Has anyone flown on the Concorde?

The subject of the speed of sound and "sonic booms" came up at work and I mentioned the Concorde to "the kids" (20 something) and they were at a loss.

technical explanation.. blah.. blah.. blah..

and how I missed my chance (raisng a family - no money..) to do a Concord one way and a cruise ship back - sounds like the experience of a life time. Anyone have a personal experience on the Concorde?

Jim

Yes I have flown on the Concorde. My husband is a retired airline employee. When Piedmont was operational, they had a deal with a reduced rate of $300 on space available. My husband wanted to go, so we did. :) The Concorde also flew into Rochester when he was working there, brought the Prince in for some golf thing and he got to go in the plane and his photo in front of it with his arm extended up toward the nose was on his tool box for years.

My Dad and I flew a chartered Concorde in 1985 from London to the Oshkosh airshow, with a stop at JFK for fuel and to clear Customs and Immigration. The British pound was very weak against the dollar, and combined with chartered rates it worked out to about $700. (Travel from LAX-LHR and OSH-SNA extra). Very memorable trip, my Dad's first time to England.

Since the flight was full of pilots and aviation nuts, the captain gave very technical commentary during each phase of the flight...along with visits to the flight deck.

The JFK-OSH flight was subsonic of course, but still about 30 minutes faster...nice touch-and-go on arrival with 3 or 4 flybys. This was the first time Concorde came to Oshkosh and it became an annual happening.

We did the Concorde in 1994 as part of a dream trip to England. We live near IAD, so we had watched her fly over many times. We had been saving some of a stock market killing to do what we had long wished--cross on the QE2 and return supersonic. We had to wait a few years until the kids were old enough to remember it! We booked Princess Grill on the Queen to get free return on the Concorde. I had dreams/nightmares for months before the trip--how could we spend so much money on a vacation? What if some of us were seasick the whole time? What is the kids hated the whole thing? Well, none of us were sick. The kids learned a lot in London--they now love visiting there on their own. The entire trip went from to high point to high point. Even the end was great. Hanging out in the Concorde/First Class Lounge at Heathrow--all that great vintage champagne and wine. Actually flying on the Concorde--huge amount of legroom compared to domestic FC today. (I did bump my head when standing up in my window seat, and I'm only 5' tall!) The best food I've ever had on a plane, and the wine! 1975 bordeaux--I boasted about it at the local wine shop, and they were green! (My memories would be more precise if I hadn't enjoyed the wine so much! ) After all my worrying, I can definitely say that I have never regretted a penny that we spent on that trip. I only regret that I lost so much sleep worrying about it. Ten years later we repeated the experience by crossing on the QM2 in her maiden season. (Queen's Grill that time.) The kids were grown, but they had just as much fun, and I could turn them loose in London. (DD had spent a summer there during college.) Sadly, the Concorde was no longer an option. I will always be happy that we seized the opportunity when we had it.

YES! It was fabulous! We will never forget it. We did the air/cruise combination.

They left the door to the cockpit open so that we could look in and watch the pilots. The plane was so narrow and the walls so curved that you could hardly stand up straight in the restroom. I don't really like caviar but I told my Husband I am on the Concorde so I MUST have champagne and caviar for breakfast!

We had reservations for second air/cruise on the Concorde; unfortunately, just weeks before we were supposed to depart they were all taken out of service because of the crash.

Twice-almost totally free trip the first time. Porsche was promoting tickets in 1994 for $699.00 Concorde trips if you filled out the credit app, took a test drive and listened to the salesman try to sell you the Porsche. Had no use for the Porsche but sure wanted those Concorde tickets. We booked the return trip on QE2 (December). As it turned out, this was the "disaster" cruise out of Southampton. QE2 had been retrofitted but the refit was not finished when we boarded. There were workers all over, giant rolls of carpet all over, some toilets and showers didn't work, furniture piled up all over. There were lots of VERY unhappy cruisers. Ship was impounded in NY harbor by the Coast Guard until it could be checked out. Cunard refunded everyone's fare that filled out the form and we also got a voucher for either a free cruise or a heavily discounted cruise. So the entire luxury vacation was less than $2000 total.

Second time was going to be the same trip-Concorde to London via FF miles, QE 2 return to NY. Tickets had been booked for both the cruise and Concorde. THEN, BA made the announcement the were shutting down Concorde. I begged and begged to be able to get my miles ticket. They were selling every seat because there were so many people who wanted to fly Concorde. Finally, BA said give us a date and we will try to accommodate. I said anytime between June 1 and August 20. They called back about 5 days later and said take it or leave it. Friday, June 13, 2003.

One nice thing BA did on those final flights that they did not do in 1994-if you wanted to go in the cockpit, you could exit the plane, get back in line, go into the cockpit and get your pictures taken with the pilots and ask questions. One guy on our flight was a FedEx cargo pilot. Before the flight, all he could talk about was seeing the cockpit and meeting the pilots. His party must have gotten pretty boozed up-they walked off the plane and just kept walking down the jetway. I bet he is still kicking himself in the butt.

One little known Concorde fact: In 1984, IIRC, Concorde landed at SAC in Omaha.

Nicky Rhodes of Duran Duran married the daughter of the founder of Younkers Dept St (Nordstroms of the Midwest). Concorde flew into Omaha, picked up the entire wedding party and guests and flew to England for the wedding. When they flew back to Omaha, they allowed the locals to go out and look at the plane, inside and out. Big news in the Midwest 20+ years ago.

I think that on our flight in 1994 EVERYONE (except the crew and our kids) was pretty boozed up! The wine was too good. But the steward offered to take the kids (12 and 8) to the cockpit. Of course I followed and took photos. The pilots were pretty uncomfortable as this was now against the rules. But I still got to see the cockpit!

I've heard a lot (mostly on this site!) about the tight restrooms. Despite the wine none of us tried them, so I can't comment. When the terrible crash happened the kids reacted as they never have before or since. It was as if they owned a piece of the plane. They realized how lucky they were to have had the experience (as do I).

I've also read about that awful crossing on the QE2. I wondered how they could let so many board when accommodations clearly weren't ready. They probably needed to get the ship to NYC to start the RTW cruise, but paying off the affected passengers before they got on the ship probably wouldn't have cost too much more and would have saved a fortune in bad publicity.

If you're ever in Barbados go visit the concord. An interesting museum.

I've been on the Concorde in a unique way. Never flown it across the ocean, but back in 1998 when I was a wee 14 year old, BA flew a Concorde to Oshkosh for the EAA show. They offered the chance to fly a 60 minute flight, including going up over Canada to punch it in to supersonic (US wouldn't let them) and come back to Oshkosh. Needless to say it was amazing.

Yes, the flew the Concorde from Dulles to Dallas on a business trip. Can't remember the year. Very nice flight and had a great dinner aboard. It was a once in a lifetime experience.

Yes, I did a LHR-JFK-LHR round-trip in July 2003. It was after the retirement announcement, so I was very lucky to get a pair of award seats for this for a weekend trip to NYC. It was a very special trip, particularly for my companion (for sentimental family reasons).

Yes, years ago when Cunard offered a really good deal when taking it OW and QE2 the other. Once when we flew to London we flew on a (maybe 747, but I don't remember the aircraft), but 1st class. I'd rather spend 7 hrs in 1st class on a 747 or similar then 3 hrs on the Concorde. 1st class in a "regular" transAtlantic aircraft was MUCH more comfortable then the Concorde.

I've also read about that awful crossing on the QE2. I wondered how they could let so many board when accommodations clearly weren't ready. They probably needed to get the ship to NYC to start the RTW cruise, but paying off the affected passengers before they got on the ship probably wouldn't have cost too much more and would have saved a fortune in bad publicity.

It was only truly awful for those who expected perfection and couldn't roll with the punches and a limited few in the lower decks who truly did have some plumbing problems and no water at times. We were in cabin 2004 in the very bow of the boat. We LOVE to rock and roll and the wilder the ocean, the more we enjoy it no matter what ship. 2004 is one of the few cabins with TWO portholes and larger than quite a few others in the same (cheap) category.

The repair work was going on from the top down. Queens/Princess Grill passengers cabins were complete. LOTS of complaining about the carpet rolls (walk around them, you dummy). I will admit those in the lower decks had some very nasty plumbing problems. LOTS of complaints about the workers trying to fix the ship-what??? They are trying to help-leave them alone and quit your b***ching. There definitely were some legitimate complaints. But we had a ball. The AC worked, the heat worked throughout the ship. Much better than those on that Carnival ship recently where they ended up sleeping on the open decks because there was no AC, heat or lights.

And since everyone got their money back if they filled out the paperwork, all the food they could eat, lots of free drinks (almost all of them other than a few beers for DH from room service) and lots of commentary from the Captain about problems and what was happening as far as finishing the retrofit, if you weren't in the diva category, it was a darn good trip even with all the warts. And there is nothing quite so spectacular in all of cruisedom as sailing under the Verranzano and up the Hudson. With all those on deck when we arrived NYC, I think just that truly spectacular sight made a lot of them forget what they "endured" on probably the most famous ship in the world. I know I sure wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Yes, years ago when Cunard offered a really good deal when taking it OW and QE2 the other. Once when we flew to London we flew on a (maybe 747, but I don't remember the aircraft), but 1st class. I'd rather spend 7 hrs in 1st class on a 747 or similar then 3 hrs on the Concorde. 1st class in a "regular" transAtlantic aircraft was MUCH more comfortable then the Concorde.

My dear departed DH would agree with you. In 1994, Concorde had Budweiser. In 2003, they had a HUGE selection of beer but DH was a devoted Miller/Budweiser drinker and no American beer or anything close on that flight (hated champagne and very, very rarely drank hard liquor). So in 2003, he drank soda all the way to London on Concorde. He wasn't particularly happy since I was having a great time drinking a lot of the Piper Heidseick champagne they had, enjoying the caviar (another thing he hated). He did enjoy the meal and the special services in LHR getting through Immigration.

We flew back BA first class. They had Bud. He was happy. And I will admit, the service in FC on BA in lie flats and actually restrooms that you don't worry about getting stuck in (I always think of the movie "Tommy Boy") is very, very nice. But to go supersonic, fly high enough to see the curvature of the earth and that fast takeoff from JFK-priceless.

Yes, years ago when Cunard offered a really good deal when taking it OW and QE2 the other. Once when we flew to London we flew on a (maybe 747, but I don't remember the aircraft), but 1st class. I'd rather spend 7 hrs in 1st class on a 747 or similar then 3 hrs on the Concorde. 1st class in a "regular" transAtlantic aircraft was MUCH more comfortable then the Concorde.

My dear departed DH would agree with you. In 1994, Concorde had Budweiser. In 2003, they had a HUGE selection of beer but DH was a devoted Miller/Budweiser drinker and no American beer or anything close on that flight (hated champagne and very, very rarely drank hard liquor). So in 2003, he drank soda all the way to London on Concorde. He wasn't particularly happy since I was having a great time drinking a lot of the Piper Heidseick champagne they had, enjoying the caviar (another thing he hated). He did enjoy the meal and the special services in LHR getting through Immigration.

We flew back BA first class. They had Bud. He was happy. And I will admit, the service in FC on BA in lie flats and actually restrooms that you don't worry about getting stuck in (I always think of the movie "Tommy Boy") is very, very nice. But to go supersonic, fly high enough to see the curvature of the earth and that fast takeoff from JFK-priceless.

Sorry about the duplicate post. I am at the airport going home to AZ and the wifi is acting up I guess. Can't delete the dup post.

Thanks for all your replies, one bucket list item that will never happen,

Jim

I'd rather spend 7 hrs in 1st class on a 747 or similar then 3 hrs on the Concorde. 1st class in a "regular" transAtlantic aircraft was MUCH more comfortable then the Concorde.

For a three hour flight, you don't need heaps of comfort. The seats on Concorde were very comfortable for a flight of that duration, and significantly better than almost all that you'll find on similar duration flights in Europe. And, of course, the food and drink were of a very good quality by airline catering standards.

I did my own legroom test on the Concorde. (I had heard about it being cramped.) I found that I could stick my legs out straight in front of me and just miss touching the seat in front. I am 5'0' tall. I tried the same test on Delta and United domestic first in 1996 and the legroom was about the same. It's certainly not like that now! But I don't bump my head when I stand up while waiting at my seat as I did on the Concorde. The Concorde flight was so short that none of us tried the restroom, despite our liberal consumption of the champagne, '75 Bordeaux, and vintage port. (That trip inspired us to begin putting away vintage port for special occasions. This has reminded me that I need to get a bottle for our new granddaughter for her 21 st in 2034. Just hope that I am around and able to share!)

LHR-JFK in September 2002, a present from my father for finishing boarding school. Very nearly did it again in 2003 once the retirement was announced but decided against it. Was glad I got to do it the traditional way to be honest, getting to NY for a second breakfast (after the retirement was announced they changed BA001 to an evening flight) and without the "Disney" atmosphere I heard described that the final flights had as those who hadn't done it yet emptied savings accounts to fly. I heard that on some flights there was continual line of people waiting to have their photos taken in front of the Marilake displays and service was interrupted non-stop.

I'm now living in New York and would appreciate the quick trip home...

http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/trip_reports/read.main/107383

Apologies for the broken image links but the photos can be seen here.

https://fbgd.shutterfly.com/2272

I did my own legroom test on the Concorde. (I had heard about it being cramped.) I found that I could stick my legs out straight in front of me and just miss touching the seat in front. I am 5'0' tall. I tried the same test on Delta and United domestic first in 1996 and the legroom was about the same. It's certainly not like that now!

Concorde was 38" pitch which is about the same as regular domestic first class in the US on non-premium routes.

Flying on Concorde was never about comfort. It was about speed. For example, it was about being able to get out of bed in London, go to the airport, fly to a meeting in New York, go back to the airport, fly back to London, and get back into your own bed that night.

 

For a three hour flight, you don't need heaps of comfort. The seats on Concorde were very comfortable for a flight of that duration, and significantly better than almost all that you'll find on similar duration flights in Europe. And, of course, the food and drink were of a very good quality by airline catering standards.

Wasn't that why Fergie (Duchess of something) flew Concorde almost daily for about 2-3 months-she needed to be in NY for Weightwatchers, Larry King and guest host on other shows but wanted to be home with her daughters at night? Even at that speed, I can't say I would like doing it every day.

Thanks for all your replies, one bucket list item that will never happen

Technology just changes the bucket list, that's all: http://www.virgingalactic.com/booking/

@fbgd- Thanks for the link to your photos...evoked a lot of memories!

@greatam- I forgot about the kick in the pants when the afterburners ("reheat" in English) were turned on to accelerate to mach cruise. Also the bumpy approach that felt like a cobblestone road due to airflow over the wings.

In case anyone is interested, Smithsonian channel has a very good documentary called "Concorde: Flying Supersonic." I have never been on the Concorde, and I found the program fascinating. Perhaps it will bring back memories for those of you who have been on it.

I heard that on some flights there was continual line of people waiting to have their photos taken in front of the Marilake displays ...