Probably not… That's because it hasn't flown for 20 years. But let me tell you more about it and how it's (sort of) making a comeback. If you are familiar with it you're either an aviation nerd like me or you've been around for a while (you can lie and say you don't know about it, it's okay).
This plane is called the Concorde. It flew for almost 30 years in the late 20th century for British Airways and Air France. Its ground-breaking design allowed passengers to travel between New York and London in only 2 hours and 52 minutes. That's less than half the time it currently takes to fly the same route, and this was almost 50 years ago.
So why did this plane stop flying?
The Concorde fought an uphill battle from the start. A few main causes were lack of demand from airlines, the downturn in travel after September 11th, the "sonic boom" that meant it could only travel across the ocean (otherwise it would cause windows of nearby buildings to shatter wherever it flew), and the expensive cost of maintenance.
Things have changed a lot since then, and that's why a new plane manufacturer called Boom has decided to design a similar plane with newer materials, improved performance, and sustainable fuel. Boom has been developing these planes for years now, but still doesn't expect them to fly passengers until at least 2029. They also don't have any engine manufacturer committed to designing engines for the plane… which, you know, is kind of important.
Despite these setbacks, American Airlines recently put down a deposit for 20 of these planes earlier this month 🤑.
Millions of dollars, no engines, and we can't use them for 10 years? |
