787-9 Dreamliner aircraft
Production Company: Boeing
Feature: Longer Non-Stop Flights
EST. Cost of Production: $145 Million* (2018)
Boeing’s 787 is more than just a wide-body twin-engine jet airliner; it’s a “Dreamliner,” and the dream gets better with each subsequent model. The 787-9, one of Boeing’s later models in the series, has a range of 8,786 miles and a cruise speed of Mach 0.85, or 560 mph. Boeing has always strived to deliver the greatest service possible to its clients, and now that service includes transporting 280 passengers on a nonstop 17-hour flight from Perth, Australia to London, England. A future without lengthy airport transfers is no longer a pipe dream; it is now a reality.
787 9 Dreamliner Aircraft
Concorde
Production Company: British Aircraft Corporation & Sud Aviation
Feature: Supersonic Speed
EST. Cost of Production: $25 Million* (1971)
The Concorde boasts the distinction of being the first supersonic passenger airliner, having conducted its first test flight in 1969 and officially entering service in 1976. The Concorde could carry between 92 and 128 passengers at a time, and those who did were in for a treat because the plane could travel at 1,354 mph, or Mach 2.04. Those passengers were traveling at more than twice the speed of sound, for those keeping track at home, but traveling at supersonic speeds comes at a cost. A round-trip ticket from London to New York cost $8,000 in 1997 ($13,000 in 2021). The Concorde was retired in 2003 after 27 years of service.
Concorde
