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Comment by clintonb | Hacker News Reader

> Whether you can fly JFK-CDG in 8 hours or 4 hours, when you factor in how irritating airports are, parking, security line ups, waiting for baggage, etc, it still takes all day to make the trip.

Security lines weren't a thing until 2001. The Concorde operated from 1976 to 2003. The retirement was due to low passenger count due to a crash in 2000 and 9/11 in 2001.

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I remember going through security for domestic U.S. flights in the 1990s. They had magnetometers and I think they had some kind of baggage x-ray machine. It was faster because they didn't check IDs, and I don't think they were that careful about having people go through the metal detector one at a time with a security agent actively watching them pass through.

im guessing if you really need, and can afford, supersonic travel then either it'll be like flying business/first or you'll have top tier ff status with the airline, and queues etc are much less of, or even a non issue.

Exactly this. Supersonic flight is likely to be more expensive than subsonic flight, and will likely mostly be used by people that fly regularly. Even moderately frequent travellers don't find airports that much of an issue because a) their status allows them to skip most of the horrible parts, and b) they have learned how to travel efficiently.

Security lines were absolutely a thing in the UK and France, where the Concordes flew from, due to terrorist campaigns.

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