Boom's supersonic jet could one day fly the president of the United States
The U.S. Air Force has already locked in plans for a pair of Boeing 747-8s, intended to fly a future President of the United States. It's an expensive project, as you might expect — the manuals alone come with an $84 million price tag — and those two Boeings likely won't be the only members of the president's fleet.
While the president most often travels onboard a Boeing VC-25, a highly modified 747-200, shorter journeys may take place on a Boeing C-32, based on the 757-200 passenger jet. And, if Boom Supersonic gets its way, the company's Overture jet could also make its way to the fleet, flying the country's top leaders at Mach 2.2.
It's still early days for a potential Boom Air Force plane. This week, the company landed an Air Force contract, intended to help fund "explorations" of a special version of the Overture supersonic plane. The Air Force has also issued contracts with other companies to research a supersonic government passenger jet, including California-based Exosonic.
Boom's big advantage is its speed. While Overture's cabin is far smaller than that of the Boeing 747-8, the plane can cruise at 1,688 miles-per-hour, compared with 660 for the Boeing jumbo jet — a flight from the East Coast to Europe could take just over three hours, compared with more than six hours onboard the larger Boeing plane.
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"The United States Air Force is constantly looking for technological opportunities to disrupt the balance of our adversaries," Brigadier General Ryan Britton, Program Executive Officer for Presidential & Executive Airlift Directorate said in Boom's press release. "We are extremely excited to team with them as we work to shrink the world and transform the future of executive airlift."
TPG reached out to the U.S. Air Force for more details on its Boom-powered aircraft program. We'll update this post if we receive a response.
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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.
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- 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
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- 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