A True Golden Age of Flight?

You’ve probably heard of the Golden Age of Travel. In the 1960s, flying had real status, with business folk and smart travelers boarding sleek Pan Am jets to receive the lavish service afforded to VIPs. The supersonic Concorde, in development at the time, would soon make Paris feel as close to New York as Miami or Fort Worth. The world dreamed of a glamorous, easy-flying future. 

But Pan Am went belly up, the Concorde died a slow, agonizing death, and passengers today need steely nerves and great patience to survive the gauntlet of snaking security lines, inedible food, inaudible entertainment, and a crippling lack of legroom on seemingly endless flights.  

Fresh Start 

Yet now comes word that air travel may be on the cusp of a true Golden Age. Denver-based Boom Supersonic, a decade-old aviation firm, is developing a jet capable of 1110 miles per hour, potentially cutting transcontinental flight times in half. United, American and Japan Airlines have already inked deals to buy Boom’s Overture, expected to take flight in 2029. 

A few years ago, Boom CEO Blake Scholl set a goal of transporting passengers anywhere in the world in four hours for $100. That seems highly unlikely, but the company does hope ticket prices will be about the same as today’s business class seats. Reasonable, but this likely means only a thin sliver of high-end travelers will be able to go Boom. 

Lap of Luxury 

Still, the mockups depict spacious pods that look more luxurious than today’s first-class seating, with large screens, top-notch headphones and gourmet meals. The images evoke a travel fantasy that echoes the world of Steven Spielberg’s stylish Leonardo DiCaprio-starrer Catch Me If You Can. 

But in truth, Golden-Age flight was not exactly golden. A 1955 Chicago-Phoenix flight cost the equivalent of $1100 in 2024 dollars. Flying was more than four times deadlier than today. And with smoking allowed, the cabin tended to be hazardous to your health. One element that undermined the Concorde was the sonic boom – the thunderous clap that cracked the sky whenever the jet broke the sound barrier. 

Quieting the Boom  

During tests, the boom reportedly broke windows, cracked plaster and damaged collectibles. As a result, regulators barred the Concorde from flying over land, rendering some of the more lucrative routes off-limits. The question now is whether Boom can muzzle the boom and on its promise. 

Will Overture take flight before the decade is out or face endless delays? Will Boom’s Mach 1.7-jet be able to use only reduced-emissions sustainable fuel, or will the firm be forced to compromise? Will Overture avoid a major disaster or flame out like the Concorde, doomed by a 2000 Paris crash that killed more than 100 people? 

A lot of ifs, but if Boom is able to fulfill its promise, it could be a golden goose.

Paul Osterlund