User Benefit Analysis for Hypersonic Air Transport Services: Comparative Study between Subsonic and Supersonic Flight Services

摘要

This study aims to assess the additional benefit received by Hypersonic Transport (HST) passengers when compared to the existing subsonic transport service by conducting a cost-benefit analysis. The relationship between cost-benefit ratio to flight distance and the increase rate of the ticket price to the existing business class ticket is clarified. The HST flight service has a moderate opportunity for attracting high-income earners in the 3,800 NM through 9,000 NM flight distance. The Supersonic Transport (SST) can attract business class users whose yearly income is more than $750,000 if the increase rate of the ticket price is limited to 30%. The HST flight service can attract business class users whose yearly income is more than $416,677 and first class users whose yearly income is more than $750,000. The SST service can attract business class users whose yearly income is more than $750,000, if the increase rate to the business class ticket price is between 30% and 50%. The main contribution of this paper is a cost-benefit analysis for measuring users' benefit, setting a suitable ticket price for HST and SST and determining the flight distances in which the target users can be more easily attracted to HST.