How long did Concorde take London to New York?

In 1996, the Concorde set the record time for a flight between London and New York City, at a rapid two hours 52 minutes, and 59 seconds.



During its operational life, the Concorde averaged a flight time of approximately 3.5 hours between London Heathrow and New York JFK, which is less than half the time of a modern 2026 subsonic jet. The absolute world record for the fastest transatlantic commercial flight was set on February 7, 1996, when a British Airways Concorde completed the New York to London journey in just 2 hours, 52 minutes, and 59 seconds. Cruising at Mach 2.0 (roughly 1,350 mph) at an altitude of 60,000 feet, passengers could actually see the curvature of the Earth. In 2026, while supersonic travel is attempting a comeback with companies like Boom Supersonic, the original Concorde remains the gold standard for speed. For a 2026 enthusiast, the best way to "experience" this is by visiting the G-BOAD Concorde on display at the Intrepid Museum in New York or the fleet at Aerospace Bristol.

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As a result, routes it could serve were limited – primarily London and Paris to New York and DC. But because of the time savings, and the elite status of flying the Concorde on these routes, airlines were able to charge a premium rate of $12,000 round-trip.

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About Concorde With a take-off speed of 220 knots (250mph) and a cruising speed of 1350mph – more than twice the speed of sound - a typical London to New York crossing would take a little less than three and a half hours, as opposed to about eight hours for a subsonic flight.

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Concorde is sadly no longer flying, but it is still possible to visit some of the remaining 18 airframes, there are others not open to the public but you can still see them.

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Boom Supersonic, the US plane manufacturer, plans to have the answer with its new Overture jet, which is set to transport customers at twice the speed of today's fastest commercial aircraft, and is regarded as the new Concorde.

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Cruising at Mach 2 – or 1,350 mph – at 60,000 feet, Concorde flew five miles above and 800 mph faster than the subsonic 747s plodding across the Atlantic. The radio chatter between aircraft could get interesting, according to Tye.

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In real life, Diana took several trips aboard the Concorde, both with Prince Charles and solo.

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BA never suffered a serious accident with its seven strong fleet. Concorde service was profitable by the late 1980s and if not for the economic downturn and Air France Concorde crash of 2000, may have survived to this day.

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No manufacturer has yet been able to recreate the days of the Concorde, but some are trying. Denver-based Boom Supersonic is leading the pack with its faster-than-sound Overture jet, already securing over 100 orders from United Airlines, Japan Airlines, and American Airlines.

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But that hasn't stopped many aviation geeks from calling the new Boom supersonic aircraft Concorde 2.0, although the plane will officially be known under the name 'Overture'. Boom Supersonic's Overture plane is slated to roll out in 2025, fly in 2026 and expected to carry passengers by 2029.

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The Concorde was famously loud: a take-off at Washington airport in 1977 measured 119.4 decibels. By comparison, a clap of thunder hits 120 decibels while the pain threshold for the human ear is around 110.

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Twenty Concorde aircraft were built, six for development and 14 for commercial service. All of these, except two of the production aircraft, are preserved. One aircraft was scrapped in 1994, and another was destroyed in the Air France Flight 4590 crash in 2000.

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