An American Startup Designed An Airplane Without Windows, And Reddit Thinks It's Hilarious

Imagine a world where sleek, windowless private jets soar through the clouds, offering luxury travel to the world's most iconic destinations for a surprisingly cheap price. It might sound like something out of a sci-fi movie, but we may see planes like this in the sky sooner rather than later. Texas startup Otto Aerospace has designed a space-age, sleekly designed private jet that burns 60% less fuel than its contemporaries. 

Instead of windows, the Phantom 3500 features long, 6-foot-wide display screens stretching out across the cabin walls and ceiling, part of a unique design that the company has coined "SuperNatural Vision." These screens are fed live footage via high-resolution cameras positioned outside the aircraft. According to photos shared in Luxury Launches, passengers on this nine-seater plane will get an almost 360-degree view from the displays. At high altitudes, passengers will even be able to see the curvature of the earth. According to Chief Executive Paul Touw, the plane's 60% reduction in fuel use means that, in the long term, these private jets may become more affordable than business class seats on a regular aircraft. Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Touw explained that these fuel savings are actually helped by the plane's lack of windows, as this makes the fuselage lighter, smoother, and more aerodynamic. 

In 2025, luxury private jet company Flexjet ordered 300 of these planes for its fleet. The aircraft themselves are still being finessed, but they may take to the skies as early as 2027.

Not everyone is convinced by this futuristic aircraft. "Panoramic screens are exactly what always reduces weight and cost," one Reddit commenter sarcastically quipped. Another wondered whether people buying "flying limousines" realistically care about affordability. Others were skeptical about the quality of the monitors: "Well, good luck staring at a pixelated mess for 5+ hours. It's not even a sure thing it'll be lag-free," one said. Another person offered a slightly more alarming scenario: "I can just imagine the panic in the cabin if a crow sits next to the camera and starts pecking at it with its beak."

Some of the jokes turned a bit dark. "Are you rushing towards the light? Hurry and take a quick communion on a mortgage with life insurance in just 1 click," one Redditor imagined. In other cases, commenters felt that the lack of windows could be dangerous in an emergency: "Everything's cool until the first disaster – the portholes let the rescuers see where the people are inside, and the people inside can understand where the hell to crawl to survive." Another user imagined a funny yet tragic scenario: "While the rescuers are figuring out where the people are, people are being shown ads from Yandex."

However, some people felt like the idea of a windowless space-age jet was just what they imagined the future would be like when they were children, and some felt that the displays would make longer journeys more entertaining. Either way, as we wait for the future to become the present, you can read about this emerging technology for cheaper short-distance flights. Or, find out more about the aviation news of today, such as the launch of the longest direct flight in the world.