CONCORDE UNIQUE

At the grand finale of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee celebrations in 2002, more than a million revellers packed the streets of central London, each appearing to immediately recognize the beautiful, delta-winged shape of Concorde as it roared overhead. But how many of those spectators would have recognized the interior of Concorde? What did it look like? And how did it feel to live the high life 10 miles up? During the Concorde era, advertising programmes focused on the amazing exterior outline of the fuselage of the world’s only supersonic passenger airliner. The interior of this flying miracle, however, was far more conventional. When Concorde was introduced into commercial service in 1976, passengers commented most frequently on the lack of space in the cabin, or that it was much smaller than they had expected. As you boarded the aircraft, the first words from the flight attendants were likely to be ‘Mind your head, please!’, or ‘Attention à la tête, s’il vous plaît!’ The entryway door, located just behind the ‘needlenose’ cockpit area, was smaller than those of today’s commercial jets; average-size North Atlantic business travellers had to bow their heads on entering the Concorde cabin.

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FLYING AT HIGH ALTITUDE

Concorde had two cabins, at the front and the rear, seating 40 and 60 passengers respectively. Galleys and lavatories were located behind the cockpit and between the cabins. The seats were configured at a 37- or 38-inch (93.98- or 96.52-centimetre) pitch and positioned in a 2+2 layout, that is, two passengers sitting next to each other on each side of the aisle. The overall effect was streamlined and non-fussy. Although there was less space than in the Business Class cabins of subsonic transatlantic aircraft, the length of time spent on board was considerably shorter, so passenger discomfort was rare. Some people described the general feeling of being on board Concorde as comparable to that of sitting at a restaurant table for dinner or attending a theatre performance.

Concorde flew to New York from Paris or London in about 3.5 hours, so with the 5- or 6-hour time difference, passengers ‘arrived before they left’ (hence its nickname of ‘the Time Machine’). Passengers who were new to Concorde often asked whether it would be an exhausting experience to fly at about twice the speed of sound, and at twice the height of Mount Everest. Concorde regulars, however, were quick to explain that a supersonic flight in many ways resembled a half-day trip in an ultra-luxurious land vehicle or super-yacht.

THE SUPERSONIC SALON IN THE SKY

‘Many passengers were disappointed with the space provided, compared with a Boeing B747,’ said Gerry Draper, who, as Marketing Director at British Airways, headed the commercial development of Concorde. ‘We therefore claimed that the experience was similar to an E-Type Jaguar, compared with a Rolls-Royce.’

But what about the employees? ‘To make the Concorde crews feel special,’ Gerry Draper explained, ‘we commissioned the Queen’s couturier, Hardy Amies, to design a distinctive, executive-style grey uniform for the flight attendants. The aim was to develop a Concorde cabin ambience that would be special and different from that normally experienced by passengers who were accustomed to flying on subsonic services.’

The vertical cross-section of the supersonic passenger cabin was not very different from that of today’s 50-seat regional jets; that is, there was just enough room, in general terms, for adult passengers to walk along the aisle comfortably, with a few inches of clearance above the head. At a width of 16 inches (40.64 centimetres), however, the Concorde aisle was a rather tight fit for anyone who was larger than average! The overhead stowage bins accommodated small briefcases and carry-on luggage, but there was no space for big, rolling suitcases. And it is hard to remember that, in the very early days of service, the Concorde bins were even shallower, offering just enough capacity to hold a thin document portfolio and a bowler hat. During the pre-flight boarding routine, when customer service agents offered to stow bulky items in a ‘special closet’, passengers happily handed over fancy fur coats, reptile-skin attaché cases, Ascot finery and fat rolls of documents labelled ‘Strictly Confidential’. But were they aware that their precious possessions might be stowed in cargo hold number five? (On arrival at the destination airport, these stowed items were given priority on the jetway bridge, to be reunited with their owners as if by magic.)

British Airways Concorde Flight Deck

Although some sales brochures explained that the Concorde cabin would stretch by approximately 7 to 10 inches (17.78 to 25.40 centimetres) during the flight due to heating of the airframe, they neglected to inform passengers that because of this stretching, the bi-fold doors of some of the lavatories were prone to getting stuck, particularly during the mid-Atlantic section of the journey. Invariably, it seemed that the grandest titled names were the ones who got trapped, and noisy dramas ensued. An early solution to this problem was to reduce the vertical measurement of the door panels, to ensure smooth clearance within the door-frame aperture.

Another Concorde conundrum was that of the mysteriously shrinking carpet! Imperceptibly, the carpet would inch back from the rear-facing front wall and creep toward the toes of the unsuspecting passengers seated in the first row of the cabin. As the bare flooring started to reveal itself, there would be heated debates as to whether too much champagne had been imbibed. Eventually, the ground crews refined the installation procedures and established a way to stop the directional ‘pull movement’ from dragging the first few inches of carpet toward the back of the aircraft.

The panes of the windows on Concorde were smaller than those of modern commercial aircraft. The measurement from top to bottom was about one adult hand span, approximately the stretch of an octave interval on a piano keyboard. However, the carefully structured contours of the window frame, and the positioning of the pull-down window shade — at 4 inches (10.16 centimetres) in front of the actual window pane — helped to create the impression of greater overall dimensions and to offset possible feelings of claustrophobia. Many regular passengers liked to sit next to the windows because, when the aircraft reached its cruising altitude, they were presented with a unique view of the curvature of the Earth and the unforgettable indigo shading of the horizon. The impact of this mind-opening visual experience, along with the fact that flights were almost turbulence-free and the swooshing sounds of the engines were soothing, are among the reasons given by passengers for their feelings of well-being when they arrived at their destinations. On this topic, Gerry Draper provided further information: ‘We used to feature the cabin environment as “Like a Spring Morning,” because Concorde is the only airliner with a strong fuselage, enabling it to be pressurized to ground level. Hence you do not suffer from the oxygen starvation that builds up on subsonic flights and makes a major contribution to jet lag.’

Left: Note the Concorde window details. The tiny windowpane measures only 6.50 inches (16.51 centimetres) high and 4.50 inches (11.43 centimetres) wide. But the carefully contoured, 'bezel-shape' surrounding frame, with an integrated pull-down window-shade, creates the impression of larger overall dimensions — a 'trompe l'oeil' effect.

On a typical Concorde Atlantic crossing, on both scheduled and charter services, passengers were served a morning meal, lunch or dinner. The deluxe menus featured gourmet delicacies, including caviar, tiger prawns, trout, fillet of beef, seasonal fresh fruits and handmade confectioneries, accompanied by renowned champagnes and wines — all presented on damask linen and the finest china. If they preferred, passengers could request a single-tray light meal, incorporating a fresh fruit starter and a cold plate, to allow more time for resting or working during the flight.

Add to this scenario the excitement of feeling a slight ‘push in the back’ as the aircraft passed through Mach 1 and accelerated to Mach 2, twice the speed of sound, as displayed on the Machmeter located at the front of each cabin (as shown in this Case Study); the sheer glamour of being cocooned in the exclusive, club-like companionship of the great, the good and the unusual; and the indescribable thrill of having lifted off from the face of planet Earth to hurtle toward the edges of space, travelling faster than a rifle bullet!

British Airways Concorde Machmeter

The cost: Critics pointed to the Concorde surcharge of about 20 per cent above the normal first-class fare. But paying about US$1,000 extra to fly one way on Concorde was of absolutely no concern to top-level business executives whose companies operated on the principle of ‘time is money’. When there was twice-daily service, some devotees took the out-and-back trip within the day; in this way, they argued, they could avoid paying for costly hotel accommodation and save a significant amount of money. Passengers could enjoy similar savings by making same-day connections at either end of their route.

Air France Concorde Bag Tag

Air France Concorde Stationery

Air France Concorde Luggage Label

Air France Concorde Wine List

AIR FLAIR

To meet the expectations of this most elite of all market segments, there were, over the years, many ingenious efforts on the part of designers to create the impression of greater roominess within the relatively cramped cabin dimensions. During the mid-1970s, for the Concorde proving flights, the test-aircraft flew a tan-coloured, corporate-style decor scheme described by some enthusiasts as ‘the Barbarella style’ — referring to the voluptuous curves of the horizontal rolls of leather that cushioned the happy travellers. On the British Airways aircraft during the early years of commercial service, there was also a business-look theme, though this tended to be rather more precise, more ‘Anglo-Saxon style’, characterized by flat, horizontal stripes set in solid parallel lines across the seat backs.

In 1985, as part of the corporate-identity change that preceded the move to privatization, British Airways launched an exciting new decor scheme for its Concorde fleet. Designed by Landor Associates, the main feature was the use of an ultra-sophisticated combination of silvery-grey leather and a complementary ‘limo fabric’ wrapped around the central insert panel of the seat back (as shown earlier in this Case Study). The foams of the seats were resculptured to provide greater lumbar support and to look and feel more rounded and streamlined, and the armrests were given extra padding. The overall styling was based on treatments associated with Lamborghini and Maserati super-luxury sports cars. Almost immediately, this new look became synonymous with high-end business, and in various parts of the world, airlines began to install copycat grey seat covers.

During the mid-1990s, Air France introduced a new interior scheme on its Concorde fleet. Designed by Andrée Putman, this featured crisp, white, linen-style ‘hoods’ covering the top section of the seat backs (as shown in this Case Study), a classic treatment frequently seen in high-class restaurants or in the dining rooms of grand country mansions. The seats themselves were covered in grey. Small navy-blue triangles were incorporated as a decorative motif on various accessories and to highlight the aisle lines of the carpet. (This motif has a distinguished provenance: the sloping line of the triangle shape accords directly with the navy-blue element of the Air France logo, which is shown in Chapter 4/Aero Identity; this in turn derives from the graphic combination displayed on the French national flag.)

Left: The crème-de-la-crème clientele of Concorde deserved the very best that the aviation world could offer. As described in this Case Study, the Air France Concorde featured menus prepared by the celebrated French chef Alain Ducasse and special, collectible menu covers with fashion-fantasy artwork, such as this souvenir giveaway, created by the Haute Couture fashion designer Christian Lacroix.

Diane Cornman, Manager, Corporate Communications, explained that Air France used the Concorde image to promote concepts of French-style cuisine and technology: ‘The exterior of the aircraft and its supersonic performance are certainly unique and well known. Inside the cabin, we try to create an equally unique travel environment. For example, our flight attendants arrive at the airport wearing their standard uniforms. Before boarding Concorde, they change into special ensembles that are compatible with the interior decor of the aircraft.

Air France Concorde Inflight Cabin Service

Diane Cornman continues, 'The dining experience can be memorable despite the constraints of supersonic flight. In conjunction with Alain Ducasse, we have run programmes that show French cuisine at its best. At the beginning of the millennium, Mr Ducasse prepared westbound lunch menus including foie gras, canard confit and Brittany lobster with Osetra caviar. For eastbound brunch, the à la carte menu offered scrambled eggs with truffles, foie gras with truffles, and lobster with reduced tomato purée and truffles. Importantly, the Concorde crews also received half-day training courses in Alain Ducasse’s kitchens to meet his high standards of service and presentation.

'At other times, French design has been featured through a series of menu covers designed by Christian Lacroix. The series was greatly appreciated and was offered to passengers as collectible items' (as shown in this Case Study and in the Air France Picture Gallery attached; the full insert pages providing details of Concorde dining services are displayed in the Menu Cards Picture Gallery attached to Chapter 6/Dining à la Jet Set).

There was an initial outburst of enthusiasm and admiration when, in spring 2001, Boeing unveiled its plans to build a new aircraft called the Sonic Cruiser. The diagram on the drawing board, enticingly futuristic, immediately evoked comparisons with Concorde, and many travellers around the world began to ponder the implications of transferring their loyalty to a new, wide-bodied Goddess of the Skies. Sadly, this twin-aisled deity did not transcend the drawing board, so Concorde’s supremacy remained unchallenged.

Although it had been developed decades earlier, the Concorde look continued to provide great inspiration well into the new millennium. For example, in the US, when the carrier JetBlue commenced operations in the year 2000, flying an all-new single-aircraft-type fleet, it proudly advertised grey full-leather seat covers from the nose to the tail of the single-aisle Airbus A320 — and this was a low-cost, low-fare, all-one-class, no-frills service!

During the grounding, British Airways implemented an interior-upgrade programme with a budget of US$21 million. Factory, a creative design agency in West London, developed the cabin scheme, working with Sir Terence Conran. But this redesign was not simply a new marketing platform. New safety requirements included Kevlar lining installed inside Concorde's fuel tanks, so the new cabin scheme had to achieve comparable weight reduction to counterbalance these modifications.

Below: In 2001, British Airways implemented a new Concorde cabin treatment designed by Factory, working with Sir Terence Conran. It featured shades of indigo, beige and off-white. Glove-soft leather was used for the seat covers, tray-table surrounds, seat-back literature pockets and the panelling treatment on the cabin dividers. Concorde’s seats were only 17 inches (43.18 centimetres) wide, similar to the width of typical economy-class seats.

Discreetly opulent, the replacement Concorde seats were specially contoured to include a cradle mechanism, a new footrest, an adjustable headrest and easier access to the seat-recline and inflight entertainment (IFE) control pad. In addition, a small amount of extra under-seat stowage space became available. The newly installed leather seat covers were a purplish blue, a powerful shade that resonated with the awe-inspiring colour on the planetary horizon line (as shown in this Case Study).

There were also matching glossy leather ‘bumper’ surrounds on the drop-down extendable meal tray-tables (similar to the treatment developed by Pan Am in the late 1980s for the console in the First Class cabin of the Boeing B747 fleet, as shown in the Pan Am Blue Case Study, attached to Chapter 4/Aero Identity).

Once again there were stripes in action. On the carpet, as an integral element of the grey scheme, there had previously been a red Speedwing line running from the nose to the tail of the aircraft, down the aisle, close to the lines of the seats. This was replaced with transverse stripes running from one side of the cabin to the other. There was a new Concorde blanket in a pale creamy colour, made from ultra-fine fabric, which folded as small as a pashmina shawl; its pattern displayed elegant stripes in a reverse version of those on the carpet. The pale colour was also used for the curtains and for the flat leather-finish panelling treatment that appeared on the cabin dividers.

Although there was no move to install in-seat power-supply outlets, movie screens or individual TV sets, there was a general consensus that the new-millennium approach was well up to the personal-comfort standards originally envisioned by the Concorde pioneers.

British Airways Concorde Boarding Pass and Flight Certificate

In November 2001, Air France and British Airways resumed Concorde schedules to New York, but this was shortly after the catastrophic terrorist attacks in USA on 11 September, 2001; world airline revenue was falling precipitously because of the massive air traffic downturn, particularly in the premium-class market segments. In 2003, after 27 years of service, for commercial reasons (and to the great dismay of the ultra-loyal Concorde clientele and all those employees who had devotedly worked on the iconic aircraft from its earliest days) both Air France and British Airways announced the cessation of their supersonic operations.

 

British Airways Concorde Bag Tag (metallic finish)

 

For Readers who might wish to have more first-hand information about the Concorde saga, I would recommend the following titles by my highly esteemed former colleagues at British Airways:

Concorde (Penguin Random House, 2022) by Captain Mike Bannister, former Concorde Chief Pilot, British Airways
Concorde: A Photographic Tribute (The History Press, Reprinted 2015) by Adrian Meredith, Official Concorde Photographer, British Airways
The Concorde Story (7th edition, Osprey Publishing, 2011) by Christopher Orlebar, former Concorde Pilot, British Airways

 

British Airways Concorde Executive Ballpoint Pen