First published by British Airways Tuesday 13 January 1976.
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Concorde – Just 8 Days To Go
BRITISH AIRWAYS will introduce a new era in civil aviation next week when it begins supersonic services with fare-paying passengers on Concorde.
The British Airways Concorde will cover the 3,500 miles between London and Bahrain at least two hours quicker than the fastest subsonic jet — despite more than an hour of flight across the continent of Europe.
Businessmen working in the world’s major financial, commercial and industrial centres can expect to use Concorde as an important new business tool.
Concorde will help them to make better use of their time, get them to their destinations fresh and alert, and give them and their companies a prestige that no other travel can bestow.
British Airways’ scheduled flights from many major cities in Europe will carry executives to Heathrow in time for the Bahrain-bound Concorde flight.
Passengers for other areas in the Gulf and beyond will be able to join connecting flights at Bahrain and will, in most cases, arrive at their destinations sooner than if they had flown direct by subsonic jet.
CONCORDE TO THE GULF
Typical times via connecting flights.
LONDON
Dep. 10:45
BAHRAIN
Arr. 18:00
Dhahran 22:10
Doha 20:15
Dubai 23:20
Abu Dhabi 22:25
Muscat 02:05
As Concorde climbs away from the Heathrow runway on its first scheduled service in the new supersonic era, it will be the culmination of 20 years of planning by the British aircraft industry.
It was in November 1956 that a Government committee first met to consider the feasibility of an airliner which would carry passengers in comfort at speeds of up to 1,350 miles an hour.
Six years later, Britain and France signed an agreement to design, develop and manufacture such an aircraft.
5,500 hours
First flight took place on March 2, 1969, and by the time it enters service, the British Airways Concorde will be the most tested new airliner in the history of aviation.
When it receives its certificate from the Civil Aviation Authority in December, Concorde has amassed a total of more than 5,500 hours — of which over 2,000 were at supersonic speeds.
British Airways has been closely associated with Concorde planning for many years. Indeed, as BOAC, it began detailed examination of supersonic aviation as far back as 1958.
Every detail has been worked out so that a Concorde trip will be so quick and effortless both in the air and on the ground that no businessman who has experienced it will want to fly any other way.
Concorde breaks ground barrier
CONCORDE’S new era of speed in the air is to be matched by new plans by British Airways to speed and smooth the way for passengers on the ground either end of supersonic flights.
Gordon Davidson, British Airways’ Concorde Director said: “We have got the fastest airliner in the world, and we are doing everything we can to make the rest of the journey comparable.”
Concorde passengers, and their baggage, will be kept separate from those travelling on subsonic flights.
Thanks to the co-operation of the British Airports Authority, part of the long-distance Terminal 3 at Heathrow has been converted into an exclusive Concorde terminal.
Passengers will be asked to arrive at the new Terminal 45 minutes before their flight.
They will check in at one of a number of special Concorde desks before proceeding up a newly-installed escalator to a special lounge with every aid to last-minute business.
Their luggage will go directly from check-in to the hold of the aircraft.
When their flight is called they will have only a few steps to take to their seats, as Concorde will always be parked at the boarding gate adjacent to the new facilities.
Tomorrow the world
AN EXTENSIVE world-wide work of preparation is now complete for the first fare-paying Concorde services.
British Airways has flown to key destinations throughout the world to explain the service.
The plan is to extend the route from Bahrain down to Australia by way of Singapore.
In the opposite direction, Concorde will speed between London and the important business centres of New York and Washington in just over three-and-a-half hours compared with the present subsonic time of around seven hours.
To the south, British Airways plans to fly to Johannesburg with one intermediate stop, and to the east to Tokyo, with one stop in the Soviet Union.
Planning for the opening of all these routes is well advanced within British Airways, but will depend on necessary political considerations.
“Half-day return to Canada, please”
One British executive has proved Concorde’s worth.
John Britten of Fairey Britten-Norman, the Isle of Wight-based manufacturers of the Islander and Trislander commuter airliners, used the speed of the Concorde development flights last summer to go to Newfoundland in a morning and complete a sale of two plans worth £200,000.
Mr Britten left Heathrow in a British Airways Concorde at 8am, completed the deal at Gander airport and was back at Heathrow in time for lunch.
The shape of power
THIS is what Captain Brian Calvert, Concorde Flight Manager has to say about the supersonic aircraft:
“Concorde’s shape is novel, dramatic, purposeful and elegant. It is so, not because the designers set out to make some thing pretty, but because to do the extraordinary job it does, it just has to be that shape.”
Just what the doctor ordered
ACCORDING to medical research, businessmen flying Concorde and reducing their travelling time by up to half will arrive at their destinations fresher and more alert, and therefore likely to make good decisions.
The taste of class
Meals aboard the Concorde will be totally in keeping with the aircraft’s superior style of travel.
There will be dishes to delight the gourmet – together with first-class wines and liqueurs that will please the most discerning palate.
The symbol of success
Even Concorde’s crockery is unique. It is Royal Doulton fine bone china, each piece specially designed for Concorde. The high quality hand-blown glasses and the cutlery carry the Concorde’s distinctive symbol.