Submitted by haboo213 t3_xtr2ft in dataisbeautiful
r2k-in-the-vortex t1_iqv5wtz wrote
Reply to comment by ProfessorrFate in [OC] Supersonic Inefficiency: Why the Concorde Was Decommissioned by haboo213
>99+% of people will choose the first option each and every time.
No they don't. Most will, sure, but there are plenty of people willing to pay premium as evidenced by existence of business class. Concorde didn't die to fuel costs, plenty of passengers willing to pay that.
But that fireball takeoff from Paris, plus 9/11 and maintenance costs for such a small fleet... that's what killed Concorde.
ProfessorrFate t1_iqvfnfd wrote
Yes, there are unquestionably premium pax who will pay for J (biz class). Airlines love these pax. But the same fuel cost dynamics apply to J as they do to Y (economy). So any J seat in a supersonic will need to have exponentially higher pricing due to exponentially higher costs (which is why Concorde fares on BA were much higher than F fares on subsonic aircraft).
Since Concorde cost the airline nothing to buy (the plane was given to the airline for free), BA was able to make Concorde operationally profitable for a while based on the amount of demand for ultra-premium service on the London-NYC route and some charter business. But the singular nature of the NYC-London market (the province of exclusive bankers, lawyers, and media stars) makes that route unique in the world. AF never really made money flying the Concorde on its regular Paris-NY service.
And not long after the AF crash, the Concordes in operation were facing upcoming D Checks due to the total n of hours in service. A regulatory-mandated D check involves a total dismantling of the airplane for inspections of the airframe. Given the enormous cost of a D check, in most instances airplanes reach the end of their operational life at that point. No way did it make financial sense to do this. Concorde’s days were effectively over.
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