The number of those willing to pay several thousand pounds for a three-hour flight in conditions far from the most comfortable by modern standards is currently small. Wealthy businessmen, who until recently made up the bulk of Concorde's passengers, now prefer to spend more time on the flight but save money that is so necessary in a time of economic downturn. The cheapest British Airways ticket from London to New York and back costs about £200 (about $300). A Concorde ticket costs more than £3,000 (almost $5,000).
In 2001, when Concorde returned to the air after a 15-month break following the crash near Paris, British Airways representatives promised that the aircraft, whose design was developed back in the 1960s, would last at least until 2009. According to British Airways engineers, from a technical point of view Concorde is still quite safe - despite a series of minor mishaps that have plagued Concorde in recent months. However, each flight costs many tens of thousands of pounds, and if demand for supersonic travel does not grow, the use of the unique airliner will become economically unviable.
French airline Air France, which also operates Concordes, is not yet raising the alarm. The French aviators did not respond to the message from their British Airways colleagues, reports the BBC.