Funmurphys: the Blog

The Demise of the Sonic Cruiser

The Seattle Times is reporting that Boeing is planning on stopping work on the Sonic Cruiser and instead focus on a plane that is cheaper to operate. The selling point of the Sonic Cruiser was to be its speed - a cruise speed of Mach 0.95. With the airline business in the tank, Boeing will instead work towards a plane that is 15-20% cheaper to build and operate. Cheaper operation will come primarily improved peformance from weight reductions; lower drag and better engine performance will no doubt be part of the equation, but there isn't a lot of improvement to be made there.