<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by avek00:
The only thing responsible for Concorde's demise is Concorde itself.
Simply put, the Concorde is a terrible product. By use of the term "terrible product", I mean that the SSC is inconsistent with the current demands of the flying public. Among other things, the operating costs of SSC do not allow for an elastic fare structure; the plane simply does not make money unless it is full of customers who have paid $10K+. The big spenders have either dried up or moved to subsonic services, making SSC a sinkhole for BA's and AF's precious cash reserves.
It is sad to see her go, but SSC no longer has a viable place in 21st-century commercial aviation.
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1) The plane is paid for (unlike most/any US carriers planes)
2) It's not a US carrier so it's not filled with systemwideswuvipow upgrading cheapos
3) The cheapest seat I've ever seen was still €2000 with the average being €4000, with just 30 or 40 seats filled she's making money
The only downside is the lack of support from Airbus Industrie and the huge costs to modify her to comply with FAA regulations (new cockpit door etc...)