The British Airways ‘Concorde Room’ lounge has benefitted from a minor upgrade. In the dead of night, a Concorde nose that had been on display in the airline’s Waterside headquarters was relocated one mile (1.6 km) to the airline’s most exclusive lounge.
The Concorde was once considered British Airways’ most exclusive experience. The aircraft would whisk passengers across the Atlantic in a matter of hours. All this came to an end when British Airways retired the type from its fleet back in 2003. But while the aircraft is gone, British Airways has made sure that its legacy has not been forgotten.
A new addition to British Airways’ top lounge
British Airways is used to moving passengers and cargo thousands of miles around the world on its aircraft. Last Thursday, the airline switched from jet engines to a flatbed truck as it moved a very special piece of aircraft roughly a mile to the south.
The unique load was the 13 foot (4.0 meter) nose of a Concorde. The historic aircraft piece had been on display at the airline’s Waterside headquarters. Recently the airline’s future at the site has been under debate, with a rise in home office working. Additionally, the site would almost certainly need to be demolished to facilitate Heathrow Airport’s third runway.
Having been maneuvered out of Waterside, the nose was loaded onto a flatbed truck. It was then transported the short 10-minute drive down the road to Terminal 5. The delicate cargo was delivered to the drop-off zone before being wheeled through the Terminal to the Concorde Room, where it now proudly stands on a wooden base.
About the Concorde Room
Like the aircraft it is named after, the Concorde Room is British Airways’ most exclusive lounge. It is only accessible to those flying in first class on a British Airways flight and a handful of the airline’s most loyal frequent flyers. British Airways has the lounge on both ends of its flagship route formerly operated by the Concorde – at Heathrow Terminal 5 and JFK Terminal 7.
Like all of the airline’s lounges, the Concorde Room offers food, drinks, and relaxation away from the hustle and bustle of the departure lounge. Given its exclusivity, all offerings are greatly enhanced in this lounge. The nose of Concorde won’t be the only artifact from the aircraft found here. Previously, seats in the boardroom were created from upcycled Concorde seats.
British Airways and Concorde
As mentioned, Concorde was truly British Airways’ most iconic aircraft. The airline was the only one to own the type other than Air France, given that the aircraft was a joint project between Britain and France. The airline received its Concorde aircraft between July 1980 and February 1981, according to data from Planespotters.net.
Due to a host of reasons, the airline withdrew the type from service in late 2003. Interestingly, while most aircraft retired by airlines are scrapped, as has been the case with the airline’s other icon, the 747, every single Concorde operated by British Airways was preserved. Today, G-BOAB can be seen near the start of Runway 27L as an ever-present reminder of what once was.
What do you make of the new addition to the Concorde Room? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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