=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SF Gate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/chronicle/archive/2003/04= /18/ED249349.DTL ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday, April 18, 2003 (SF Chronicle) Status symbol is grounded FOR NEARLY 30 years the Concorde was a jet-setting status symbol, flown = by rock stars, corporate executives and diplomats who had too much money and not enough time on their hands. But the supersonic plane will soon be grounded, a museum artifact in the making that was an engineering marvel and an enduring symbol of excess. Air France and British Airways, the only airlines still operating the plane, announced recently that they will cease Concorde flights this year, citing the cost of operations and decline of premium air travel. Yet, the needle-nosed jet will always be remembered for its stunning spe= ed and its extravagant clientele. Jon Bon Jovi, Sting, Ozzy Osbourne and Luciano Pavarotti all flew the transatlantic jet, as did executives and others wealthy enough to afford the $12,000 fare. But though its passengers sang its praises, the Concorde could not fly fast enough to bypass dwindling profits and ridership. Perhaps the jet's most stunning achievement was that it was able to rema= in profitable as long as it did. The four-engine jetliner consumed as much fuel as a Boeing 747, yet carried only one-fourth as many passengers. And it had a fairly limited range, which is why its routes never steered beyond New York to London and Paris. Still, the jet's singular look and its ability to fly at twice the speed put the Concorde in a class by itself. And in an industry that demands efficiency, the Concorde was that rarity, a flying dinosaur.=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2003 SF Chronicle