WASHINGTON -- British Airways and Air France, citing an increase in
maintenance costs and a decrease in passengers, are retiring the
world's only supersonic passenger aircraft after nearly three
decades of flight.
Air France said it will stop flying the Concorde May 31 and will
retire it officially Oct. 31. British Airways also will officially
retire the aircraft Oct. 31, with its last flight taking off Oct.
25 from New York to London.
In the short term, however, 1,000 travelers will be able to
obtain what, for the Concorde, amounts to a good deal. British
Airways launched a first-come, first-served "Once in a Lifetime"
sale April 10 at prices that range from $2,999 one-way economy to
$5,499 one-way first class.
Tickets must be purchased by April 17 for outbound travel by
Sept. 6.
British Airways said its decision marked the "end of an era" for
an aircraft that flies at twice the speed of sound and shortens
transatlantic flight times to under four hours.
British Airways has carried more than 2.5 million passengers on
the aircraft since it began flying the Concorde in 1976. But Rod
Eddington, the airline's chief executive, said retiring the
aircraft is a "prudent business decision."
British Airways said it cannot justifying the aircraft's expense
"in the face of falling revenue caused by a global downtown in
demand for all forms of premium travel in the airline
industry."
At Air France, chairman Jean-Cyril Spinetta said "operating the
Concorde has become a severely and structurally loss-making
operation." Air France also began flying the Concorde in 1976.