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Contest for last Concorde flights
LONDON, England -- Hundreds of Concorde fanatics will have a chance to enjoy the lifestyle of the rich and famous before the supersonic aircraft retires, British Airways said. Europe's biggest airline has launched a competition where the lucky winners will get the chance to fly on the jet that travels at twice the speed of sound -- about 1,300 mph (2,100 km per hour) -- on the edge of space. The streamlined white jet -- which first took off in 1969 -- will go on a farewell tour of Britain, visiting Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Manchester and Belfast during the week of October 20, BA said Friday. "This competition marks the first in a series of events we have planned to ensure that Concorde gets the sendoff she deserves," BA marketing director Martin George said. Up to 325 winners will receive a pair of tickets for one leg of the tour -- which includes a champagne flight over the Bay of Biscay. "Concorde is a fantastic aircraft, which means so much to so many people. We want as many people as possible to experience supersonic travel before Concorde retires at the end of October," George said. BA's last commercial Concorde flight will be on October 24 when the jet makes its final voyage from New York to Heathrow. But speculation continues over the final retirement plans for the seven BA Concordes. BA said possible homes for the retired planes could be the planned fifth terminal at London's Heathrow airport, the USS Intrepid aircraft carrier on the Hudson River in New York, Manchester Airport in northern England and London's Science Museum. Last month, Virgin Airlines chief Sir Richard Branson offered to buy the aircraft in a bid to keep the jet flying. But BA is adamant the plane will not fly commercially once it is withdrawn from service. BA rejected an $8.4 million Virgin bid for its Concorde aircraft, saying it would retire the supersonic jet as planned. However, in a possible bid to head off efforts by its rival, BA announced it was considering plans that could see at least one its Concordes still used at air shows and performing fly-pasts after it ceases passenger service. One event being considered is a Concorde flight to America to coincide with the centenary of the Wright brothers' historic first flight on December 17. BA and Air France announced earlier this year that Concorde flights would end because they were not making enough money. The airlines announced the decision in April after Airbus -- whose predecessor made Concordes -- said the planes would need an "enhanced maintenance program in the coming years." The world's only supersonic aircraft has struggled since the Air France crash outside Paris in July 2000 that killed 113 people . Bookings have fallen and competition from cheaper flights to New York against rising maintenance costs have made the aircraft commercially redundant.
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