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    $\begingroup$ Is this answer meaning to say, among other things, that business jet are not actually flying faster than airliners for the most part, they are just flying at higher altitude and therefore higher Mach for the same TAS? I can't quite tell. $\endgroup$
    – quiet flyer
    Commented Feb 17, 2023 at 1:21
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    $\begingroup$ @quietflyer If that's what the answer says, it doesn't make sense - since above tropopause (36k feet), the temperature and therefore the speed of sound are constant. This means that a particular Mach no. always corresponds to a particular TAS; so an airliner flying at M0.8 at 36k feet travels at the same TAS as a corporate jet at M0.8 at 50k feet. $\endgroup$
    – Aditya Sharma
    Commented Feb 17, 2023 at 6:26
  • $\begingroup$ "an aircraft that can cruise at 45,000 ft can get better efficiency from its engines then one that can only cruise at 35,000ft" are you sure that the fuel consumption is lower at higher altitude? $\endgroup$
    – sophit
    Commented Feb 17, 2023 at 15:11
  • $\begingroup$ @sophit - yes I am sure. Do you have any reason to doubt it? $\endgroup$
    – Paul Smith
    Commented Feb 17, 2023 at 15:24
  • $\begingroup$ No reason to doubt, but I have in mind that higher than sone 36'000ft the fuel consumption remains more or less constant but maybe I'm just remembering it wrong. $\endgroup$
    – sophit
    Commented Feb 17, 2023 at 15:58