News and notes from around the interweb:
- Air France workers on trial for assaulting airline executives
- California can’t regulate airline mobile apps. The Airline Deregulation Act pre-empts state law requiring posting of privacy policy. California had sued Delta claiming their mobile app was in violation of their Online Privacy Protection Act. A federal appeals court sided with Delta.
- Some people are apparently targeted for a 70,000 mile bonus on the United co-brand.
- Is TSA responding to insanely long lines by not worrying about silly things like shoes and liquids? That’s apparently what some people going through regular (non-PreCheck) lines are reporting.
- A year and a half ago Donald Trump filed a $100 million lawsuit over aircraft noise from traffic patterns around his club Mar-a-Lago. In 2011 the Palm Beach airport manager declared that the only way he could prevail would be to get elected president. A President could order the FAA to redirect air traffic, but Trump says that if elected he would not do this.
- The Maldives will get a new $800 million passenger terminal with Saudi Binladin Group winning the construction contract.
- I miss Concorde. Randy Petersen made it so much easier for frequent flyers to try when he gave out Starwood points as a signup bonus for his magazine. At the time a bit over $1000 in magazines earned enough Starpoints which transferred to Qantas at 1:2 (plus transfer bonuses) — and the Qantas award chart allowed Concorde travel at first class pricing. Of course shortly thereafter Qantas increased the price of premium cabin awards as much as 92%.
I read somewhere concorde cabin was a basic economy type cabin with perhaps more leg room.
No over the top luxury like in today’s first class. I can’t see any of you bloggers enjoying concorde.
@Credit I’d argue it was more like domestic first class, not basic economy. The point of Concorde was speed, and on a 3+ hour flight you don’t need a flat bed.
Back in the day (when I had an allowance to travel First Class, I occasionally paid out of pocket to fly both BA and AF Concorde Atlantic crossings. Yes, the cabins were tight, both of the side by side seats were less than comfortable and of course, the porthole were tiny.
On the other hand crossing the Atlantic in about 3.5 hours was nice. I do recall sipping my first Pol Roger at 60,000+
Wrong. Concorde was sublime. The seats weren’t big, roomy ones, but the pitch on BA was perhaps 52″, they reclined appropriately, you were only on it 3:15, and the service was impeccable. It was like a fine dinner service all the way across, performed by gracious flight staff who were proud of their assignment. What a concept! I miss it. Got to do it twice.
Took BA Concorde a dozen or so times starting in 1976. I refer to to as the non-movie flight since the weight issue was so severe they could not put movie equipment in the plane. Seats were about the same as 1990’s domestic first class – 25 rows of 4 (2 x2). Loved the open cockpit door and welcoming of any passengers.
Thank you for the “Back to the Future” moment. I was fortunate to fly Concorde several times and each time was a delight thanks to the impeccable service, the incomparable wine cellar, and the joy of leaving LHR at 10 AM and arriving into JFK on the same day at 9 AM. There were no bloggers in those days yet It was quite common to meet celebrities on board. All that remains is to walk into the Concorde Lounge at JFK to remember how much better flying used to be.
Flew AF Concorde from JFK in 1998. Sheer delight. Fine service from special people . Great food and fine champagne even though only breakfast flight and small personal tin of caviar before landing at CDG. Plane narrow body in 2×2 but comfortable seats yes very much like present day domestic first class and very quick 3 hour +flight. I recall the thrill when needle hit Mach 2 somewhere over the Atlantic. Plane had no feel of flight and almost motionless First time in aviation history and technology generally when Concorde flights went out of business that any industry took step backward we still have not recovered from yet with no supersonic flights.