The Concorde Saga

People who flew Concorde waxed rhapsodically about the sky, which make out the curvature of the earth and the line dividing day and night as the earth rotated. These were experiences that were normally available only to military pilots and astronauts. But the Concorde brought these 'out-of-the-world' experiences within the reach of common people. Another unique aspect of the Concorde was its speed. Passengers recounted their thrill at breaking the sound barrier and the sonic boom. The speed at which Concorde flew also transported people to their destinations twice as fast as subsonic aircraft. "Arrive before you leave" was a punch line used by Concorde.

An analyst said he could fly 10 trips between the same two places for that same amount, on a subsonic aircraft. A round trip was anywhere between $ 8000 and $ 12000. The price of Concorde travel impeded its popularity, and because it was not very popular, the cost per unit remained high. It was universally accepted that Concorde was a fuel thirsty jet. It was designed in the 1960s, when there was no dearth of fuel and environmental issues had not really come into focus. However, the 1970s saw increasing tension in the oil producing countries of the Middle East. Fuel shortages and restrictions had far reaching effects on the western countries and people began realizing the importance and uncertainty of the fuel situation...