Supersonic flight has existed for over half a century. The problem is, it hasn't been affordable for routine travel.

Nearly six decades after the dawn of the jet age, we finally have the technology for efficient, economical, and safe supersonic flight. Key technologies, such as composite fuselages and high-temperature material systems, have only recently been accepted by the FAA for commercial aircraft.

We are taking the opportunity to rethink the end to end passenger experience. Our goal is to provide a tranquil and stress-free experience from the moment you step aboard, whether you want to work, play, or relax.

Each passenger has a large personal window, direct aisle access, and a dedicated overhead bin. Seat dimensions will be similar to short-haul first class, with many subtle and not-so-subtle design improvements.

On flights over 6 hours (i.e., those over 15 hours today), airlines may offer a first-class lay-flat suite experience.

Supersonic aircraft fly higher than other aircraft, up to 60,000ft. At this altitude, you fly above most of the turbulence, allowing a smoother ride than on subsonic aircraft.

Breaking through the “sound barrier” is inaudible and uneventful; you simply won't notice it. On Concorde, announcements were made and champagne was served to celebrate the moment—which otherwise would have been overlooked.

Yes, the Boom jet can also be configured as an ultra VIP personal or business aircraft.

The Boom jet is designed to maximize efficiency while producing a much quieter “boom” than Concorde.

There are many common misconceptions about sonic boom. Other commonplace noises, such as thunder, are louder than sonic booms. Sonic booms do not break windows or cause hearing damage (unless the aircraft is flying supersonically at an extremely low altitude, which commercial aircraft do not.)

Unfortunately, supersonic flight is banned over the United States. This ban should be reversed and replaced with a commonsense noise standard, set to promote efficient, affordable supersonic flight while disallowing nuisance. In the meantime, the Boom jet will fly routes that are primarily overwater—such as New York to London or San Francisco to Tokyo, flying subsonically when over land. Over 500 routes benefit immediately and significantly from supersonic.

Final ticket prices will be set by airlines, but we are designing the aircraft so that airlines can operate profitably while charging the same fares as today's business class. Our ultimate vision is to reduce operating costs to make supersonic flight even more affordable.

Our store can be found at this link: https://boom-supersonic.myshopify.com

If you love Earth, you should love Boom because it makes the planet more local, making it easier to access the wonderful places and people Earth has to offer.

Fuel efficiency and operating costs go hand in hand. Since our aircraft has the same fuel burn as subsonic business class, it also has the same fuel consumption and emissions profile. We continue to innovate toward lower fares—which will mean further reductions in fuel consumption and emissions.

Boom is privately held and funded by venture capitalists and angel investors.

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer tours.

Our XB-1 Supersonic Demonstrator is scheduled to fly next year.

Afterward, we will pursue rigorous safety-testing and FAA certification of our passenger airliner. We will pursue it as quickly as possible, while not skipping any steps. We look forward to the first record-setting passenger flights in the early 2020s.

Every passenger wants faster flights; every airline would like to offer a faster and more differentiated service to their passengers. The question is costs and fares. Concorde was troubled by (1) high operating costs, driven by fuel consumption, and (2) low utilization and load factors, due to the necessarily high fares.

The viability of supersonic flight depends entirely on the ability to reduce operating costs sufficiently to allow a viable business model. I.e., it must be possible to achieve good load factors and strong margins, at fares passengers will pay.

Surprisingly, this requires just a 30% efficiency improvement over Concorde's 50 year-old airframe and engines. The fundamental technologies required for this exist today and have recently been accepted by regulators (such as composite structure).

With 45 seats, the Boom aircraft can achieve load factors similar to or better than premium cabins in subsonic widebodies.

A supersonic future, finally, is inevitable.

Total operating cost per-seat mile is comparable to subsonic business class.

Today, passengers pay a 4-5X premium for business class, even though those seats don't arrive any sooner than economy. Passengers today pay a premium for non-stop (vs. connecting) service, so it is reasonable to expect higher fares for still faster service.

Moreover, there are cost savings associated with supersonic flight: saved executive time, saved hotel expenses, and saved meals and entertainment expenses.

The first airlines to adopt supersonic will enjoy a significant competitive advantage. The advantage of 2.6X faster flight will allow them to win competitors' most profitable premium passengers. Further, a halo effect increases share even on subsonic routes, as customers prefer to earn loyalty points with carriers who offer supersonic.

This is a significant shift in the competitive landscape. Today's carriers must compete on operating costs and thin margins, because the service is relatively undifferentiated. Supersonic offers the opportunity for airlines to offer a dramatically more attractive product.

A major problem with Concorde is that it had more seats than could be filled at the required prices. The Boom aircraft has 45 seats, similar to the premium cabin in a typical widebody aircraft. If you can fly a widebody aircraft with good load factor, you can also fly a Boom aircraft with the same schedule with good load factors.

A third engine helps lower takeoff noise. Additionally, three-engine aircraft are treated as more reliable by FAA regulations; ETOPS rules permit new three-engine aircraft to fly more direct overwater routes than twins, leading to faster flight times.

No. It is compatible with existing ground support equipment, gates, and runways. At maximum take-off weight, an 8,500' runway is required (sea level, standard day). This allows Boom jets to operate out of all major international airports, even at high altitude on hot days.

On a 3,400nmi (transatlantic) mission with typical loading and reserves, balanced field lengths are under 6,000'.

The actual sales price of the aircraft is $200M, plus options and interior, in 2016 dollars. On an available premium-seat-mile basis, the Boom jet is meaningfully less expensive than subsonic wide body aircraft.

Unlike typical aircraft manufacturers, our published price is the real price—not a phony figure 2X higher.

We will certify to FAA Part 25 standards, the same as other large passenger aircraft. As with Concorde, we expect to comply with special conditions related specifically to supersonic flight.

The XB-1 Supersonic Demonstrator will receive an airworthiness certificate in the experimental R&D category.

Takeoff noise will be better than Stage IV. Because Boom is a small aircraft and noise limits are set based on aircraft weight, it will actually be quieter than larger Stage IV aircraft.