Why are airplanes slower than they used to be? - Alex Gendler episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 26, 2026 · 7 MIN

Why are airplanes slower than they used to be? - Alex Gendler

from TED-Ed · host TED-Ed

Why aren’t commercial flights getting faster? Dig into the technological and environmental problems facing supersonic flight. --In 1996, a British Airways plane flew from New York to London in a record-breaking two hours and fifty-three minutes. Today, however, passengers flying the same route can expect to spend no less than six hours in the air — twice as long. So why, in a world where everything seems to be getting faster, have commercial flights lagged behind? Alex Gendler details the problems facing supersonic flight.Lesson by Alex Gendler, directed by Zedem Media.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-are-airplanes-slower-than-they-used-to-be-alex-gendlerDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-are-airplanes-slower-than-they-used-to-be-alex-gendler#digdeeperAnimator's website: https://www.zedemanimations.com/----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Eric Braun, Denka Wee, Daru Bhargav, Sonja Worzewski, Amy, Michael Clement, Ghaith Tarawneh, Nathan Milford, Tomas Beckett, Alice Ice, Eric Berman, Kurt Paolo Sevillano, Xavi Ramos, Ron Kakar, Jennifer Heald, flóra lili donáti, Megulo Abebe, TAO7 HORUS, isolwi, Vedasheersh, Michael Chang, Waqar Sheikh, Alexander Gruber, Irene Y., Kate Sem, VPpurplebelt, Ujjwal Dasu, Theunis Groenewald, Minh Quan Dinh, Sylvain, Can Aydogmus, JasonD, Terran Gimpel, Gareth Thomas, Talia Sari, Phan Quang Lam, Katie McDowell, Allen, Sarat Chandra Vegunta, Mahina Bachiller, Bruce Vieira Lopes, Charmaine Hanson, Paul Aldred-Bann, Thawsitt, Jezabel, Abdullah Abdulaziz, Adriano Fontes, Xiao Yu and Melissa Suarez. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Why are airplanes slower than they used to be? - Alex Gendler

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