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I'm flying to London on Tuesday; an 8 hour leg to Singapore followed by a 13.5 hour leg to London, and in the past have flown Melbourne-LA 4 times - 15.5 hours once with a direct connection to NY. Naturally I'm dreading this ordeal and it got me pining for Supersonic Transport.

What is the best case scenario for SSTs if things fell their way?
  • US SST spec for mach 2.2-2.5 rather than 2.7-3
  • US selecting the slower but less complex Lockheed L2000
  • The sonic boom issue being handled very differently, allowing an over CONUS air route or two.
  • SSTs entering service in 1972 prior to the Oil crisis
  • Other things
For context; by the time the Boeing 2707 SST was cancelled in May 1971 there were 115 unfilled orders by 25 airlines, while Concorde had 74 orders from 16 customers.
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