Concorde flew so fast passengers could see sun rising on an evening flight

Concorde remains one of aviation’s most legendary aircraft, and a Reddit thread has once again reminded people why the supersonic jet was so special.

A user shared the incredible fact that the supersonic jet could fly so quickly that passengers sometimes witnessed the sun rising on an evening flight.

That’s right. While most of us struggle to keep our body clocks straight on a normal long-haul, Concorde passengers were literally outrunning the Earth’s rotation.

It’s no wonder that for many, Concorde felt like the closest thing to time travel.

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The Concorde provided almost magical efficiency

The aircraft, jointly developed by the UK and France, entered service in 1976 and could cruise at Mach 2, or roughly 1,350mph.

That’s twice the speed of sound, and there is only one photo of the iconic jet cruising at this speed.

With that kind of performance, a typical New York to London crossing took just three and a half hours, less than half the time of today’s subsonic flights.

Its ceiling was around 60,000 feet, so high that passengers could see the curvature of the Earth and a deep indigo sky above them.

To those lucky enough to fly, it wasn’t just air travel; it was an event.

The Reddit comments were full of nostalgia and amazement.

“I love the fact you could have breakfast in London, get on a Concorde, and arrive in New York in time for breakfast again the same day,” one user noted.

For business travelers, Concorde offered almost magical efficiency.

One recalled leaving London at 9am, landing in New York at 7am, having meetings and lunch, then flying back in time to sleep in their own bed the same night.

At around $3,200 per ticket, far more than a standard flight, it wasn’t cheap.

But if someone else was paying, it was the ultimate perk.

Supersonic flights might be coming back

So why hasn’t Concorde been replaced?

Commenters pointed to the obvious reasons: sky-high operating costs, massive fuel burn, and noise issues from its famous sonic boom.

Even 30 years on, no commercial successor has managed to crack the economics of supersonic flight, although not for the lack of trying.

Given that the US recently lifted a 50-year ban on civilian supersonic flights over land, it’s perhaps about time for Concorde’s successor to show itself soon.

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