Leumas

Yep, another newbie Concorde flyer. Read on if you're interested.

Background
This is another one of those ’once-in-a-lifetime’ specials that many people bought when BA first announced they would be retiring the Concorde fleet later this year. I was one of the earlier ones to buy this ticket, so I managed to get it for a long weekend in the UK.

E-tickets were sent to me a few days after purchase. Finally, the day has arrived; I even took a day off work for it. (I originally only planned to take half a day off, but due to an administration mistake, I ended up with one whole day. I digress.)

BA1
LHR – JFK
1A, Supersonic class
22 Aug
18:30 – 17:25

I checked in the previous evening, and kept my original seat assignment of 17D. While I didn’t really want to change seat, I checked in online to see the seat change function. However, for the second time I’ve used this facility, no seat changes were possible. Perhaps they lock out that facility for full flights…?

I arrived at LHR with plenty of time to spare (around 14:30). The Concorde desks were already open and doubling up as First Class check-in desks. Check-in was smooth, especially when I have checked in already. Boarding pass was issued with 17D on it.

LHR wasn’t as crowded as I’ve seen it previously; especially given it’s the afternoon before a long weekend. Regardless, I went straight through fast-task security. Again, the metal detector doesn’t like my belt buckle, so I was wand-ed and felt at all sorts of places. After discovering nothing illegal, the agents allowed me through.

After a customary visit to WH Smith, I went to the Concorde Lounge. There was an empty podium outside, but no one waiting. This caused some confusion among many people, as they were wondering whether they could go in or not. Anyhow, I went straight downstairs to the shower suites.

Unfortunately, I was advised there would be no free massage slot until 18:30. Although I did want one, the trade-off between taking the flight or having a massage was too great. The massage had to wait for another time.

After the shower, I did a quick tour around the other (First Class and Business) lounges before going into the Concorde lounge. There was still no one waiting at the podium. I went inside anyway, which caused a couple of people that were wondering outside to follow me as well.

I was greeted by the agent, and was advised that there would be a seat change for me. A new boarding pass was issued, with the ‘exclusive’ 1A printed on it…! Maybe BA thought there would be too many tourists photographing the Mach sign so they would put the tourists up front now… I actually preferred a D seat, as it was claimed that it’s easier to see the Earth’s curvature from the D side. Anyway, I’d put up with it as I thought the BP with 1A printed on it looked pretty cool.

The Concorde lounge was about 80% full already. From what I noticed, over half of them were on my same flight. One could also tell that most of them were first-timers like me – cameras everywhere.

At about 1610, a relatively small plane was towed to park at the Concorde gate. Well, what do you know? It’s Concorde herself. My first impression was how small it actually was. It didn’t help when there was a 747 right behind it being towed away for take off. Of course, this caused much commotion in the lounge as almost everyone, myself included, took many photos.

After a couple of photos, I got my priorities back – food and drink. Back to the bar I went, and a late lunch was enjoyed greatly. After a sandwich (pre-made, although, to be fair, certain sandwiches were made on the spot) and a salad later (washed down by a few champagnes), I left the eating area in search for a seat.

By this time, almost all seats were taken. I finally found a single seat near the entrance. People were still buzzing around the windows. Fortunately for me, my seat was right next to the champagne trolley – less distance to walk. As a bonus for me, they also set up canapés at the trolley a short while later…! Thankfully for me, the aircraft was proving to be a good distraction for people from the food and drinks.

Without saying, the flight would be full. With about 45 minutes to go, they made the announcement that if there’d be large carry-on luggage, they should be sent to the gate and checked.

30 minutes to go, there’s an even greater buzz around the lounge as BA2 approached for landing. It was actually first spotted by one of the lounge staff. She seemed as excited as many of the passengers. As others noticed her talking about it, many people crowded the windows. Of course, I was one of them.

I was approached by an agent with a few minutes to go to see whether I wanted to change seat so two people could travel together. I asked which seat he was offering. I politely refused when he told me it’d be somewhere on row 23. Yes, I know the seats don’t differ much, but there’s something about 1A that made it even more special.

Boarding commenced. For some reasons, they boarded the front cabin (row 1 to 10) first. Although I wasn’t the first one at the gate (a good half dozen people were in front of me), for one reason or another, they were held up. Even after another bag check, I ended up being the first to be on the aircraft. I was warmly welcomed on board, and after a quick check of my boarding pass, I was pointed to the seat.

My first impression was how squashed everything was. However, once I got to the cabin, it wasn’t too bad. The second impression was how small the windows were. As people gradually filed past, it always amazed me that people often lose all their ability to count once they board an aircraft. When one’s seat is in the double digits, one won’t find it at the first row or the one after it (when you just saw it reads row 1).

After all the buzz in the lounge, people were surprisingly calm when they boarded. Perhaps they were having difficulty counting the rows to their seats or they might have been struck in awe by this beautiful aircraft.

Captain Chris Norris came on the PA, welcoming us and detailing today’s flight plan. We would by flying up to twice the speed of sound and up to 57500 feet, and flight time would be around 3.5 hours.

The crew was very busy throughout the flight. Once the seat belt sign was off, they began serving drinks and canapés.

Loch Fyne smoked salmon, caviar, dill and crčme fraiche. I chose a glass of Krug to wash it down. I couldn’t remember when the entrée order was taken, I was busy having photos taken of the back of my head as people took photos of the Mach sign.

After hearing good things about the fish, I chose that option. It failed to disappoint, although the guy next to me hardly touched his beef meal. The crew got a bit concerned, but I think he just didn’t want it. He chose an extra bread roll instead.

Since I didn’t want the crew to waste any Krug by pouring it into the sink at the end of the flight, I did my best to help. As row 1 was the first to be served, I’d plenty of time to drink and look out the window. I wasn’t sure I saw the Earth’s curvature, but the horizon didn’t exactly look level. One had to look across several windows before any signs of slight curve. Looking at your own (one) window wouldn’t see a thing.

The sky was also a bit dark, perhaps that’d be the closest I would get to space in the foreseeable future. On a personal note, I also thought it’d be as close to my mum as I could until I die. It’s almost 2 years to the day.

Dessert was served. The brulee option was chosen, washed down by more Krug. At around the same time, I noticed we were actually slowing down and descending from 50000 feet, but we were only half way into our flight. Captain Norris came on the PA, telling us that due to the unusual summer temperature, the tip of the plane was at its hottest limit of 120C (despite the outside temperature of around -57C), going any faster would damage the plane. I wasn’t exactly sure why, but he said since sound travels faster at this temperature, it would make no difference to us in terms of speed.

The Complete Menu
Canapés

Appetiser
Loch Fyne smoked salmon, caviar, dill, and crčme fraiche

Entrées
Fillet of beef in red wine

Grilled Sea bass with poached asparagus and creamy Champagne sauce

Potato and truffle gnocchi with sautéed mushrooms, asparagus and cep cream sauce

Duck confit and foie gras quennels with baby Kenya beans, shallot and walnut dressing

Dessert
Raspberry crčme brulee tart

OR

Cheese
Hereford Hop, Fourme d’Ambert, unpasteurised Finn

Selection of bread rolls

Coffee, decaffeinated coffee, a selection of tea with chocolates

As an alternative to the full menu, we are pleased to offer a selection of freshly made sandwiches including shaved pastrami and American mustard on wholemeal bread, Lemon chicken pepper and spinach on softgrain bread, Brie, cranberry and iceberg on malted bread

Wine List
Today’s Selection
Champagne
Alfred Gratien Cuvee Paradis

White Wine
Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Champs Gains 1996, Laboure-Roi

Red Wine
Pommard 1er Crus Les Chanlins 1997 Domaine Vincent Girardin

Port
Warre’s 1982 Colheita Port

The Concorde Cellar
Champagne
Krug Brut Grande Cuvee
Alfred Gratien Cuvee Paradis
Pol Roger Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill 1986
Krug Clos du Mesnil 1986
Jacquart Cuvee Nominee de Jacquart 1988
Pommery Cuvee Louise 1989
Lanson Blanc de Blancs 1990

White Burgundy
Meursault 1er Cru Poruzot 1996
La Grande Famille des Domaines
Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Champs Gains 1996
Laboure-Roi
Chablis Grand Cru Bougros 1997
Jean-Marc Brocard
Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Vergers 1997
Laboure-Roi
Chartron et Trebuchet
Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot 1998
Domaine Vincent Girardin
Meursault Les Narvaux 1999
Domaine Vincent Girardin

Claret
Chateau Pape-Clement 1994
Grand Cru Classe Pessac-Leognan
Chateau Gruaud-Larose 1994
Grand Cru Classe Saint Julien
Chateau Pichon Lalande 1994
Grand Cru Classe Pauillac
Chateau Smith Haut-Lafite 1994
Grand Cru Classe Pessac-Leognan
Chateau La Lagune 1995
Grand Cru Classe Medoc
Chateau Brananire Ducru 1995
Grand Cru Classe Saint Julien
Chateau de Fieuzal 1996
Grand Cru Classe Pessac-Leognan

Red Burgundy
Volnay 1er Cru Les Chevrets 1990
Domaine Jean-Marc Boillot
Corton-Pougets Grand Cru 1994
Chateau de Corton-Andre
Le Corton Grand Cru 1996
La Grande Famille des Domaines
Pommard 1er Cru Les Chanlins 1997
Domaine Vincent Girardin

Port
Warre’s 1982 Colheita Port

Bar Service
Aperitifs
Tanqueray No. Ten Gin,
Smirnoff Black Label Vodka,
Bacardi Carta Blanca Rum,
Martini Sweet and Dry Vermouth,
Tio Pepe Fino Sherry,
La Concha Amontillado Sherry,
Campari Bitters,
Canadian Club Rye Whisky,
Glenfiddich Ancient 18-Year-Old Single Malt Whisky,
Johnny Walker Blue Label Whisky,
Woodford Reserve Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey.

Cocktails
Prepared to your choice from the range of beverages carried on board.

Soft Drinks
A selection of traditional and modern soft drinks
Fresh orange juice, tomato juice, apple juice, Highland Spring Still or Sparkling Mineral Water, Schweppes – Tonic, Bitter Lemon, Soda Water, Canada Dry Ginger Ale, Sprite.

Beers
Lager – Grolsch, Stella Artois, Holsten Pils, Fuller’s London Pride Ale

Digestifs & Liqueurs
The Concorde Selection
Martell XO Cognac,
Drambuie, Cointreau, Grand Marnier,
Tia Maria, Baileys, Amaretto di Saronno.

Phew!

Anyhow, after dessert, I was expecting the duty-free trolley. Well, for a change, they started it from the back of the cabin. While many people were posing in front of the Mach sign, I was expecting the trolley to come around. There was one guy, (most probably Australian), who posed in front of the sign with 2 pieces of toast and a jar of Marmite. Good for him!

Even with a very patient crew, one could tell that they were getting a little bit of sick of people wondering up and down blocking the already narrow aisle. Still, full credit to them, they did their best. The CSD was very pleasant throughout. I asked whether they’d be handing out any certificates. He said yes, the captain was signing them and each passenger would be given one when they leave.

I flew the ‘E’ plane, which was not done up. (I think only the plane with the rego ending with ‘F’ was renovated.) The interior was quite tired, especially inside the bathroom.

I was sure the back of my head and my bald spot was getting sick of the constant camera flashes too. About this time, the captain came on and mentioned that we were already at the coast of Newfoundland, and would be slowing down soon.

Perhaps it was row 1 (i.e., the front of the plane), I didn’t get as much of that sinking feeling when we took off, although it’s visibly faster than any other take-offs that I’ve experienced. When we slowed, it was as if we were braking in a car – I constantly ‘fell’ forward. It’s something I’ve never experienced before on a plane.

We landed at JFK to a bit of a clap (from the Aussies mainly) and slightly ahead of schedule. However, the time we gained was lost by problems with the electrics. They couldn’t attach the cable to the plane so they couldn’t turn off the engines and attach the bridge. Eventually they gave up and turn off the whole plane. Of course, once they gave up and opened the door, the cable worked. We exchanged thanks with the crew and I was off and collected my certificate. It was packaged in a nice blue envelope. Inside along with a blank certificate (you write your own name and details) with the captain’s signature was a nice black and white photograph of Concorde.

There were a couple of agents on the bridge welcoming us, but no big fanfare, nor was any expected. Preceded to immigration – even the immigration officer was nicer, knowing we were from Concorde. He chatted with me about how I found it. I said it’s very enjoyable, but rather loud (I found row 1 loud; I wouldn’t know how I would find the back of the plane felt, especially if I took that row 23 seat offered). He agreed and wished me a happy stay in the US.

The luggage took ages to arrive. I waited close to 10 minutes and at least half the passengers were still waiting for theirs when I proceeded to customs and outside the airport.

Summary
- Very enjoyable, I’m glad I took the chance to take this flight, thanks BA!
- Apart from the comfort factor of the seat, every aspect was as good as I’ve hoped for and comparable to the legendary CX first class service.

How much does a Concorde luggage tag go for on eBay now?

Next: The much slower BA112 back to LHR.

pallensf

Leumas - I am so HAPPY that you had the thrill of a lifetime.

Riding the Concorde is really something to boast about. Loved your detailed transcript of it all.

Once again...congrats on a beautiful experience.

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Patrick A. Inouye, LMT
volunteer trip reports moderator

LondonElite

Not enough to pay for your ticket !

Great trip report - lucky for you you got 1A...never made it that far up!

chuck1

What a wonderful experience. I'm sure you always will remember Concorde.

azmmza

but if the check in agent gave you 500 tags you might come close

airnzboy

I believe there's a website that offers prizes for toast/sandwiches made and consumed in the weirdest places - I think this guy now holds the record for 'highest place'.

Pretty sure I read an article about him doing so, somewhere..



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All my posts are my own personal opinions and experiences and in no way represent the opinon of my employer.

Gaucho100K

Great report...

Uli

Thank you! What a pleasure to read about her ....

audio-nut

Small world. I was in 17D the day before.

You mention that they were srving you Krug but the menu had the "Alfred Gratien" listed. Did you ask for Krug or is that what came?

Great report.

Leumas

We were given a choice.