Branson offers £1 for Concorde

Yes, but these charters are all part of the “spread the word” ethos which has been important to keep Concorde’s profile high.

Also, for operatonal reasons, they always have a spare aircraft so they try to utilise it sometimes.

If the running costs are so high that there is no profit for BA how do Goodwood Travel stay in business? They’ve done it for years with Concorde charters and, I assume, they make money coz they’re still here!
One assumes (sorry I’m not an airline accountant) that BA were making money as well since they were providing the service…..

yep…airlines earn very little..from economy class….business and first is where they earn there big bucks.

Originally posted by Bhoy
did you know that filling the First Class cabin on an average Transatlantic flight covers the operating expenses of the whole flight, and whatever pax are in Club World/Economy are just profit?

You learn something new every day!

Originally posted by Bhoy
Kab, she’s talking about BA using Club World and First as cash cows…

did you know that filling the First Class cabin on an average Transatlantic flight covers the operating expenses of the whole flight, and whatever pax are in Club World/Economy are just profit?

As regards Concorde’s price, well, I dunno enough about the running costs and the restrictions on R class travel to comment.

oh ok thanx Bhoy for the correction…but still even in general terms i mean that.

Kab, she’s talking about BA using Club World and First as cash cows…

did you know that filling the First Class cabin on an average Transatlantic flight covers the operating expenses of the whole flight, and whatever pax are in Club World/Economy are just profit?

As regards Concorde’s price, well, I dunno enough about the running costs and the restrictions on R class travel to comment.

I disagree when u say BA uses the business sector as a cash cow. The operating cost of the Concorde is very high. The ones which you are arguing on are very much in BA hands…..but we have to remember the Concorde is over 30 yrs old. Its a BIG gas guzzler….. its maintanence cost hits the roof as spares for the Concorde are made specialy, which adds more cost. Above all these costs Concorde only seats a little over 100 passenegers…so they HAVE TO get these costs off them, otherwise the Concorde would have been grounded long back.

I have to disagree on the cost aspect;

there have always been Concorde charters available for a fraction of the cost of a regular ticket – if they were uneconomic they would not have been run.
In the late 80s I added a charter to a NY trip for an extra £500 over bucket-and-spade. Bargain!
BA have always used the business market as a cash cow – business and first fares are so many multiples of the cheap rate it isn’t true. Can anyone explain why you have to pay 10 times as much to get three times the space? Like one-ways – why is one way double the roundtrip? Nonsense accounting.
As for not filling the bird now – why did fares go up when they came back into service? Before the crash I think it was around £6500 return – now it is £8000?
They do because they can.

What I never understood is Richards Branson’s obsession on Concordes. Does he really want to get one or is it just a marketing trick to take the nerves at his Favourite Airline (British Airways)

If he is really serious about it… what profit will he ever generate out of a Concorde? Especially at this period where the Airline Industry (and the global economies in general) are passing through crisis.

Concorde’s are old, and expensive, they had their time, they wrote history, they broke the barriers and revolutionised the airline industry. But I strongly believe their time has passed, and they should retire with grace and glory instead of operating and struggling with Virgin Atlantic.

And remember the Air France 2000 accident.. the older they get… the more likely that will happen again..

I think he is bluffing when he says he wants a concorde..

Originally posted by T5

Obviously, prices have to be slightly higher than usual with Concorde offering just 100 seats and other aircraft crossing the Atlantic having in excess of 300, but if all the fancy service was dropped, prices could then be dropped and consequently… more would choose to fly Concorde.

Not sure I agree on that one. BA only have a few Concordes available and they were, pretty much, able to fill them all up when charging very high prices. Why on earth would they lower prices?

It is a shame though, £8,000 is way too much for most people, myself included. That could conceivably take a family of 4 on the same route in business class on a 747 – if I were a successful family man, I know which option I’d take!

Yup, and the lack of support. With BA’s current position economics had to prevail.
Although I have stuck up for Branson, I think he would be a fool to get the aircraft and he knows it. He says he could make it profitable, yeah sure :rolleyes:

Originally posted by kev35
Michael.

I don’t know very much about the technical aspects of operating an aircraft like Concorde but I would imagine the greatest costs are from fuel and maintenance. I very much doubt that swapping ‘champagne and caviar’ for beans on toast and a cup of tea would make that much difference to the profitability of the aircraft.. I would imagine that level of service was just a sop to encourage you that your flight was ‘something special.’

Regards,

kev35

maintanence is the biggest cost factor for the Concorde.

Michael.

I don’t know very much about the technical aspects of operating an aircraft like Concorde but I would imagine the greatest costs are from fuel and maintenance. I very much doubt that swapping ‘champagne and caviar’ for beans on toast and a cup of tea would make that much difference to the profitability of the aircraft.. I would imagine that level of service was just a sop to encourage you that your flight was ‘something special.’

Regards,

kev35

Originally posted by T5
Sorry, I was editing that post as you replied to it, Kabir! 🙂

no prob…the reply would have stayed almost the same!:)

Sorry, I was editing that post as you replied to it, Kabir! 🙂

Originally posted by T5
What I want to know is…

HOW ON EARTH WILL WE COPE WITHOUT SUPERSONIC AIR TRAVEL?

Michael, unless you were a frequent flyer on Concorde I think most people will manage just fine. It was an elitist concept aimed at a minute fraction of the air-travelling public. And its inception condemned the TSR2 project to an early demise, an aircraft that would have been far more useful to the nation than seven airframes whose main role seems to have been to ensure the ‘class’ gap remained an unbreachable one.

Regards,

kev35

Originally posted by T5
What I want to know is…

HOW ON EARTH WILL WE COPE WITHOUT SUPERSONIC AIR TRAVEL?

Like we have been ding for the past 100 years……only a few people have expericed supersonic travel…99% fly the normal thing.

I would question how we are going to cope without supersonic air travel. It’s not yet been confirmed whether or not Virgin Atlantic will be getting hold of some of the aircraft, but even if they do, it’s not going to be until another supersonic aircraft is introduced which could be at least 10 years away.

Although Concorde is over 30 years old and something I’ve never benefitted from, I think… and I say it a lot… I think it is a step backwards technologically. One day we can get to New York in 3.25 hours and the next, it takes 7!

With regard to the prices – British Airways have always charged too much for a flight on the aircraft. People want to get to New York quickly, not have to fork out several hundred pounds in supplements to sample some champagne and stuff their faces with jars of caviar!

Obviously, prices have to be slightly higher than usual with Concorde offering just 100 seats and other aircraft crossing the Atlantic having in excess of 300, but if all the fancy service was dropped, prices could then be dropped and consequently… more would choose to fly Concorde.

Was this a shrewd business move by BA? reading this mornings paper I see that flights are almost fully booked for the rest of Concordes active life. It might even make a profit.

Mongu

I quite agree with you about sustained losses, I think Branson was making fun of BA when he offered to buy Concorde for a £1, I dont think the likes of Branson need that kind of prestige.

Why do we refer to Concorde in the singular?

Dave

I think BA always viewed it as a “loss leader” that added prestige to the fleet. As long as it broke even, they didn’t mind. A profit was a nice bonus. But sustained losses are not on really!

Branson will see it in the same way.