QE2 and Concorde: A Legendary Partnership of Two 1960s Icons

The QE2 and Concorde

A Legendary Partnership of Two 1960s Icons

RETURN TO THE HOMEPAGE RMS QUEEN ELIZABETH 2

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Cunard Line, which had seen its future as a transatlantic carrier threatened in the early sixties by the advent of cheap aircraft travel, turned adversity to its advantage in 1983 by chartering Concorde – the ultimate in jet aircraft – for the first time as part of a QE2 Concorde package.

Later Concorde was chartered to take passengers to join QE2 during her annual World Cruise; Concorde’s record-breaking flights to Hong Kong, Cape Town and Sydney in 1985 were all when she was chartered by Cunard.

Since then Concorde and the QE2 have enjoyed a close relationship with passengers having the option of sailing one way on the QE2 to New York and returning on Concorde.

However on the 10^th April 2003 this unique partnership of two 1960s icons came to an end when British Airways announced the retirement of Concorde in October 2003.

As a result there were only a few occasions left when people could combine these two great icons of contemporary travel: QE2 and Concorde. For 20 years now at the top of the list of people’s dream holidays has been to cross the Atlantic one way on board QE2, and cross the other way on supersonic Concorde. The 16^th October 2003 was the very last occasion.

Indeed 2003 also saw the QE2’s farewell season on the North Atlantic, as her role as Cunard’s transatlantic flag carrier was handed over to the new RMS Queen Mary 2 – the largest passenger liner ever – in May 2004. After that the QE2 assumed a new life being deployed on cruises from Southampton. However Cunard Line’s partnership with British Airways still continues to this day as part of its travel packages combining sea and air. In the future there maybe the possibility of partnering the new RMS Queen Mary 2 with the new giant of the skies the Airbus A380 super jumbo.

Thus 2003 was the very last opportunity to cross the Atlantic in this legendary fashion, combining two sixties icons, QE2 and Concorde, both of which fly the flag for Britain in an unsurpassable way.

Related Websites:

British Airways

www.britishairways.com

Concorde SST

www.concordesst.com

Speedbirds

www.speedbirds.com

Concorde 002 G-BSST

Now preserved at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton in Somerset

www.fleetairarm.com

Concorde 101 G-AXDN

Now preserved at the Imperial War Museum Duxford