A California-based flight firm says its jet can take you from the Big Apple to the Orient in half the amount of time it would take to watch Titanic.

XCOR Aerospace claims its Lynx spacecraft can travel at a speed of more than 2,500 mph - and dozens of miles above the earth - before safely landing at an airport.

It would be the fastest commercial flight since the days of the Concorde.

Business Insider reported that work continues on a prototype of the jet, but portions of the aircraft have been released to the public, including testing of Lynx's supersonic engine last week.

When finished and successfully tested, the company will begin marketing the world’s quickest flights on a jet that takes off and lands like the 747s of today.

XCOR COO Andrew Nelson told the reporters that flights between Tokyo and New York are likely to be available within the next 20 years.

XCOR is one of several companies developing suborbital vehicles for commercial space tourist flights.

Lynx, a two-seater craft, will be able to take off and land at standard airports and unlike other spacecraft it will be a reusable space plane, capable of making up to four trips per day.

It will take a pilot and passenger to the edge of space for a few minutes of microgravity and the ultimate view of the Earth.

XCOR anticipates beginning space tourist flights on the new plane in 2013, with tickets selling for $95,000 per person.

(Read by Brian Salter. Brian Salter is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)

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(Agencies)