The US Is Getting Closer to a Supersonic Passenger Jet Like the Concorde
The Federal Aviation Administration said it's working to clear a major regulatory hurdle for US supersonic passenger jets.
The aviation agency is writing new regulations that will "accommodate noise certification of new supersonic aircraft," meaning that new jets will be soon be authorized to break the sound barrier in the US.
The only jet that has had such authorization in the past was the Concorde, the iconic European jet that flew at 1,354 mph (more than two times faster than the speed of sound) and ferried passengers from New York (JFK) to London (LHR) or Paris (CDG) in just under three and a half hours. The economic impact of noise restrictions was a big component that contributed to the Concorde ending operations in 2003. Those restrictions limited where the Concorde could fly.
Breaking the sound barrier causes a sonic boom phenomenon — a loud crack that can be heard for about one mile per foot of cruising altitude. The FAA says that the current noise standards must be broadened to "adopt noise levels and test requirements that would apply to new design supersonic aircraft."
This is good news for supersonic jet builders in the US like Boom Technology. The Denver-based aviation startup is developing a supersonic passenger plane that would seat 45 to 55 passengers. Boom wants to offer faster transpacific routes to Asia, shrinking long-haul flights like San Francisco to Shanghai from 11 hours down to just six. The plans for Boom's aircraft show it reaching Mach 2.2 (1,451 miles/hour), which is about twice as fast as the average passenger jet.
TPG reached out to the FAA for more information but did not receive an immediate response.
H/T: Bloomberg
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Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
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Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month

