According to an Air France spokesperson, for late April to early May, the booking rate for transatlantic flights on the Paris - New York route ranges from 70 to 98%. Meanwhile, since the start of the year this rate barely reached 40%. It is precisely the lack of profitability, caused by the significant increase in maintenance costs for the aging Concorde, that prompted Air France and British Airways to stop further operation of the airliner. Initially, it was announced that the Concorde would be in service until 31 October 2003, but later Air France decided to make 31 May the last day of flights.
The current sharp increase in the number of people wishing to fly on the Concorde is explained by the airline as being precisely due to the imminent end of the aircraft's operation. Even the high price does not deter potential passengers: a transatlantic round trip costs about 9,000 euros. In addition, there is the opportunity to take an approximately one-and-a-half-hour "sightseeing" flight, which will cost 1,500 euros, reports RIA Novosti.