Bon voyage, Concorde

ROISSY, France — Air France's Concorde made its next-to-last commercial flight Friday, an emotional trans-Atlantic journey completed in just over 3 1/2 hours as the supersonic jetliner nears the end of a pioneering chapter in aviation.

The white, needle-nosed plane took off with a roar from Charles de Gaulle airport, north of Paris, at 10:38 a.m. (4:38 a.m. EDT) and landed in New York at 8:10 a.m., 10 minutes ahead of schedule, the JFK Airport operations desk said.

On Saturday, in its final commercial flight for Air France, the Concorde will speed back to Paris, then go into retirement after 27 years.

"It's very emotional. Concorde is a story of joy, of emotion, of technical prowess," said Jean-Pierre Lefebvre, an Air France staffer, before the flight departed with 58 passengers, three pilots and eight cabin crew. Chief pilot Jean-Francois Michel was at the controls.

Air France and British Airways, the only carriers to operate the aircraft, are both retiring their Concorde fleets. The last British Airways flights are scheduled for October.

The Concorde's demise follows the July 25, 2000, accident over Gonesse, France, that killed 113 people, including four on the ground. The aircraft was taken out of service until November 2001 and refurbished based on findings by investigators.

They determined a stray piece of metal on the runway punctured a tire during takeoff. Rubber chunks then punctured the fuel tank, triggering a fire. The Concorde was fixed with sturdier tires and a fuel-tank liner, but things were never the same.

Flying fears after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks took a toll on airlines around the world, making it harder to keep the fancy flying machine, with its costly maintenance, in service.

Concorde's demise ends an era of Champagne at twice the speed of sound.

The menu for Friday's flight included caviar, foie gras in puff pastry, lobster and beef filet.

"We work in exceptional conditions, with an exceptional clientele, in an exceptional plane," said Jean-Charles Principeaud, a Concorde flight attendant. "To be able to serve a glass of Champagne while flying at Mach 2 was something that seemed impossible a few years ago. Now we are aboard the most beautiful plane in the world. It will remain an unforgettable dream."