Coming soon: Flights from New York to Beijing in just 2 hours!

Two-hour flights from New York to Beijing are currently a part of the future travel landscape, although they are primarily accessible to the world’s ultra-wealthy. These quick flights, a product of sub-orbital flight advancements, stand poised to revolutionize the routines of a select few influential travelers.

Sub-orbital flights involve soaring through the thermosphere, an atmospheric layer where gravity is weaker. This results in unprecedented speed capabilities, thus significantly reducing travel time. Moving beyond the standard airplane speed of 500 miles per hour, sub-orbital travelers could potentially travel at a brisk pace of approximately 4000 miles per hour.

This futuristic mode of transportation, as projected in the annual “Wealth Report” by London consultancy firm Knight Frank, began trial phases in 2017 and became commercially available by 2020.

The ramifications of this development are vast. Ultra-high net worth individuals living in places such as Manhattan could start the day with breakfast at home, zip off to China, and return home by dinner time. Travel time can potentially be reduced from the current 15 hours to just about two hours. This can massively alter our everyday routine and influence decisions about where we choose to live.

Traveling in the non-gravitational thermosphere environment presents no significant health challenges. Commercial sub-orbital flights currently ascend to the thermosphere and return to their launch site. However, widespread intercontinental sub-orbital flights seem almost certain. Leading companies like X-Cor and Virgin Galactic are already selling tickets for their initial flights.

At a cost of $95,000 for X-Cor and $250,000 per person for Virgin Galactic, this mode of transportation is designed for a highly exclusive market of financially potent individuals who can afford such luxury, potentially paying the cost from the interest on their wealth alone.

This new-age mode of travel, though currently out of reach for most, may eventually become accessible to the broader populace. Exclusive “space ports,” key infrastructure for sub-orbital flights, will need to be established to prevent disruption to conventional flights at major airports.

While sub-orbital flights are feasible from a physical perspective, economic factors comprise the primary challenges. As ticket prices might eventually drop, the socio-economic repercussions of sub-orbital flights may become more profound, creating a radical shift in travel limitations for future generations.

This article was updated in 2025 to reflect current trends and insights.