BA174 From United Kingdom, joined Oct 2009, 718 posts, RR: 0 Posted (2 years 10 months 19 hours ago) and read 4294 times:
From what I have seen of AF concorde interiors they seem to be/look much more cramped and pale compared to the various BA versions over the years. But one thing that I notice the most is the overhead lockers on the French birds seem to be a lot bigger and use more space as well as being a different shape to the BA version. They also have different more basic mach displays. Did the British and the French spec different fixed cabin features e.g. lockers to their respective concorde fleets?
I have personally never visited and AF concorde but I just wondered if they did actually feel any smaller inside than the BA look. How do you actually open the AF design as I can see no handles?
oa260 From Ireland, joined Nov 2006, 24916 posts, RR: 60 Reply 1, posted (2 years 10 months 19 hours ago) and read 4257 times:
Quoting BA174 (Thread starter): I have personally never visited and AF concorde but I just wondered if they did actually feel any smaller inside than the BA look.
I always thought the BA cabin was the better of the two , the AF one certainly did look claustrophobic. Lucky I was able to get on Concorde twice, the second time was when it did the final UK Tour and came to BFS.
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BA174 From United Kingdom, joined Oct 2009, 718 posts, RR: 0 Reply 3, posted (2 years 10 months 18 hours ago) and read 4070 times:
Quoting oa260 (Reply 1): I always thought the BA cabin was the better of the two , the AF one certainly did look claustrophobic. Lucky I was able to get on Concorde twice, the second time was when it did the final UK Tour and came to BFS
Thats what I was thinking and AF by 2003 had heavily out-dated concorde interiors that had not been touched since the 80s .The interiors seem too white with lack of colour and like I have mentioned very bulky compared to BAs which makes their cabins look much smaller.
oa260 From Ireland, joined Nov 2006, 24916 posts, RR: 60 Reply 4, posted (2 years 10 months 17 hours ago) and read 3996 times:
Quoting BA174 (Reply 3): The interiors seem too white with lack of colour and like I have mentioned very bulky compared to BAs which makes their cabins look much smaller.
True , here is an article about BA's ideas. Also a nice read. There was a documentary recently and one of the designers was interviewed about the cabin/cutlery etc...
New seats in ink-blue Connolly leather and fabric with a cradle mechanism, footrest and contoured headrest for more comfort and support The design was inspired by the classic Charles & Ray Eames chairs, and uses new technology and materials that are per cent lighter, this BA hoped would lead to almost £1 million a year in fuel efficiencies. The interior of the passenger cabin would be lighter and brighter with different lighting filters to give a fresher look which would change to a cool blue wash throughout the cabin when Concorde flies through the sound barrier at Mach one . New more spacious Toilets in aqua green and stainless steel with opaque wall panels that are up-lit and down-lit would help give a sense of more space.
BA174 From United Kingdom, joined Oct 2009, 718 posts, RR: 0 Reply 5, posted (2 years 10 months 7 hours ago) and read 3728 times:
I notice that AF had not updated the interiors since the 1970s according to the article. Maybe if AF had done the same sort of mods that BA did in 2000 more pax would have came onboard with then and it wouldn't have failed.
FlySSC From France, joined Aug 2003, 7313 posts, RR: 61 Reply 6, posted (2 years 10 months 6 hours ago) and read 3690 times:
Quoting BA174 (Reply 5): I notice that AF had not updated the interiors since the 1970s according to the article
Wrong.
AF Concorde interior was updated several times, the last time being in 1993 by the world famous interior designer Andree Putman.
Quoting Carduelis (Reply 2): Initially the Af concorde was designated F, as it reflected First service. The BA Concorde had it's own First + Concorde service as desiganted by R.
soon7x7 From United States of America, joined May 2006, 2799 posts, RR: 14 Reply 8, posted (2 years 10 months 5 hours ago) and read 3590 times:
When both AF and BA were closing out their services at JFK I was able to photograph the interiors...The only luxury that was evident was the leather PAX seats. The rest of the interior was nothing more than the basic galley construction. The cabin of a new Cessna Sovereign is far more impressive. The only real Luxury was its speed and price tag.
AF Concorde interior was updated several times, the last time being in 1993 by the world famous interior designer Andree Putman.
Still not a match on BAs 1993 or 2000 designs. Why did AF never install the same mach displays that BA had which showed not only speed but distance to go, altitude, outside temp and speed in MPH ?
HBGDS From United States of America, joined Nov 2009, 203 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (2 years 9 months 4 weeks 1 day 20 hours ago) and read 3151 times:
Quoting soon7x7:
The only real Luxury was its speed and price tag.
Both BA and AF remedied the squeeze factor by having all the extras like free limo service, the special lounge and an "R" service that went beyond what was in F. That said, you have a point. Flight attendants said it was the most challenging service because full F+ (R_ was expected in a cramped cabin, and pax moving about as if they were on a widebody always made things hard.
Quoting BA 174: Why did AF never install the same mach displays that BA had which showed not only speed but distance to go, altitude, outside temp and speed in MPH ?
Er, did you fly on an AF Conc? Of course they had it. It was part of the "exciting" thing for pax to see the digits change and not feel anything (We airline blokes know why, but most did not). The thing was there, perhaps the most photographed part of the pax cockpit.
474218 From United States of America, joined Oct 2005, 6340 posts, RR: 9 Reply 12, posted (2 years 9 months 4 weeks 1 day 19 hours ago) and read 2986 times:
In the summer of 1988 I was sent to our office at JFK to fill in for our representative that was recuperating from an operation. While there the Roll Royce representative gave me a tour of a BA Concorde, both inside and out. While the cabin is "tight", the flight station was simply "cramped". After the tour the crew gave me one of the in-flight kits, a gray notebook and pen, a calculator and typical (but defiantly up-scale) mask/booties/toiletries.
Our JFK office was inside an Eastern hanger and was shared with several Eastern managers. A had put all my Concorde goodies in my desk drawer. Will sometime over a weekend some "Adam Henry" from Eastern made off with it.
rcair1 From United States of America, joined Oct 2009, 923 posts, RR: 25 Reply 13, posted (2 years 9 months 4 weeks 1 day 16 hours ago) and read 2830 times:
You really can't compare these photos due to very different photographic environment. The BA photo is taken with cabin lighting on and light coming in the windows. The AF shot is taken with only floor based photo lights installed - very strange. Also, the AF seats have higher head rests.
I think if you compared this in similiar lighting, you would find much less difference.
Aeri28 From United States of America, joined Dec 2000, 595 posts, RR: 0 Reply 14, posted (2 years 9 months 4 weeks 1 day 16 hours ago) and read 2750 times:
Quoting rcair1 (Reply 13): You really can't compare these photos due to very different photographic environment. The BA photo is taken with cabin lighting on and light coming in the windows. The AF shot is taken with only floor based photo lights installed - very strange. Also, the AF seats have higher head rests.
I think if you compared this in similiar lighting, you would find much less difference.
I agree, in fact the AF pic looks like there is a mannequin of some sort in the rear, so it must be a museum footage pic or after Concorde was taken out of service.? It's not a flattering picture at all. There is another photo in the database of the AF interior and it looks far better than the picture that was linked. Oddly there seem to be only 3 pix in the database.
comorin From United States of America, joined May 2005, 4671 posts, RR: 17 Reply 15, posted (2 years 9 months 4 weeks 1 day 15 hours ago) and read 2719 times:
I've flown on both birds, and would give equal marks to both cabins. The luxury and exclusivity was undeniable, and you did not need any cabin trimmings to establish that. Connolly, schmomolly, I say!
My preference was the AF Concorde, at it had the 'Je ne sais qoui' that BA did not. It helped that they had the most beautiful AF FAs on board, while on BA the steward had a shaving cut on his chin. 'Dirty British Coaster' indeed... Apologies to Bellerophon!
You did get more of the 'High and Mighty' crowd on the LHR run, no question. I am most grateful to have had the opportunity to experience Concorde.
GDB From United Kingdom, joined exactly 12 years ago today! , 12713 posts, RR: 80 Reply 16, posted (2 years 9 months 4 weeks 21 hours ago) and read 2335 times:
BA did a very major cabin upgrade in 1985 - with the new Landor livery and the return to G-BOAG to service - she was the first with both.
This was when the Marilake displays were fitted, showing in a loop, Mach speed, m.p.h. speed, altitude, distance to destination and outside air temp.
Another very major one was done in 1992-4, my first Concorde flight was on G-BOAF IAD-LHR in November 1993 newly fitted with this interior.
In 1999 a £14M upgrade - to be the final one, was announced.
However, the events of the AF accident, with the subsequent and challenging mod program, then the post Sept 11th uncertainty, curtailed this with just new seats, carpets and other trimmings.
I with 98 other Concorde Engineering colleagues, were the first to sample this and the new menus, in a full supersonic simulation, including time in the air, of a scheduled flight, but it was LHR-LHR.
This was done prior to the relaunch with the first modded aircraft (G-BOAF again), to help retrain/refresh flight and cabin crew and as a thank-you to staff, there were five, three LHR-LHR then (in one day) to JFK and back.
My one was the first, it was on 11th September 2001.
'KIcked into the long grass' were the new lavs-to be the first vacuum ones on Concorde-galleys, lighting and a new style of display, again provided by Marilake.
With the retirement in 2003 this part of the upgrade of course never happened.
Speculation on how long the aircraft would have gone on, without either AF4590 or more directly, Sept 11th, might be aided by considering the time between the second and third upgrades and if, as planned, the whole fourth upgrade had commenced as planned, from early 2001.
BA174 From United Kingdom, joined Oct 2009, 718 posts, RR: 0 Reply 17, posted (2 years 9 months 4 weeks 20 hours ago) and read 2213 times:
Quoting HBGDS (Reply 11): Er, did you fly on an AF Conc? Of course they had it. It was part of the "exciting" thing for pax to see the digits change and not feel anything (We airline blokes know why, but most did not). The thing was there, perhaps the most photographed part of the pax cockpit
They only had speed in mach at AF not the loop MPH/Altitude/distance to go on like BA had.
rcair1 From United States of America, joined Oct 2009, 923 posts, RR: 25 Reply 19, posted (2 years 9 months 3 weeks 6 days 17 hours ago) and read 1836 times:
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Quoting rcair1 (Reply 13): I think if you compared this in similiar lighting, you would find much less difference
Stumbled on this - which I think supports my statement. Watch "Flying Heavy Metal Episode Three: Size Matters-Part 3" starting about 5min in- you see the same AF interior - and it looks quite nice.
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