Why have airline travel times not decreased over the decades?
In: 42
Lots of good answers on the drawbacks of the Concorde/supersonic travel.
It’s also worth mentioning that the consumer market for air travel has changed quite a bit and there simply isn’t as much need or demand for faster travel. The people who would benefit most from faster planes are economy fliers squeezed in like sardines in the back of the plane, but as we already know from the Concorde, supersonic aircraft would be very expensive and out of reach for these passengers. Premium cabin passengers, whether it’s business class or first class, typically have a more enjoyable in-flight experience on a modern widebody jet than they did 30-40 years ago. You don’t need a 3 hour flight between NYC and London when you can take a 6 hour overnight flight with a lie-flat seat to get some sleep in before you head to your meetings or whatever the next day. Plus, with most airlines offering in-flight wifi these days, business travelers who would otherwise spend money for a faster jet, are fine with the jets we have now if they can get some work done.
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