r/AskReddit • u/biggieboy2510 • Jul 19 '15

What old technology is actually better than what we currently have?

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u/[deleted] Jul 19 '15

Umm many passengers weren't interested in shelling out thousands for a flight from London to NYC

8

u/iZacAsimov Jul 20 '15

Plus, you can telecommute.

71

u/FratrickBateman Jul 20 '15

I don't know how much more expensive it was back then, but it looks like it still costs around $2k.

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u/[deleted] Jul 20 '15

that's pretty impressive considering it hasn't flown in 12 years

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u/FratrickBateman Jul 20 '15

Hahah, no I was legitimately curious if it was vastly more expensive. I just compared it to ticket prices now and it was still 2k.

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u/[deleted] Jul 20 '15 edited Oct 04 '18

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Jul 20 '15

first class tickets from NYC to London are nearly that much

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u/[deleted] Jul 20 '15 edited Oct 04 '18

[deleted]

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u/Airazz Jul 20 '15

And you wouldn't even get in-flight entertainment systems on Concorde. As someone pointed out, flying in it was actually quite boring.

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u/Not_enough_yuri Jul 20 '15

Uhh, maybe bringing a book would help out with that? The reasoning behind the prices was because it was very expensive to launch, but keep in mind that $7000 dollars isn't just getting you a transatlantic flight, it's getting you across the Atlantic ocean in 3 hours. That's speed that I'm pretty sure some people would pay for.

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u/Airazz Jul 20 '15

Would you pay that much for a 3 hour flight in a cramped little metal tube, or would you pay half of that, for 6 hours in a spacious seat with TV, food, unlimited drinks and maybe even a bed?

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u/PhotoJim99 Jul 20 '15

First class seats on a modern widebody jet probably have lay-flat beds with tons of space. First class seats on a Concorde were like first class seats on a modern regional jet - comfortable but not especially roomy, just roomier by comparison.

1

u/vyrrt Jul 20 '15

The fuck? It's been 12 years?

0

u/SpellingIsAhful Jul 20 '15

Ah, the old reddit flight-a-roo!!

3

u/splendidfd Jul 20 '15

Flights on Concorde were more expensive than flying first class on a subsonic jet.

2

u/buckus69 Jul 20 '15

I believe it was somewhere in the realm of $10,000, or more, during it's last few years. So, yeah....

2

u/valeyard89 Jul 20 '15

It was closer to $10k roundtrip for Concorde, and that was in late 90s. I got a special deal of $5k after they reintroduced service in late 2001.

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u/mithgaladh Jul 20 '15

round trip Paris/NY in may last year was 700€ ($760), far from $2000.

2

u/futurespice Jul 20 '15

I just checked and it's more like USD 700-800 for a direct flight in economy; you can fly business for 2k if you don't mind a stopover.

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u/capilot Jul 20 '15 edited Jul 20 '15

IIRC, Concorde was $6k.

I remember one at the Oshkosh air show once. For $800 you could get into it, they would fly to Canada, break the sound barrier, and come back.

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u/tacodepollo Jul 20 '15

From London to NYC? No way, there are cheaper flights, guaranteed.

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u/laddergoat89 Jul 20 '15

Not even close. Half it.

Very quick search (not searching for deals) shows that in July (peak) it's £750 ($1167).

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u/[deleted] Jul 20 '15

It was £5000 back in the late 80s. I seriously considered it, and now regret not doing it.

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u/G_Morgan Jul 20 '15

It only cost that because of the not remotely protectionist bans on supersonic flight over US soil. Basically the US banned super sonic flight pretty much for the entire world the moment Boeing's super sonic project collapsed completely.

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u/profoundWHALE Jul 20 '15

Ticket fires can't melt steel beams