1. And those industry changes could determine the fate of the sonic cruiser. 2. Boeing has signed a number of technology agreements with leading makers of composite materials around the world for its sonic cruiser program. 3. Mulally said the company still favors the sonic cruiser, but he admitted that the airlines may not think so. 4. Mulally said several versions of the sonic cruiser are still being evaluated. 5. Mulally said again yesterday that he believes demand will be so great for the sonic cruiser that there may be more than one final assembly site. 6. Mulally stressed that he still believes the sonic cruiser will prove to be the best choice for airlines. 7. So far, Boeing officials insist that powerful engines in use today could be used to power the sonic cruiser without a big increase in operating costs. 8. Some airline executives have said the sonic cruiser would have more value to them if it could fly slightly faster than the speed of sound. 9. The company continues to talk with airlines about the basic sonic cruiser design, such as range and passenger capacity. 10. There has been growing speculation that airlines may decide that a more efficient all-new plane makes more sense than the sonic cruiser. |