: Former DL DM and UA 1k, now a J class free agent (UA Gold, AS MVP Gold)
Posts: 2,450
I could see this working for EWR to Europe - the LHR and FRA they announced, and I could see it potentially working for CDG too. But I think for the Trans-Pacifics its going to be a challenge for two reasons: 1) Range, pretty much everything out of SFO is beyond the max range of the aircraft, so you'd be looking at refueling stops, which take time, diminishing the speed advantage. 2) Timezone challenges are greater - making it tough to find workable flight timings, especially for eastbound. A 6 hour redeye in a seat that is equivalent to a domestic first / international premium economy seat instead of a 10 hour lay flat doesn't seem compelling.
Jun 3, 2021, 11:13 am
#94
Join Date: Feb 2015
Programs: united
Posts: 1,636
SST is a very niche market. Most premium class travelers will still fly subsonic.
Jun 3, 2021, 11:24 am
#95
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: USA
Programs: UA Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,192
I can see the attraction in a flight that enables the flyer to leave the continental US in the morning and arrive in London in time for dinner or at least to check into a hotel for a night's sleep rather than sleeping on the redeye. Polaris or no, I'd rather spend the night in a hotel bed than on an aircraft. My pain point on that is considerably lower than $12K though so we'll see just how widespread the demand for this will be. For TPAC, instead of refueling, they could probably do connections in HNL but I suspect most of the target audience for this kind of ticket would rather put up with the ULH on a slower non-stop over changing aircraft at HNL.
Jun 3, 2021, 11:25 am
#96
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2012
Location: MCO
Programs: AA, B6, DL, EK, EY, QR, SQ, UA, Amex Plat, Marriott Tit, HHonors Gold
Posts: 12,809
Total speculation here, but I wonder if they would ever try to do a fifth-freedom flight EWR-LHR-HKG-EWR and capture some of the LHR-HKG and HKG-EWR market by adding supersonic? Anybody with insight into the economics of this feel free to chime-in on my pie-in-the-sky idea. Maybe even "..."HKG-IAH?
Jun 3, 2021, 11:33 am
#97
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: SAN
Programs: AS MVP 100K, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Lifetime Titanium Elite, UA 1MM,
Posts: 1,707
I think you were kidding, but this is already planned to be all Business Class seating per the website, so there will be no upgrades. I would imagine, award availability will be very limited, and at a much higher mileage redemption rate. Given the small number of seats on these flights, I think we all know they will charge a premium, maybe even 2X for these tickets over and above existing business class TATL fares.
Last edited by JC5280; Jun 3, 2021 at 11:39 am
Jun 3, 2021, 11:38 am
#99
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: SAN
Programs: AS MVP 100K, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Lifetime Titanium Elite, UA 1MM,
Posts: 1,707
https://blog.boomsupersonic.com/airc...i=e231486f0ed8
But most importantly, if they get rid of the sonic boom, do they need to change their name?
Jun 3, 2021, 11:46 am
#100
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Under the Cone of Silence
Programs: UA Gold; AA Dirt; HH Diamond; National Emerald; CONTROL SecretAgent Platinum; KAOS EvilFlyer Gold
Posts: 1,499
Per the Boom website, they ARE trying to reduce the sonic boom effect through engineering and design.
https://blog.boomsupersonic.com/airc...i=e231486f0ed8
But most importantly, if they get rid of the sonic boom, do they need to change their name?
https://blog.boomsupersonic.com/airc...i=e231486f0ed8
But most importantly, if they get rid of the sonic boom, do they need to change their name?
Jun 3, 2021, 11:49 am
#101
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: AA, UA, GE
Posts: 5,122
Agreed. I'm surprised Branson and his Virgin brand didn't jump on this first considering he's actually flinging rockets into space, albeit with his own share of blunders. This would seem like something he could've done with his eyes closed with a superior brand to UA. I do hope this comes to fruition though and blows our socks off. I'm cautiously optimistic.
...and hopefully by then EWR will be upgraded from the dumpster it is today. Perhaps it will be a new shiny and clean dumpster instead.
...and hopefully by then EWR will be upgraded from the dumpster it is today. Perhaps it will be a new shiny and clean dumpster instead.
Personally I have no idea as to the eventual feasibility of carrying passengers in either supersonic or suborbital near hypersonic speeds. But it seems that the suborbital approach will get around many or all the issues argued previously in the thread (sonic booms, high drag, fuel consumption, skin temperature, etc). I am sure that the suborbital approach has plenty of its own challenges, issues, etc.
Jun 3, 2021, 11:54 am
#103
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Jun 3, 2021, 11:56 am
#105
Join Date: Feb 2015
Programs: united
Posts: 1,636
I think you were kidding, but this is already planned to be all Business Class seating per the website, so there will be no upgrades. I would imagine, award availability will be very limited, and at a much higher mileage redemption rate. Given the small number of seats on these flights, I think we all know they will charge a premium, maybe even 2X for these tickets over and above existing business class TATL fares.
If you want to know how UA will handle fares, awards, class of service, etc., go back and take a look at what BA and AF did when they had the Concorde. There's an existing playbook.
(And by the way, despite the high miles required, my understanding is that they DID have some FF availability on the Concorde, and some travelers saved up RDM's to fly on it.)