SHANGHAI, China, April 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ctrip.com International, Ltd., the leading travel service provider of accommodation reservation, transportation ticketing, packaged tours and corporate travel management in China ("Ctrip"), today announced the completion of a strategic investment in Boom Supersonic, the leading supersonic airplane developer (“Boom”). Boom is applying the proceeds to accelerate the development of the company’s Mach-2.2 airliner.
Boom and Ctrip are working together to bring supersonic flight to China. Leveraging its extensive knowledge of the Chinese market, Ctrip will help Boom accelerate its ongoing partnership efforts with airlines in China. Ctrip is uniquely positioned to help Boom navigate the Chinese airline industry. Additionally, Boom will help Ctrip explore offering its customers 10–15 seats on one of Boom’s first several supersonic commercial flights. Together, the two companies are working to make the world more accessible by halving flight times from China to the United States, South Asia, and Oceania.
“Ctrip offers valuable expertise in the Chinese travel market, and we’re excited to work with their passionate, entrepreneurial team to bring supersonic travel to the region” said Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom. “San Francisco to Shanghai, for example, could shrink from 11 hours to 6—and a typical round-trip itinerary can be accomplished two whole days faster. But the benefits of faster travel extend far beyond the time savings. What really matters are the new trips you choose to take—the ones you otherwise wouldn’t have considered because the journey was simply too long. When we fly twice as fast, the world becomes twice as small, turning far off lands into familiar neighbors.”
“As a leading innovator in the commercial aviation industry, Boom will be positioned to provide exciting premium global flight options for Ctrip users and Ctrip is making a strategic investment in the next generation of travel. In addition, Ctrip’s unrivalled expertise in the business-travel market will help Boom to further deepen its relationships with Chinese airlines.” said James Liang, Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Ctrip.
Boom is building a supersonic airliner capable of carrying 55 premium passengers at Mach 2.2 (2,335 km/hour or 1,451 miles/hour), more than twice as fast as current passenger airplanes at the same cost as today’s business class fares. The flight time from Shanghai to Los Angeles, currently about 12 hours, will shrink to just over 6 hours on Boom’s airliner, which will enter service in the mid-2020s. The Chinese market, now the world’s second largest and one of the fastest growing, is expected to surpass the US in size by 2022, according to the International Air Transportation Association.
Ctrip has made an investment into Boom Supersonic, joining other strategic partners like Japan Airlines to accelerate the future of air travel. Previously, Japan Airlines has also pre-ordered 20 Boom aircraft, joining Virgin Group as a Boom launch customer.
About Ctrip.com International, Ltd.
Ctrip.com International, Ltd. is a leading travel service provider of accommodation reservation, transportation ticketing, packaged tours, and corporate travel management in China. It is the largest online consolidator of accommodations and transportation tickets in China in terms of transaction volume. Ctrip enables business and leisure travelers to make informed and cost-effective bookings by aggregating comprehensive travel related information and offering its services through an advanced transaction and service platform consisting of its mobile apps, Internet websites and centralized, toll-free, 24-hour customer service center. Ctrip also helps customers book vacation packages and guided tours. In addition, through its corporate travel management services, Ctrip helps corporate clients effectively manage their travel requirements. Since its inception in 1999, Ctrip has experienced substantial growth and become one of the best-known travel brands in China.
About Boom Supersonic
Boom Supersonic is a Denver-based company making the planet dramatically more accessible, starting by building a Mach-2.2 airliner economical enough to operate at today’s business-class fares. Boom is backed by venture capital firms such as 8VC, RRE, Lightbank, Y Combinator, and Caffeinated Capital, as well as angel investors including Sam Altman, Paul Graham, and Greg McAdoo. For more information, please visit boomsupersonic.com.
For further information, please contact:
Ctrip.com International, ltd.
International PR
Tel: (+86) 21 3406 4880 ext 196455
Email: Pr@ctrip.com
Spark PR
Phone : +1 202.680.2506
Email : christa.fogleman@sparkpr.com