Less than 20 years ago, passengers flew at Mach 2+ everyday. This video highlights how amazing the Concorde used to be.
The Concorde was and remains the fastest airliner to ever grace the skies. With a top speed of over Mach 2, the Concorde allowed businessmen to fly from London to New York for breakfast meetings and return home by dinner. It was super fast and super luxurious.
Unfortunately, the Concorde never took off in the commercial sense. In the late 1960s, airlines began to place orders for the model. But when oil prices hit record highs in the 1970s, every airline except for British Airways and Air France cancelled their orders. With only 12 in service across 2 airlines, the Concorde soldiered on as a symbol of affluence. That changed though on July 25th of 2000 when Air France Flight 4590 crashed. All 100 passengers and 9 crew members died in the accident caused by a burst tire that damaged an engine.
After a safety stand down and retrofit, the Concorde returned to service in 2001. Once again, bad timing hurt the Concorde as the September 11th attacks hindered the Concorde’s ability to return to profitability. After struggling for the next year and a half, Air France retired the Concorde in May of 2003. British Airways retired their fleet in October of 2003.
This video of a flight between New York JFK and London Heathrow was shot just a few months prior to the Concorde ceasing service. The captain of the Concorde does an amazing job of explaining the flight. It’s a must see.
