Air France and British Airways are making moves to hold on to their wealthy frequent flyers who were able to fly to New York and return the next day thanks to Concorde. The supersonic jets have been grounded following the crash outside Paris in July which killed all 113 on board.
From October 29, Air France will add a flight that leaves Paris at 8.30 am, landing at Kennedy Airport at 10.50 am. The earliest Air France flight arrives at Kennedy at 1.10 pm at present.
British Airways is hoping to keep its Concorde customers by expanding the Club World business-class cabin with 32 additional seats on two of its daily flights between Kennedy and London Heathrow Airport outside London.
Meanwhile, claims by the BBC that a British Airways captain drank the equivalent of 10 pints of beer before a flight, may have some passengers rushing off to change to a competitor. A programme to be aired this week claims the pilot slept through a flight from Barcelona to London. His first officer took the controls instead, and the Beeb claims he too had been drinking heavily hours before the flight. The BBC secretly filmed pilots, and claims 10 out of 12 broke BA's drinking regulations before reporting for duty.
It's a frightening thought that trusting passengers could be at risk flying with airlines that have pilots who are under the influence at take-off. Perhaps the authorities should bring in compulsory breathalyser tests for flight deck crews. While no doubt there are very few pilots who drink and fly, it would certainly help passengers feel a lot more at ease.
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