Re: XB-70 a prototype for Mach 3 SST?

me writes:

Boeing looked at some sort of high efficiency transonic
aircraft (Sonic cruiser?) and apparently couldn't find sufficient
market for it. My tendency is to believe that they knew what they
were talking about.

I think that for the majority of passengers on the majority of routes, current
speeds are "fast enough," in relation to the price point. Higher speed would
come at a higher cost, and most travelers don't want the higher speed badly
enough to pay the higher cost. Indeed, the market seems to indicate that
people want the lowest possible cost, and are willing to sacrifice a great
deal to get it.

Modern airline flights are slower than their predecessors, thanks to more
traffic in the air and operating procedures that favor fuel economy over
speed. The fastest airliners are also the oldest (e.g., the 747). Nobody
seems to be complaining.

Boeing has a pretty good feel for the market. Their 787 looks like it's just
about what the airlines want right now. And if airlines want speed or
capacity a decade or two from now, Boeing will give them that instead. It has
adapted in the past, it will continue to adapt in the future.

Not so Airbus, alas!
.

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