Message from Founder and CEO Blake Scholl: United goes supersonic
A letter from Boom Founder & CEO Blake Scholl
Today marks an important milestone for Boom and our future passengers. We’re thrilled to announce that Overture will be joining the United Airlines fleet. United has purchased 15 Overture supersonic airliners and secured options on another 35. We’ve been working behind the scenes with United for some time, discussing how Overture will be a compelling part of the United network. The power of supersonic will augment United’s mission to connect the world.
As a frequent United flyer, I’m especially excited to bring Overture to one of the world’s most innovative airlines. This partnership is about more than speed — it’s about what speed enables. United and Boom share a vision: we believe in a world where more people can go to more places more often. That’s a better world for us all, unlocking new possibilities for business relationships, prospects for vacation, and opportunities for human connection. The speed of air travel is key to enabling all of that.
We also share a commitment to sustainability with United. We are designing Overture so people can travel more often — without worrying about environmental impacts. Throughout Overture’s lifecycle — from maximizing fuel efficiency in aircraft design to accommodating 100% sustainable aviation fuels to facilitating aircraft recycling — we are ensuring that Overture achieves the highest levels of sustainability. We set an ambitious goal that all future Overture aircraft would be net-zero carbon from day one, and we are proud that United shares this goal.
Our shared vision of connecting the world — through faster travel — is very personal for me. My kids had a grandfather who lived in Hong Kong. When I would take them to visit him, we would fly United SFO–HKG. That’s fourteen hours subsonic. Flights so long are a significant barrier to travel, especially for the very young and very elderly, and my kids only got to see their grandfather a handful of times. He passed away earlier this year, never having had the opportunity to grow close to his grandchildren. At Overture speeds, the flight to Hong Kong is six hours faster — the difference between a dreaded ultra-long haul versus a simple overnight flight. The hidden cost of those six hours is countless trips not taken. A fourteen-hour flight is simply too long for frequent travel. For my children and their grandfather, that means experiences never had and memories never formed. In the supersonic era, we won’t have to compromise on time with loved ones — we’ll enjoy more time in distant places and more nights at home.
Faster travel is an urgent human need, which is why we’re building the world’s fastest airliner — and doing so in a sustainable way. So many of us have stories like mine — about how the barrier of time separates us from people and experience. As we continue developing our aircraft, now with United at our side, we are excited to begin the work of integrating Overture into global airline fleets — preparing to bring the power of supersonic to tens of millions of passengers. I hope you will join me in thanking United for their vision to be the first U.S. airline to make a commitment to supersonic — because life is better lived in person.
