Souvenir sales power Concorde profit
AN astonishing £2m worth of Concorde cufflinks have been sold since British Airways announced in May that the flying days of the supersonic jet were to end.
Passengers desperate for souvenirs snapped up tens of thousands of the silver cufflinks at £35 a pair.
A BA spokesman said: 'They were our best-selling Concorde mementoes by far. They were selling like hot cakes - some passengers were buying up to ten pairs each.'
Other Concorde souvenirs - all made of silver - included keyrings at £45, money clips at £32.50, photoframes at £50 and £35 bookmarks.
The mementoes have helped BA to make a record £25m profit on Concorde from the announcement of its demise to its final flight on Friday.
Over the past few months every flight across the Atlantic has been full, with thousands taking 'a trip of a lifetime'.
Yet at the time BA announced Concorde was being grounded, average occupancy was about 30% and the aircraft was losing money. A BA spokesman said: 'It is no secret that Concorde has suddenly proved very popular.'
Concorde enthusiasts have not stopped at cufflinks and keyrings. Signs, armrests and even a loo seat have been smuggled off the plane.
Since 1977 when Concorde won landing rights to New York, it has made an estimated £700m for BA. Rock stars, billionaires and top businessmen have had no hesitation paying £8,000 for a return flight to New York.
But failure of the plane to win permission to fly supersonic over land and the growing emphasis on economy and the environment meant that its days were numbered.
Despite these disadvantages, Concorde made money, but then came two events that had a marked effect on passenger numbers.
In July 2000 an Air France Concorde crashed in Paris, killing 113 people and leading to the grounding of the fleet.
Concorde returned to service on September 5, 2001, after an £18m refit, but six days later came the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon that dealt a body blow to transatlantic air traffic.
Aviation experts believe that the next supersonic aircraft will be a business jet. Derby-based Rolls-Royce has done development work on engines to power mini supersonic planes.
