Dholmes wrote:

[snip]

One thing that might get the industry going is to sell the shuttles instead
of retiring them. Then the risk falls to the people willing to fly them and
they could with modifications carry a lot of people.

I seiously doubt that anyone would privately operate the shuttles on
an economic basis. Concorde barely cut it, in known markets. (albeit
limited by sonic boom restrictions to mostly over-water routes) The
orbiters just cost too much to operate.