High speed travel and other innovations to make you want to leave your couch

Supersonic travel is making a comeback with firms putting in research dollars to pick up where the Concorde left off

Hospitality

By Allie Sanchez

A report said that Virgin Group optioned 10 of Boom’s supersonic commercial planes before Virgin America merged with Alaska Airlines. A round trip London-New York flight is expected to cost $5,000, the equivalent of a business class ticket.

Startup company Boom has been working on supersonic planes which are 2.6 times faster than current carriers.  A 1/3 scale prototype is expected to fly in 2017. The new planes are said to be 30% more efficient than the Concorde.

NASA is also working on supersonic planes, slated for commercial production over the next few years. 

Rail systems are expected to get a makeover with new high speed trains. Elon Musk recently announced the Hyperloop, which will initially run the Los Angeles-San Francisco route at an average speed of 600 mph. The initial cost was pegged at $6 billion.

Another travel innovation that is expected to catch on is Standard Hotels’ Standard Timecheck in program, which allows travelers to check in at any of their properties at their convenience. While the fine print says the service is subject to room availability, user reports have verified that the program works.

Luggage worries are almost a thing of the past now with self-checked baggage drops and other pioneering services by carriers such as Alaska and Delta Airlines, who exchange travel miles for luggage claim delays. Smart bag tags such as those provided by British Airlines, Air France, KLM and Qantas help keep track of baggage across the globe.
 

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