I’ve been one of the skeptical commenters (under another username), not because I think it’s technically impossible, or because I hate innovation or bold bets, but because I don’t think the economics make sense, and their original timelines and cost estimates were off by an order of magnitude, at least. Aviation is littered with startups that burned through hundreds of millions over the course of a decade or two and then disappeared.
And as others have pointed out, this is cool, but hardly novel, and after nine years and hundreds of millions, they’ve only accomplished the easiest part of what they need to accomplish in order to carry commercial passengers on supersonic flights. Regular passenger jets built by the most experienced companies in the world take tens of billions and decades to go from conception to flying. Boom has decades ahead of them before they’re going to reach the finish line.
Not that I care as much these days, but would I have liked routine Mach 2 flight that my company would have paid for when I was traveling a lot? Absolutely. But that wasn't in the cards.
And the relatively fewer flights I take today for relatively longer trips in general, I mostly look at paying an extra $5K and think "I could do a lot more interesting things with that money than be more comfortable for some hours" (or hypothetically, save a few hours). And I suspect most people here would be in the same boat if it came to putting cash down on the barrel.
For companies with executives that travel a lot (visiting different offices or store locations or lots of in-person client visits across the country) it might be literally saving them money. And even if it doesn't save them money, the prestige and the fact that the people who approve the purchase are the same people who get to use it help justify the cost
Lots of companies have execs who do those things that still don't fly private jets today and may not even have execs who always fly business class unless they have the status to routinely get upgraded. Certainly no company I've ever worked for and I've worked for some pretty large ones.
Honestly if that is all they are hoping for, I sincerely hope they fail spectacularly. The world is unequal as it is and I certainly don’t want the rich flexing their wealth with vanity like this, especially not considering the climate cost of all this, and the fact that we are already in a climate catastrophe that is disproportionately caused by the rich while harming the poor.
Even if (a big if) Boom can come out with a supersonic passenger jet that is economically viable, you can be pretty certain it will be for people who routinely buy business/first tickets (or fly Netjets/other private) today.
Or $50 anyway. I have used miles to upgrade trans-Pacific and reluctantly even paid a few hundred $ co-pay out-of-pocket if I couldn't expense it. But I agree with your basic point. I'm almost certainly not going pay a few thousand extra even for a long flight out of pocket. I could but my money is limited and there are a lot better experiences I could purchase with $5K.
And as others have pointed out, this is cool, but hardly novel, and after nine years and hundreds of millions, they’ve only accomplished the easiest part of what they need to accomplish in order to carry commercial passengers on supersonic flights. Regular passenger jets built by the most experienced companies in the world take tens of billions and decades to go from conception to flying. Boom has decades ahead of them before they’re going to reach the finish line.