Latest news with #Scholl
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
America's skies may soon open up to supersonic travel. But there's still a big problem
Editor's note: Sign up for Unlocking the World, CNN Travel's weekly newsletter. Get news about destinations, plus the latest in aviation, food and drink, and where to stay. The skies over the United States could be wide open for much faster air travel in the near future. Not just because passenger planes capable of breaking the sound barrier are in development — for the first time ever, they could be allowed to do it over American soil. Even during the days of Concorde, the supersonic plane that retired in 2003, commercial flying at speeds above Mach 1 over mainland US was strictly forbidden, largely due to concerns over noise pollution from sonic booms. Now moves are afoot to lift that restriction with a bill recently introduced in the Senate, and a similar measure in the House of Representatives. That means if the long-awaited 'Son of Concorde' ever gets here, it will have more potential supersonic routes than its predecessor. Currently, there are several supersonic passenger jets in development that aim to reach speeds beyond Mach 1 without crashing loudly through the sound barrier. NASA's experimental X-59, expected to begin flight testing in 2025, aims to reduce noise to a 'sonic thump.' And then there's Colorado-based Boom Supersonic, which is developing the Overture, the first actual supersonic passenger plane since Concorde flew into the sunset. Opening up US skies could be a step toward removing some of the hurdles it faces in becoming a reality. 'It's a super exciting year for us,' Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom told CNN. Much of that excitement comes from the company's XB-1 demonstrator aircraft breaking the sound barrier in January and again in February. It did so without creating a detectable sonic boom by flying at what it calls 'boomless cruise' — also known as 'Mach cutoff' — where sound refracts away from the ground at speeds close to the sound barrier in certain atmospheric conditions. Boom aims to build the first prototype Overture engine by the end of the year and, if all goes according to the company's very ambitious timeline, American Airlines, Japan Airlines (JAL) and United Airlines could all take delivery of their very first Overtures by the end of the decade. Scholl's sales pitch is very appealing. Who doesn't want to be able to work a full day on the West Coast, jump on a supersonic flight east that evening, and either be home or in a hotel in New York or D.C. before midnight? The Overture would make those trips possible with a cruise speed of Mach 1.7 that could slash the duration of a transcontinental flight by up to half. Overture's 80 passengers could make those speedy flights in relative comfort. Renderings show luxurious seats comparable to the contemporary business class offering on any subsonic plane. Whether airlines are keen is another matter. The range of the Overture is one challenge. At about 4,888 miles, it's enough for a transcontinental flight over the US or a transatlantic hop to Europe but not enough to traverse the Pacific without a stop. And the much-touted commitments from American, JAL and United are all non-binding and, at least in the eyes of the industry, viewed as more fluff than substance. Critically, none of the airlines list the deals among their firm capital commitments in stock exchange filings. 'Boom is working in opposition to the most durable single trend in all of flying since the jet age began,' Jon Ostrower, editor-in-chief of trade publication The Air Current, said on The Air Show podcast in February. 'Airlines, fundamentally, since (the dawn of the jet age) have wanted more efficient aircraft.' By Boom's own estimates, the Overture would burn two to three times more fuel per premium seat — first or business class — than a subsonic plane, such as the Airbus A350 or Boeing 787, on an intercontinental flight. Another estimate from the nonprofit International Council on Clean Transportation puts the Overture's fuel burn at five- to- seven-times that of a subsonic long-haul jet. Airlines would recoup those added fuel costs through higher airfares. Researchers at Worms University of Applied Sciences in Germany described those fares as a 'supersonic premium' in a paper published in the Journal of Air Transport Management last year. They estimated that airfares on the Overture would need to be roughly 38% higher than the current business class fares on a New York-London flight to turn a profit. Put another way, supersonic flyers would pay roughly $4,830 one-way from New York to London in June based on current average one-way airfares of around $3,500 on Google Flights. The researchers at Worms were confident that when flying westward travelers would pay a premium for supersonic flights because they 'fly back in time,' as one of the report's authors Jan Belke told CNN. That time gain could translate into real monetary benefits. Eastbound, however, the financial case was weaker due to hours lost across time zones. While Boom's Scholl acknowledged that Overture seats will likely be priced out of budget for most passengers, he said there's still a solid business case. 'If you hit a mainstream price point — and business class is a mainstream price point — I think of it as the [Tesla] Model S of supersonic flight, it's not yet for everybody but it is a pretty big market segment,' he said. The question is how many will pay that supersonic premium? Digital communications have vastly improved from the days of the Concorde. Video calls have reduced the need for in-person meetings, and with flyers now able to answer emails or even join a virtual meeting in mid-air, in-air downtime is rapidly shrinking on subsonic flight. Richard Aboulafia, a managing director at AeroDynamic Advisory and a long-time skeptic of Boom's business case for the Overture, estimated that Boom needs $12-15 billion to bring the Overture to market, but has only raised around $800 million to date. Boom had about $700 million, according to its last public funding disclosure in 2023. Asked how much Boom needs to develop Overture, Scholl put the number at 'under $2 billion.' He cited numerous cost savings the company has found eliminating 'inefficiencies' in the existing aerospace supply chain by, for the most part, integrating production under its own roof. This integration, Scholl added, also speeds up the development and production process. That gives him confidence in achieving its aggressive timeline of flying the Overture by 2028 and handing the first planes over to airlines a year later. Ostrower called the timeline unrealistic. Of the many challenges ahead of Boom, one is regulatory approval. The Federal Aviation Administration's certification process has slowed dramatically since the Boeing 737 MAX grounding in 2019 and 2020. Boom's timeline allows for just a year of flight tests; Airbus took about 18 months to certify the A350 from first flight in June 2013 to the first delivery in December 2014. Scholl seems unfazed by this, expressing confidence in Boom's ability to meet its targets and produce planes that, in his words, 'delete the friction of travel' by going a whole lot faster than today's jets. 'There's no guarantee of success here — statistically failure is the most likely outcome — but it's definitely possible,' Scholl said. 'The technology is there, the market is there, the passengers and airlines are there, the regulations for overland, I believe, will be there in relative short order. We just have to execute.'
CNN
a day ago
- Business
- CNN
America's skies may soon open up to supersonic travel. But there's still a big problem
The skies over the United States could be wide open for much faster air travel in the near future. Not just because passenger planes capable of breaking the sound barrier are in development — for the first time ever, they could be allowed to do it over American soil. Even during the days of Concorde, the supersonic plane that retired in 2003, commercial flying at speeds above Mach 1 over mainland US was strictly forbidden, largely due to concerns over noise pollution from sonic booms. Now moves are afoot to lift that restriction with a bill recently introduced in the Senate, and a similar measure in the House of Representatives. That means if the long-awaited 'Son of Concorde' ever gets here, it will have more potential supersonic routes than its predecessor. Currently, there are several supersonic passenger jets in development that aim to reach speeds beyond Mach 1 without crashing loudly through the sound barrier. NASA's experimental X-59, expected to begin flight testing in 2025, aims to reduce noise to a 'sonic thump.' And then there's Colorado-based Boom Supersonic, which is developing the Overture, the first actual supersonic passenger plane since Concorde flew into the sunset. Opening up US skies could be a step toward removing some of the hurdles it faces in becoming a reality. 'It's a super exciting year for us,' Blake Scholl, founder and CEO of Boom told CNN. Much of that excitement comes from the company's XB-1 demonstrator aircraft breaking the sound barrier in January and again in February. It did so without creating a detectable sonic boom by flying at what it calls 'boomless cruise' — also known as 'Mach cutoff' — where sound refracts away from the ground at speeds close to the sound barrier in certain atmospheric conditions. Boom aims to build the first prototype Overture engine by the end of the year and, if all goes according to the company's very ambitious timeline, American Airlines, Japan Airlines (JAL) and United Airlines could all take delivery of their very first Overtures by the end of the decade. Scholl's sales pitch is very appealing. Who doesn't want to be able to work a full day on the West Coast, jump on a supersonic flight east that evening, and either be home or in a hotel in New York or D.C. before midnight? The Overture would make those trips possible with a cruise speed of Mach 1.7 that could slash the duration of a transcontinental flight by up to half. Overture's 80 passengers could make those speedy flights in relative comfort. Renderings show luxurious seats comparable to the contemporary business class offering on any subsonic plane. Whether airlines are keen is another matter. The range of the Overture is one challenge. At about 4,888 miles, it's enough for a transcontinental flight over the US or a transatlantic hop to Europe but not enough to traverse the Pacific without a stop. And the much-touted commitments from American, JAL and United are all non-binding and, at least in the eyes of the industry, viewed as more fluff than substance. Critically, none of the airlines list the deals among their firm capital commitments in stock exchange filings. 'Boom is working in opposition to the most durable single trend in all of flying since the jet age began,' Jon Ostrower, editor-in-chief of trade publication The Air Current, said on The Air Show podcast in February. 'Airlines, fundamentally, since (the dawn of the jet age) have wanted more efficient aircraft.' By Boom's own estimates, the Overture would burn two to three times more fuel per premium seat — first or business class — than a subsonic plane, such as the Airbus A350 or Boeing 787, on an intercontinental flight. Another estimate from the nonprofit International Council on Clean Transportation puts the Overture's fuel burn at five- to- seven-times that of a subsonic long-haul jet. Airlines would recoup those added fuel costs through higher airfares. Researchers at Worms University of Applied Sciences in Germany described those fares as a 'supersonic premium' in a paper published in the Journal of Air Transport Management last year. They estimated that airfares on the Overture would need to be roughly 38% higher than the current business class fares on a New York-London flight to turn a profit. Put another way, supersonic flyers would pay roughly $4,830 one-way from New York to London in June based on current average one-way airfares of around $3,500 on Google Flights. The researchers at Worms were confident that when flying westward travelers would pay a premium for supersonic flights because they 'fly back in time,' as one of the report's authors Jan Belke told CNN. That time gain could translate into real monetary benefits. Eastbound, however, the financial case was weaker due to hours lost across time zones. While Boom's Scholl acknowledged that Overture seats will likely be priced out of budget for most passengers, he said there's still a solid business case. 'If you hit a mainstream price point — and business class is a mainstream price point — I think of it as the [Tesla] Model S of supersonic flight, it's not yet for everybody but it is a pretty big market segment,' he said. The question is how many will pay that supersonic premium? Digital communications have vastly improved from the days of the Concorde. Video calls have reduced the need for in-person meetings, and with flyers now able to answer emails or even join a virtual meeting in mid-air, in-air downtime is rapidly shrinking on subsonic flight. Richard Aboulafia, a managing director at AeroDynamic Advisory and a long-time skeptic of Boom's business case for the Overture, estimated that Boom needs $12-15 billion to bring the Overture to market, but has only raised around $800 million to date. Boom had about $700 million, according to its last public funding disclosure in 2023. Asked how much Boom needs to develop Overture, Scholl put the number at 'under $2 billion.' He cited numerous cost savings the company has found eliminating 'inefficiencies' in the existing aerospace supply chain by, for the most part, integrating production under its own roof. This integration, Scholl added, also speeds up the development and production process. That gives him confidence in achieving its aggressive timeline of flying the Overture by 2028 and handing the first planes over to airlines a year later. Ostrower called the timeline unrealistic. Of the many challenges ahead of Boom, one is regulatory approval. The Federal Aviation Administration's certification process has slowed dramatically since the Boeing 737 MAX grounding in 2019 and 2020. Boom's timeline allows for just a year of flight tests; Airbus took about 18 months to certify the A350 from first flight in June 2013 to the first delivery in December 2014. Scholl seems unfazed by this, expressing confidence in Boom's ability to meet its targets and produce planes that, in his words, 'delete the friction of travel' by going a whole lot faster than today's jets. 'There's no guarantee of success here — statistically failure is the most likely outcome — but it's definitely possible,' Scholl said. 'The technology is there, the market is there, the passengers and airlines are there, the regulations for overland, I believe, will be there in relative short order. We just have to execute.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Montway Auto Transport's Mark Scholl Drives Operational Excellence as Moving Season Heats Up
Scholl's Leadership Aligns Operations, Digital Tools, and a People-First Strategy to Meet Rising VehicleRelocation Demand CHICAGO, June 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As household relocations and seasonal moves surge during peak moving season, Montway Auto Transport is reinforcing its five-star service commitment through the leadership of Mark Scholl, Executive Vice President of Operations and Retail Sales. Since arriving at Montway in 2018, Scholl has been instrumental in scaling the company's core operations — sales, dispatch, and customer support — while steering more than 250,000 customers through a seamless vehicle-shipping journey every year. Today's auto logistics landscape faces ongoing challenges, such as cyclical demand shifts, route fluctuations, and rising fuel costs. Now in moving season, Scholl and his team are focused on ensuring Montway's operations deliver the agility, transparency, and responsiveness customers expect as they prepare for increases in cross-country relocations, military moves, and snowbird transitions. "Peak moving season brings a rush of first-time shippers, and our job is to make a complex process feel effortless," said Scholl. "Whether it's an online vehicle purchase or a summer relocation, we guide customers every step of the way with transparent pricing, digital support tools, and a people-first service model." Scholl's strategy empowers customers with both real-time visibility and human support. Under his leadership, Montway has integrated platforms like Salesforce AgentForce and to enable online booking, personalized communication, and flexible service options. These tools simplify the planning, pricing, and logistics of auto transport, to create a seamless, 5-star experience for customers navigating the process for the first time. "Mark brings both vision and precision to Montway's operations," said Christine Matson, Executive Vice President of Marketing. "He's not only scaled our infrastructure to meet growing demand but also elevated the customer experience, particularly during high-volume periods like summer moving season." Scholl's deep experience in business operations and team leadership has helped solidify Montway's reputation for high-touch service built on respect, reliability, and strategic innovation. Today, Montway stands as an industry leader with an A+ BBB rating, a Net Promoter Score of 75, nearly double the industry average, and nearly 80,000 five-star reviews. Discover more about Mark Scholl at Montway's Executive Team and explore Montway Auto Transport's innovative solutions by visiting About Montway Auto TransportFounded in 2007, Montway Auto Transport has become one of the nation's leading automotive transport companies, with more than a million vehicles shipped. Montway offers transport services across all 50 states, including Alaska and Hawaii, as well as Europe. The company operates with extended hours, 365 days a year, underscoring its commitment to customer satisfaction. Montway has a Net Promoter Score of 75, far surpassing the industry average, and over 100,000 online customer reviews. In addition to a retail division serving the residential market, Montway has a business-solutions sector focused on the automotive logistics needs of enterprises in sales, remarketing, manufacturing, moving and relocation, and finance. Known for setting industry standards in innovative logistics technologies and customer service, Montway has been recognized by Inc. 5000 as one of America's Fastest Growing Companies six times. For more information, visit Contact:Taylor Saltijeral, Interdependence (949) 777-2491396079@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Montway Auto Transport Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Star
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Era of the Frankenshoes: Why are hybrid footwear becoming so fashionable?
Take note of the split toe of these tabi sneakers. Photo: Maison Margiela When are sneakers not sneakers? When they take the form of sneakerinas instead. It is currently a trend right now for footwear not to be of a single category, but a fusion of different styles. Take the sneakerina, for example. This is simply a sneaker combined with a ballerina flat – hence the namesake portmanteau. In terms of functionality, it is a blend of a casual, comfortable design with a touch of feminine flair. Model Bella Hadid is believed to be a big fan of sneakerinas. She has been spotted out and about wearing them as part of various looks – effortlessly combining comfort and high fashion with each appearance. Sneakerinas offer the cool vibe of streetwear, while giving you a feminine appeal. Photo: Vivaia The trend itself is named 'Frankenshoes', alluding to Frankenstein's monster (from the Mary Shelley novel), as these hybrid pieces are often cobbled together from mismatched materials, styles and influences, creating a unique and sometimes eccentric look. Read more: Big pants, bold statements: Does fashion turn to drama in uncertain times? Just recently, Balenciaga launched a collaborative collection of unconventional footwear. There is one design that combines the buckle and front strap found on the classic Pescura Scholl sandal with a cork sole and a high heel. The Scholl clogs, often worn by nurses and cleaners, have also been reimagined as a trendy mesh slip-on. Last year, New Balance merged sneakers and loafers into snoafers. The design sparked plenty of buzz, though it might not appeal to everyone's taste. While each release sells out quickly, some people are saying that snoafers just don't look aesthetically pleasing. And that is perhaps the crux of the issue here. Frankenshoes are supposed to make you uncomfortable – in how they challenge your expectations of what footwear should look like. Like how Hadid helped popularise sneakerinas, other celebrities have played a significant role in propelling the Frankenshoe trend into the mainstream. Style icons like Dua Lipa and Kendall Jenner have been spotted wearing these daring hybrids, often turning heads with their bold and unconventional footwear choices. By showcasing these pieces at high-profile events and on social media, they amplify their visibility and transform what might otherwise be niche fashion experiments into covetable, statement-making items. In 2023, MSCHF's big red boots went viral. The cartoonish design made waves across social media platforms. Also don't forget the Crocs heels that divided opinions seven years ago. Despite all the ridicule received at that time, the brand continued to push out unique designs: hiking clogs, pool slides, platform shoes and more. Read more: Flaunt them, pair them with sandals: How to pull off white socks fashionably The Maison Margiela Tabi sneakers have also been a favourite for quite some time now. There have been numerous iterations of this design, but all with the hallmark split toe design. Making its debut in 1988, Maison Margiela's Tabi footwear is a cult favourite. The design is inspired by traditional Japanese socks characterised by having a separate compartment for the big toe. Since then, the fashion brand has introduced an ever-increasing number of Tabi variations from ballet flats to mary-janes to loafers and brogues. Which really shows that Frankenshoes are here to stay. Love them or loathe them, such designs can act to push boundaries – one bizarre, boundary-blurring step at a time.
Daily Mail
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
'Ugly' orthopaedic shoes are back in fashion - but would YOU splash out £600 for a pair?
They may have been designed to help with painful bunions and other foot-related maladies, but so-called 'orthopaedic' ugly shoes are back in style. Footwear from brand like Dr Scholls and Crocs will be the top choice among fashionistas this Summer - despite their lack of aesthetic appeal. According to the Telegraph, the practical footwear is coming back in vogue as part of the 70s boho revival. Shoes that were once born from pharmacies for being practical are set to become highly desirable as a style statement this Spring and Summer. The most recognisable style of Dr Scholls is the Pescura design, which features a flat wooden sole and a leather strap across the toes. They retails for around £117. And some pairs are selling for eye-watering sums, as designer brands are cashing in on the style. In a bid to attract high fashion lovers, Dr Scholls has teamed up with major fashion houses to create pricy new options. Among the designers to partner with the orthopaedic brand are Balenciaga, which created a line of 'ugly chic shoes'. There are six different pairs in the line, including high heeled versions of the Pescura design - with the most expensive pair from the Scholl x Balenciaga line costing a staggering £625. According to Demna Gvasalia, the former creative director of Balenciaga, she wanted to create 'the most comfortable heels ever made'. The result was a twist on the Pescura - heels were added to the traditional style, with a stiletto version and a lower heeled option, which boasts a cork sole. According to a description on Balenciaga's site: 'This Balenciaga product is part of a collaboration with Scholl. Combining creativity and savoir faire with technical expertise, this series of products aims to propose the most conformable shoes ever made. ' Another designer crossover is the Scholl x Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini option. Philosophy is a diffusion line from the extremely upmarket Italian label Alberta Feretti. Among the options available in the range is the Mary Jane Clog Philosophy x Scholl, which has a RRP of £600. Inspired by traditional Mary Jane strap shoes, the clogs come in multiple colourways including black and brown. They boast a thick wooden sole with an enclosed toe and double strap with buckles. The description on the brand's website says: 'Mary Jane Clog in polished abrasive calfskin made in collaboration with Scholl. Characterized by a wooden structure and a leather upper with double strap, it features a design reminiscent of the seventies. 'Available in two color options: a total black version for a more glam-rock style and a leather variant for a more bohemian vibe.' The most famous Dr Scholl style - the Pescura - was designed in 1956. Old advertisements for the shoe say wearing them will 'shape, tone and firm your legs with every step you take'. This is due to how wearers are forced to grip onto the shoes with their toes, as they only have a strap at the front. Before their recent renaissance, the Pescura was considered a shoe for hippy-types, and desperately unfashionable. Fashion editor and ceramicist Deborah Brett told the Telegraph that when she was growing up, her mother wore Dr Scholls, specifically the Pescura model with a cream coloured strap. She said: 'Even as a child, I understood they were uncool. There's a German word: oko. It translates to 'eco', and basically means that you're a bit crusty.' However, she has now changed her opinion, and wears her mother's Scholls - which she has not yet had to get resoled, as they are so hardwearing. Describing how she likes to style them, Deborah said: 'I love Scholls with capri pants. You see a little bit of an ankle and they look really cool. Same with an A-line skirt – the shoes give you a bit of height, which you need with that silhouette. You can also pair them with a white linen suit in the summer, elevating your look from classically elegant to fashion-forward elegant.' Despite their utilitarian appearance, the Pescura is set to win over a legion of new fans, after actress Sarah Jessica Parker was spotted wearing on the set of And Just Like That last year. Perhaps surprisingly, the casual sandals received a lot of positive reviews as something fans seemed to definitely want to emulate when an image of the Sex and the City star was posted on Instagram. 'Loving the Dr. Scholls,' wrote one. 'The Dr Scholl's! I'm so jealous ❤️' said another.
