Video shows what it was actually like to fly on Concorde

  • Concorde was considered the best way to travel for business for years
  • The passengers were celebrities and very wealthy people
  • But the plane itself was surprisingly unglamorous

Published on Dec 21, 2023 at 1:58 PM (UTC+4)
by Andie Reeves

Last updated on Dec 23, 2023 at 1:06 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Alessandro Renesis

Concorde was touted as the epitome of high-end travel.

Travelers could reach New York in record time after they’d left London.

But a recent video has shed light on what it was actually like to fly in this supersonic jet.

The plane was a lot less luxurious than you might have imagined.

READ MORE: Concorde engine finally sells on eBay with a sale price that’s unimaginable

Cody Explanes, an aviation expert, made a video outlining exactly what it was like to fly on this iconic plane.

Many commenters had actually flown Concorde before and added interesting additional information.

It was rare to fly Concorde without at least one celebrity on board.

Everyone from Donald Trump to Elton John were regulars on the jet.

With the tickets being so expensive, it often attracted wealthy eccentric characters too.

Like the woman who flew Concorde to India to spend $300,000 on carpets.

Or the guy who holds the record for the most Concorde flights ever taken by one person.

But because of the ultra-aerodynamic design, the plane was far from the first-class comfort celebrities are used to these days.

The cabin was 7 feet 4 inches wide, which is considerably more cramped than a plane like a Boeing 777, which is 19 feet 3 inches wide.

“The plane had a claustrophobic feel to it,” one commenter said.

To make up for it and maximize legroom, Concorde had just two-seat configurations.

The seats themselves were small too, just 17 inches wide, the same as RyanAir.

Today a business class seat can be almost double that at 30 inches.

“While the seats were narrow, they were completely and supremely comfortable,” one commenter said.

“You don’t need comfy seats because of how short the flights were,” another commenter said.

There was an open-door policy in the cockpit, and people would walk around to network with fellow passengers during the flight.

One thing Concorde didn’t scrimp on was the food service

Dom Pérignon flowed throughout the flight and guests were served caviar as a starter.

Afterwards, meals like lobster and duck à l’orange were served on fine china.

The original Concorde took its last journey in 2003, but the plane’s icon status remains intact.

People still love the Concorde, and somebody is even buying used Concorde engines on eBay.

Fortunately, after two decades, it appears several companies, and even NASA, are working on new ways to fly supersonic.

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Andie is a content writer from South Africa with a background in broadcasting and journalism. Starting her career in the glossy pages of Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire, Andie has a broad portfolio, covering everything from sustainability solutions to celebrity car collections. When not at her laptop Andie can be found sewing, recording her podcast, taking board games too seriously or road-tripping in her bright green Kia.