Inside the race to master supersonic air travel

When British Airways flew its supersonic Concorde jet for the last time nearly 20 years ago, the era of shuttling between New York and London in under four hours while indulging in champagne, caviar and lobster seemed to be gone forever.

Now, however, plane-makers and airlines are trying to revive that dream, and pouring millions into efforts to build better, cleaner and more cost-effective jets that can fly at supersonic speeds, meaning faster than the speed of sound. They are hoping to succeed by 2029, when travelers could fly business class between New York and London in just over three hours — for $5,000 to $10,000 round-trip.