From a system optimisation perspective, SSTs solved the wrong problem.

Want to save people time flying? Solve the grotesque inefficiency pit that is airport transit and check-in.

Like, I'm sorry, STILL no high speed, direct to terminal rail at JFK, LAX and a dozen other major international airports? And that's before we get to the absolute joke of "border security" and luggage check-in.

Sure, supersonic afterburning engines are dope. But it's like some 10GHz single-core CPU that pulls 1.2kW out of the wall. Like it or not, an iPhone 16 delivers far more compute utility in far more scenarios.

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mxschumacher 14 hours ago | parent | next [-]

that's not a technology problem, many airports are super efficient, e.g. Singapore. Public transport in the US is held back by other forces.

	▲	Earw0rm 14 hours ago \| parent [-]
		It makes it all the dumber that we have the tech and still can't manage to implement the solution. Like an org with crappy management and team structure shipping bloated, buggy code even though they've the budget to hire great engineers and the problems they're solving are largely known and well-trodden.

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Lu2025 12 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

They don't optimize for our convenience, they optimize for their profit.

	▲	scarface_74 10 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Such airports removing moving walkways because they reduce profits in stores… https://nypost.com/2025/05/27/lifestyle/airports-are-removin...

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dingnuts 15 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

SST came and went in an era when none of that security theater existed to begin with

	▲	Earw0rm 14 hours ago \| parent [-]
		It did for international, maybe not at the dawn of SSTs but after a string of hijackings in the 70s/80s they brought it in. Not for US internal flights, it's true.