American Airlines places deposit on 20 supersonic Boom aircraft
American Airlines is the latest airline to have supersonic aspirations.
The Fort Worth, Texas-based airline on Tuesday announced it had placed a deposit for 20 Boom Overture supersonic jets, with options for 40 more.
“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 statement. “We are excited about how Boom will shape the future of travel both for our company and our customers.”
Want more airline-specific news? Sign up for TPG’s free biweekly Aviation newsletter and download the free TPG app!
The final design for the supersonic Overture was recently announced at the Farnborough Airshow. The aircraft is expected to carry between 65 and 80 passengers at Mach 1.7 — or 1.7 times the speed of sound — and burn sustainable aviation fuel. An American Airlines press release mentioned supersonic flights between Miami and London (just under five hours) and Los Angeles and Honolulu (three hours) as route possibilities.
American's order for the Overture comes a little over a year after United Airlines announced a deal to purchase up to 50 of the jets. But it also comes as the plane — and the company — face mounting scrutiny about the ambitions of the project.
Notably, the Overture lacks an engine — which must propel the aircraft at supersonic speeds while burning sustainable aviation fuel. Boom has partnered with Rolls-Royce on engine concepts, but the engine maker's CEO, Warren East, recently told industry publication The Air Current that his company did not have anyone assigned to designing the engine.
"We're not making anything speculative for anybody," East told The Air Current.
More: United Airlines announces deal with Boom Supersonic for faster-than-sound commercial flights
Despite these challenges, Boom is sticking to its ambitious timeline for the jet. It expects the aircraft to roll out in 2025, have its first flight in 2026 and carry its first passengers by 2029.
It's unknown how much American's deposit for the aircraft was, but some observers and analysts noted that American has the most heavily leveraged balance sheet of any U.S. carrier and that this transaction would incur even more debt.
Top offers from our partners
How we chose these cards
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 3X | Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets |
| 3X | Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Hotels |
| 1X | Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
The Citi Premier’s 3 points per dollar spent across a wide range of popular categories is one of the more lucrative offerings in the world of points and miles. The Citi Premier comes with a $95 annual fee and is currently offering a solid sign up bonus of 80,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months. It also has some valuable transfer partners to make the most of your rewards. Add in access to Citi Entertainment plus a $100 hotel credit for any single-stay hotel booking that exceeds $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees, booked through the Citi travel website, there are few reasons why the Citi Premier should not be in every traveler’s wallet.Pros
- Earns 3x points on restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel and hotels.
- $100 annual hotel savings benefit (on single hotel stay bookings of $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees, booked through thankyou.com)
- Points transfer to 16 airline programs, from JetBlue to Virgin Atlantic.
- World Elite Mastercard benefits, extended warranty, damage and theft protection.
Cons
- $95 annual fee
- Lacks travel protections that other travel rewards cards come with
- For a limited time, earn 80,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets
- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Hotels
- Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Annual Hotel Savings Benefit
- 80,000 Points are redeemable for $800 in gift cards when redeemed at thankyou.com
- No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases
Rewards Rate
| 3X | Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets |
| 3X | Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Hotels |
| 1X | Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases |
Intro Offer
For a limited time, earn 80,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account openingEarn 80,000 ThankYou® points60,000 pointsAnnual Fee
$95Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO© Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.670-850Excellent, Good
Why We Chose It
The Citi Premier’s 3 points per dollar spent across a wide range of popular categories is one of the more lucrative offerings in the world of points and miles. The Citi Premier comes with a $95 annual fee and is currently offering a solid sign up bonus of 80,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months. It also has some valuable transfer partners to make the most of your rewards. Add in access to Citi Entertainment plus a $100 hotel credit for any single-stay hotel booking that exceeds $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees, booked through the Citi travel website, there are few reasons why the Citi Premier should not be in every traveler’s wallet.Pros
- Earns 3x points on restaurants, supermarkets, gas stations, air travel and hotels.
- $100 annual hotel savings benefit (on single hotel stay bookings of $500 or more, excluding taxes and fees, booked through thankyou.com)
- Points transfer to 16 airline programs, from JetBlue to Virgin Atlantic.
- World Elite Mastercard benefits, extended warranty, damage and theft protection.
Cons
- $95 annual fee
- Lacks travel protections that other travel rewards cards come with
- For a limited time, earn 80,000 bonus ThankYou® Points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Restaurants and Supermarkets
- Earn 3 Points per $1 spent at Gas Stations, Air Travel and Hotels
- Earn 1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Annual Hotel Savings Benefit
- 80,000 Points are redeemable for $800 in gift cards when redeemed at thankyou.com
- No expiration and no limit to the amount of points you can earn with this card
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on purchases