Simon Calder's Independent Travel Podcast Fly supersonic between London and New York for £4,000 return?
Jan 14, 2026
Blake Scholl, the visionary Founder and CEO of Boom Supersonic, discusses the ambitious Overture supersonic airliner. He critiques Concorde’s commercial flaws while praising its engineering. Blake shares plans for 60 luxurious seats and targets a roundtrip fare of about £4,000, with hopes to lower costs. He emphasizes the sustainability of the Overture and highlights interest from major airlines. Lastly, he predicts that today's premium-economy flyers and private jet users will be the first to take to the skies in this new aircraft.
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Concorde Had Right Tech, Wrong Product
- Blake Scholl argues Concorde had brilliant technology but the wrong commercial design, making it impractical for routine travel.
- Overture targets a smaller, more comfortable 60-seat layout to match real first-class demand and efficiency.
Design For Affordability, Not Exclusivity
- Make supersonic travel affordable by designing smaller, more efficient aircraft and matching fares to market demand.
- Blake Scholl proposes pricing Overture at around $5,000 round trip to democratize supersonic flight.
Scaling Proven Tech, Not Reinventing It
- Boom has already built and flown XB-1 as a demonstrator and will scale engine and airframe technology for Overture.
- Scholl emphasises they must scale and test existing technologies rather than invent new ones.