A blended wing body, powered by geared turbofans = 30% increase in fuel efficiency. Makes a 787 seem like a gas guzzler.
Quite why the airframers are worried about passenger objections to not having a window beats me. Most long haul flights are conducted with pax watching IFE or sleeping.
And I'm sure the problems of pressurizing non-cylindrical fuselages could be overcome.
I'll be an old bloke by the time it happens, but I'm sure we'll see non-stop antipodean / north hemisphere city pairs by 2030 or so...
Good progress is being made with the blended wing with the Brits well involved.
One of the three logos on the side is Cranfield Aerospace.
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NASA - NASA 360: A Look Ahead... X-48B