Trip Report with Photos by The Travel Scholar (Page 8 of 8)
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Arrive Before You Leave It was all too soon that we left our supersonic cruise, descended, and landed at New York's JFK airport. In fact, it was so soon that we had travelled back in time! If you can recall my pre-flight commentary, British Airways says that you "chase the sun" when you fly Concorde, which allows you to arrive in New York before you leave London. After we landed, I checked the local time: 17:17 EDT (5:17pm), putting our arrival in New York a full 1 hour and 23 minutes BEFORE our 6:50pm GMT wheels-up departure time in London. That gave me plenty of time to visit the flight deck, have the captain and first officer sign my flight certificate, clear US immigration, claim my checked luggage, travel to my hotel, check-in, and arrive in my room without losing a single minute of my day. Neat! |
A Concorde pilot told me that our arrival into JFK that day was via the famous "Canarsie" approach, whereby they fly a tight turn visually just outside the perimeter of Jamaica Bay, only rolling the wings level just short of the runway. I was informed that this particular approach is used for noise abatement purposes and is much enjoyed by all of the Concorde flight crew as a bit of extra fun and challenge. He said that one can think of it as the opposite of the runway 31L departure that Concorde uses when flying BA 002 out of JFK, which is also enjoyed by flight crew as a handling challenge and "a bit of legitimate hooliganism." :-) It's this kind of flying that made Concorde such a unique and fun travel experience, and I get the impression that the flight crew enjoyed it just as much as we passengers did--if not even more!!
After landing, flight deck visits were available to anyone who requested them. During my visit, I found out that it's customary for the captain and first officer to take turns flying Concorde. The first officer had actually flown her all the way from London, and the captain would fly the BA 002 flight back to London the next day. Once again, no complimentary gifts or flight certificates were available on-board, so I was glad to have brought one of my own. Both the captain and the first officer signed it for me, and after a quick photo of the three of us, I offered some final words of thanks for yet another excellent Concorde experience.
My BA 001 on 04 May 2003 was flown with Concorde G-BOAD, and the flight crew were Captain Les Brodie, SFO Dave Byass, and SEO Peter Carrigan.
 "Thank you for flying Concorde." |
 The Travel Scholar with Concorde's captain and first officer. |
 My Concorde boarding card for BA 001 on 04 May 2003, Seat 11C |
 Concorde flight certificate, signed by the captain and first officer. |
Concorde Goodies
To close, here are some photos of the goodies taken, with permission, from my flights on Concorde:
 Briefing - Concorde's in-flight magazine. |
 Concorde: The Collection - Concorde's duty free catalogue. |
 Duty free catalogue page showing Concorde items: Keyring (45), Clock (65), & Cufflinks (35), Prices in GBP |
 Duty free catalogue page showing Concorde items: Money Clip (32.50), Bookmark (35), & Photo Frame (50) Prices in GBP |
 Welcome to the comfort of Concorde - seat instruction card (front) |
 Welcome to the comfort of Concorde - seat instruction card (back) |
 Concorde branded drink mats. |
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Here is the Concorde Room menu, which is identical to the in-flight menus in presentation and design:
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CONCORDE STATIONARY FOLDERS (ADDED 12 AUGUST 2003)
After I completed my roundtrip on Concorde, I decided to contact British Airways regarding the lack of Concorde stationary sets available on-board. I submitted my request, along with my flight numbers and dates of travel, using the "AskBA" feature on britishairways.com, and within a few days, a friendly customer relations executive sent this reply:
Thank you for contacting us by email. Sorry our crew on board your recent Concorde flights were unable to supply the stationary folders. At the moment, we are waiting for more of these kits to arrive. When they do, I will send you yours. I apologise for any inconvenience.
I sent them a brief follow-up in July, and on the 07th of August, two Concorde stationary folders arrived via post, thus rounding out a wonderful Concorde experience! Here are some photos of the distinctive Concorde stationary kits, made exclusively for Concorde by Smythson of Bond Street:
 The Smythson of Bond Street Concorde Stationary Folder |
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CONCLUSION
| When I told friends and family that I was going to London for the weekend, most of them asked, "Why?" When I told them it was just to fly on Concorde, they were often befuddled about why anyone would go anywhere for the sole purpose of flying on a plane. Perhaps this trip report will help them understand. Or, perhaps the Concorde experience can't be understood, except by the elite group of passengers who've experienced her for themselves. Many of my fellow Concorde passengers were doing the same thing that I was doing: making a special once-in-a-lifetime trip for the sole purpose of achieving a once-in-a-lifetime flying experience. It was a plane full of the ultimate travel junkies who are all after the ultimate experience mixed with a few Concorde regulars. I think we all agree: It was well worth it! |
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- The Travel Scholar (FlyerTalk.com) [Email Me]
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