In spite of all obstacles, including those below, Boom Supersonic just announced major milestones in the development of its Overture SST aircraft and the Symphony engine at this week’s Farnborough International Airshow. This news is exciting for Hawaii travelers, as the advancements promise to potentially transform long-haul flights to the islands, drastically reducing travel time.
1. Reinventing the flight deck.
Boom unveiled an entirely new flight deck for the Overture airliner, which it said resulted from extensive research and feedback from pilots across various the aviation industry. The new cockpit design aims to enhance both safety and efficiency, paving the way for a smoother and more reliable flights, and a safer supersonic travel experience.
2. Big progress on the Symphony supersonic engine.
Boom’s Symphony engine is also making significant progress in two area, first, with hardware testing currently underway. Over 30 rig tests are in progress, and the development of a full-scale engine core is expected to be operational in 2025. The Symphony engine is pivotal to Overture’s supersonic speed, which could potentially cut travel time to Hawaii in half.
StandardAero has also been selected as the partner that will perform the Symphony engine assembly and testing at its San Antonio, Texas facility. That company is a leading independent gas turbine engine and accessories maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility. In terms of credibility, StandardAero has an extensive airline client base that is said to include Southwest Airlines and Mesa Airlines among others.
The production line is now expected to be capable of scaling up to 330 engines annually, indicating Boom’s readiness to meet its anticipated high demand and make supersonic travel accessible.
3. Implications for Hawaii flights.
For frequent travelers to Hawaii, Boom could mean significantly shorter flight times, enhancing convenience and comfort. The ability to travel from the mainland U.S. to Hawaii in a fraction of the current time could open up new possibilities for Hawaii tourism, making the islands more accessible than previously possible.
Boom Supersonic’s progress continues to make headlines. For a deeper dive into their journey and its implications for Hawaii travel, check out some of our previous articles:
- Hawaii Flights’ Future: Boom Supersonic FAA Green-Lighted Above Mach 1.
- Hawaii Supersonic Flight Renaissance | Boom Overture Catapult.
- Hawaii-Bound Supersonic Aircraft Soars In Test Flight.
- December Test Flight Of Future Hawaii Supersonic Plane.
- Supersonic Hawaii Travel On The March With Test Flight.
As Boom Supersonic continues to move towards becoming a reality, Beat of Hawaii will continue to follow developments that will specifically impact travel to and from the islands. Stay tuned for more on this possibly revolutionary change in Hawaii flights.
Airlines with flights to Hawaii have already signed on.
Boom Supersonic has received interest from Hawaii-centric United Airlines, American Airlines, and Japan Airlines. United Airlines has stated that Boom’s vision for the future of commercial aviation will offer a stellar flight experience for its customers. American Airlines is also committed to the venture, placing deposits on 20 Overture aircraft. They, too, have expressed excitement about how supersonic travel will shape the future of air travel for their customers. More than 30 Overture airliners have been ordered as of last year, signaling strong market confidence in the return of supersonic flights.
Boom Supersonic is being met with both enthusiasm and skepticism.
Concerns about supersonic travel primarily revolve around the environmental impact, particularly the sonic booms, which can be highly disruptive and damaging to communities on the ground and will thus limit the potential for use over the continental U.S. There are also environmental concerns about the emissions of supersonic aircraft which could potentially harm the ozone layer.
Not only are there technological and environmental concerns, but the cost is another huge obstacle. While no one knows yet what a one-way ticket between, say, Los Angeles and Honolulu might cost, we’ll guestimate a current-day cost of perhaps $5,000.
Your prior feedback so far on Boom Supersonic Hawaii flights.
Comments from you have been mixed, reflecting both optimism and caution from the Beat of Hawaii community. Enthusiasts highlight the transformative potential of significantly reduced flight times between the mainland U.S. and Hawaii, which could revolutionize travel.
For instance, Courtney commented on the significant time reduction, stating, “I sure would I’d rather do that than fly 8 hours from Sacramento to Hawaii…”
However, others, like DICKIE_D, pointed to the economic and environmental drawbacks, mentioning, “SST commercial flights = costs in the extreme — targeted passengers are mostly high-end business/first-class pax — limited or no supersonic flights over the USA — noise, and more noise in and around airports requiring $$$ for much larger noise zones.”
These contrasting perspectives speak to an ongoing debate about whether the benefits of supersonic travel will outweigh its challenges and costs.
Are you excited to consider flying to Hawaii at supersonic speed?
No one has raised the fact that SST’s fly at higher altitude which means higher exposure to radiation.
Wonderful!!! Elderly people will also benefit from a faster flight to Hawaii. More time in the sun and less time sitting on long flights.
So you’re telling me that I need to spend more money for fly first or business but only get to enjoy it for half the time???
😳🤔😳🤔
From west coast to Hawaii you will save only 3 hrs or less. You will pay more than $1000 per hour saved and still have all the same airport hassle on each end. No Way.
Another giveaway to the ultra-wealthy. Rich people don’t care that a ticket will cost upwards of $5,000 and they don’t care that these places will be extremely noisy and destroy the atmosphere. If they did, they would just suck up the extra few hours aboard a regular flight (first-class, of course), and fly with the rest of us peons.
For me the interesting question is whether it will impact personal jet travel amongst the wealthy. A 3hr flight reduction with a helicopter transfer from HNL to Maui or Kauai might make more sense than paying for a private jet. Presumably that would also impact the environment positively if it does.
So much for all that eco friendly, sustainable tourism BS. I guess we can all talk out both sides of our mouths.
Pay a kings ransom to be treated like royalty on a 2+ hour flight or pay a pittance to fly 5+ hours in a cattle car. Decisions, decisions.
I imagine Gov Green and team wants to move 100% island visitor travel methods to be exclusively on Outriggers to pair with the STR bans.
I am a big fan for boom. If you can get from Oakland ca to Honolulu gate to gate in 2 and half hours I will be in love with boom. Go boomsupersonic
Do HTA & gov green know? They will kill it before it starts…
Fantastic- the SST is definitely if offered is the plane I would fly on – we have some of the very best engineers and tech folks here in the USA so noise and environmental concerns can be overcome – cost with multiple flights a day would probably keep the cost reasonable- we fly Haw. Air 1,class 97% of the time anyway so if costs are about the same we’d definitely fly the SST – my wife and I are in our mid 70’s and have flown to the Islands for 30 years – so sign us up!!
Up front, I am an airplane nerd. Supersonic travel has been something of a dream of mine for the past 40 years. That being said….
Shaving two hours off a five-ish hour flight SFO to HNL is not worth paying 10x as much. Were it ORD or JFK or something a great distance, or if they knocked travel time from the west coast down to 1.5 to 2 hours total, maybe. Just not sure that Boom will ever fly and if so, if Hawai’i will be worth the airlines time (money).
Assuming all goes to plan (and that’s still a huge assumption at this point), I just don’t see a leisure destination like Hawaii getting priority over business destinations, where a stronger marketing case can be made for speed and efficiency.
Hawaii is being used as an example because unlike the CONUS – once you are feet wet off the west coast – you can punch through the number and not have to worry about getting reported and fined for breaking the moratorium on sonic booms over population.
SSTs are only really useful for over water flights. (And hawaii is the only us state that requires a long over water flight to get to)
I’ve been following the Boom phenomenon since the concept was unveiled. As a huge SST Concorde “fan” this will truly revolutionize travel to Hawaii!
The question is not whether it can be done but how many passengers will see the increased price to be sufficient added value to pay for it. My guess is there will be more complaints about airlines charging too much. Concorde was expensive and very cramped so what will be the airline offering? My guess is First Class only with a premium and subsonic flights for coach using high capacity narrow bodies like the new A321 xlr with little space and legroom. Still, having the choice is to be welcomed. I suspect Mileage tickets will be very expensive and allocations very limited for elites.
“The ability to travel from the mainland U.S. to Hawaii in a fraction of the current time could open up new possibilities for Hawaii tourism, making the islands more accessible than previously possible.”
What will Gov. Green do to make Hawaii more welcoming for tourists—the opposite of his current stance? Folks who spend $6,000 or more for airfare will not go where they’re not wanted and where the infrastructure is more Third World than what “destination” images conjure up in a visitor’s mind.
Well if you haven’t been around in the 1960ies then to haven’t heard about the Concord. It’s almost the same looks as this supersonic. It was meant for the elite travelers not so must for the middle class I would say. It was coming from Germany where the elite would come and stay at Rock Resort on the big island which is known as MKBH. The jet landed in Kona airport. It was one of a kind. Nothing is wrong in doing this so long there is no noise in the engines, because the Concord was a silent jet with no noise. So this would not be the first type of jet. But for now if they decide on something for the middle class then the rates should be reasonable. Those was the good old days.
It will fly from west coast to asia or Australia and never see HNL except for emergency.