Yeah, I can see why the Sonic Cruiser wasn't developed, but making an aircraft that cruises just below the speed of sound is an interesting idea.

CoolP, you are right, and I never disagreed that big companies don't really care about their affect on the environment. I can see that the 787 was made to be 20% more efficient so that airlines will spend less money on fuel. However, it is also true that people have become more aware of what we're doing to the environment--I didn't say who, and I certainly did not say large companies, but some people are. Recall how I mentioned the new Australian restriction on carbon emissions. Almost everything I said about the Concorde was based off of this line:

"Attacks from the ecological lobby (responding to the threat of high levels of pollution and noise) mean that the Concorde was banned from many of the world's airports."

-In an excerpt on the Concorde in Flight: The Complete History, produced by the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum