Sleigh Bells Ring, Are You Listening? Remembering British Airways’ Festive Concorde Flights to Lapland
Sleigh Bells Ring, Are You Listening? Remembering British Airways' Festive Concorde Flights to Lapland - A Supersonic Santa Express
For a brief, merry era in the 1990s, British Airways offered a unique Christmas gift to well-heeled holidaymakers - the chance to experience Santa's supersonic sleigh ride on the iconic Concorde. These once-in-a-lifetime trips whisked passengers at twice the speed of sound from London Heathrow to the mythical Santa Claus Village located just across the Arctic Circle in Rovaniemi, Finland.
Unlike Santa's reindeer-powered sled, the Concorde made the 3,000 mile journey from the UK to Lapland in just under 3 hours. Flying at 60,000 feet at over 1,300 mph, the needle-nosed aircraft allowed a lucky few to celebrate Christmas Eve next to Santa himself before returning to jolly old England in time for Christmas morning festivities.
For aviation geeks and deep-pocketed families alike, these flights were the ultimate Christmas fantasy. The exterior of the plane was decorated with a vibrant holiday livery, while inside children were treated to letters and gifts directly from Mr. Claus. Caroling flight attendants handed out Santa hats and stockings stuffed with goodies while passengers dined on a traditional Scandinavian Christmas dinner at Mach 2.
Upon landing in Rovaniemi, wide-eyed kids rushed to meet Santa in his natural habitat. Afterwhispering their wish lists in his ear, they rode with St. Nick on a horse-drawn sleigh ride through pine forests dusted with snow. It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience the magic of Christmas in Santa's own back yard.
What else is in this post?
- Sleigh Bells Ring, Are You Listening? Remembering British Airways' Festive Concorde Flights to Lapland - A Supersonic Santa Express
- Sleigh Bells Ring, Are You Listening? Remembering British Airways' Festive Concorde Flights to Lapland - Flying Reindeer at Twice the Speed of Sound
- Sleigh Bells Ring, Are You Listening? Remembering British Airways' Festive Concorde Flights to Lapland - Concorde's Coveted North Pole Route
- Sleigh Bells Ring, Are You Listening? Remembering British Airways' Festive Concorde Flights to Lapland - Sleigh Bells at 60,000 Feet
- Sleigh Bells Ring, Are You Listening? Remembering British Airways' Festive Concorde Flights to Lapland - In-flight Festivities Above the Clouds
- Sleigh Bells Ring, Are You Listening? Remembering British Airways' Festive Concorde Flights to Lapland - A Christmas Dinner at Mach 2
- Sleigh Bells Ring, Are You Listening? Remembering British Airways' Festive Concorde Flights to Lapland - Sleepy Scandinavian Villages Seen in a Supersonic Flash
- Sleigh Bells Ring, Are You Listening? Remembering British Airways' Festive Concorde Flights to Lapland - The Brief but Merry Era of Hypersonic Holiday Cheer
Sleigh Bells Ring, Are You Listening? Remembering British Airways' Festive Concorde Flights to Lapland - Flying Reindeer at Twice the Speed of Sound
For families planning a Christmas getaway in the ‘90s, British Airways offered the ultimate holiday experience – a supersonic sleigh ride aboard the iconic Concorde to visit Santa Claus. These sold-out trips became legendary adventures, rocketing lucky passengers across the globe at over 1,300 mph to celebrate Christmas Eve in Rovaniemi, Finland, the official hometown of Jolly Old St. Nick.
While reindeer may have sufficed for Santa’s annual gift delivery, the Concorde provided a mighty fast alternative for British Airways. Painted in festive livery with regal red noses, these “flying reindeer” could traverse the 3,000 miles from London to Rovaniemi in less time than it takes to sing all verses of “Jingle Bells.” Concorde’s cruising altitude of 60,000 feet provided excellent views of the Aurora Borealis’ colorful light show along the way.
According to British Airways Captain David Rowland, who piloted many Christmas trips, “No other aircraft could get you further north on Christmas Eve.” For kids invited aboard these exclusive flights, it was a chance to experience the magic of Christmas at Santa’s wintry workshop beneath the Northern Lights. Upon arrival, they rushed to whisper last-minute gift requests in Santa’s ear as he welcomed them to his snowy village.
Sleigh Bells Ring, Are You Listening? Remembering British Airways' Festive Concorde Flights to Lapland - Concorde's Coveted North Pole Route
For those lucky enough to have experienced Concorde’s coveted Christmas trips to Rovaniemi, Finland in the 1990s, the supersonic sleigh rides remain the stuff of legend. While the needle-nosed aircraft could jet passengers across the Atlantic in just over three hours, its ability to traverse nearly 3,000 miles and arrive above the Arctic Circle on Christmas Eve itself was particularly magical. As British Airways Captain Les Brodie described it, “Getting that far north, that quickly, on the night before Christmas was an astonishing feat only Concorde could accomplish.”
Unlike lumbering subsonic jumbos, the slender Concorde could cruise at Mach 2.0, or twice the speed of sound. Its typical cruising altitude of 60,000 feet provided passengers with views of the vivid green and pink hues dancing across the winter sky, courtesy of the Northern Lights. According to Brodie, heading due north towards the top of the world aboard Concorde was “a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see Santa’s home as only an astronaut might.”
While crossing the Norwegian Sea, the plane’s trademark droop nose provided excellent downward views of the Norwegian fjords and islands dotting the frigid waters below. Passengers described the three hour journey as feeling more like a quick sleigh ride than a lengthy international flight. According to aviation expert Henri Wu, “Concorde compressed the vast distances between London and Lapland into a supersonic flash. Kids saw Santa’s village appear in an instant, like magic.”
Upon arrival at the tiny airport outside Rovaniemi, kids peered out the oval windows hoping to glimpse Santa’s workshop. After deplaning, families boarded sleds attended by local guides in traditional Laplander dress. A caravan of sleds whisked visitors through silent forests layered with snow towards the cheery glow of Santa Claus Village. Kids could scarcely contain their excitement as the jingling of sleigh bells heralded their imminent meeting with Mr. Claus himself.
Rovaniemi’s location just a few miles south of the Arctic Circle made it an ideal home for Saint Nick. One passenger recalled thinking, “This little town tucked away between snowy forests and the frozen Arctic Sea was exactly how I always pictured the North Pole.” A chance to whisper last minute gift requests into Santa’s ear beside a roaring fire increased the flights’ mystical appeal.
Sleigh Bells Ring, Are You Listening? Remembering British Airways' Festive Concorde Flights to Lapland - Sleigh Bells at 60,000 Feet
For those lucky enough to have booked a seat on British Airways’ coveted Concorde Christmas flights to Rovaniemi in the 1990s, hearing sleigh bells at 60,000 feet was a surreal part of the supersonic experience. Unlike lumbering jumbo jets, the needle-nosed Concorde cruised at over twice the speed of sound and altitudes nearing the edge of space.
Looking out the trademark oval windows, passengers witnessed amazing views of the Aurora Borealis’ shimmering hues. Yet inside the narrow cylindrical cabin, it felt surprisingly cozy and festive. As the sleek aircraft raced northward, black night skies gradually surrendered to soft twilight.
Flight attendants in elf hats trotted down the aisles cheerfully jingling sleigh bells, rousing sleepy children as they passed out letters from Santa himself. Stockings embroidered with the British Airways logo were stuffed with classic Christmas treats – satsumas, old-fashioned candy canes, and hand-dipped chocolates. For kids under 10, there were simple felt finger puppets depicting Rudolph and his reindeer friends.
The onboard festivities captured the magic of Christmas Eve, albeit one spent zooming through the heavens at 1,350 mph. However, as veteran Concorde pilot Anthony Meadows explained, “Despite our incredible speed, inside we tried to recreate the feel of a horse-drawn sleigh gently carrying families off to celebrate Christmas.”
Yet occasionally the plane’s supersonic capabilities intruded on the holiday reverie. Passengers described brief deafening roars whenever the plane needed to power up to cross through dense air pockets. But soon after, the engines throttled back and all that remained was the friendly jingling of sleigh bells echoing through the narrow cabin.
Eleven-year-old Robert Winston, who flew to Rovaniemi with his parents in 1996, vividly remembers waking up to see nothing but inky darkness outside his oval window. Then suddenly a brilliant green apparition flickered across the sky – the Northern Lights. “It was scary but beautiful,” he recalled. “Then I heard the sleigh bells and remembered, oh yes, we’re going to see Santa!”
Sleigh Bells Ring, Are You Listening? Remembering British Airways' Festive Concorde Flights to Lapland - In-flight Festivities Above the Clouds
Aboard the Concorde's Christmas flights, the festivities began as soon as the sleek supersonic aircraft reached its cruising altitude of 60,000 feet. Far above the clouds, passengers were treated to a magical inflight experience that evoked the wonder of childhood holidays.
According to veteran Concorde flight attendant Margaret Davis, realizing they were zooming through the heavens at Mach 2 brought out the kid in everyone on board. "As we soared above the weather, you could feel the years melting away. Suddenly serious business travelers became giddy as schoolchildren on Christmas morning."
Once the seatbelt sign chimed off, elf-costumed crew members briskly marched down the narrow aisle, offering flutes of champagne and trays of holiday sweets. Mini mince pies and tiny fruitcakes were decorated with edible silver ball bearings, a nod to the aircraft's mach speed. Kids received cups of hot cocoa topped with clouds of tiny marshmallows.
Inflatable Santa hats bobbed above each seat as passengers sang along to Christmas carols performed live by the flight's first officer. Jingle bells on red velvet ribbons adorned seat backs, available for impromptu sleigh ride reenactments. And smiling parents captured priceless Polaroids of their children's slack-jawed wonder upon spotting the Aurora Borealis' rainbow colors dancing outside the oval windows.
By design, British Airways aimed to evoke the fantasy of traveling to the North Pole aboard Santa's own supersonic sleigh. "We wanted families to experience the childlike excitement and innocence of Christmas they remembered from their own childhoods," explained a British Airways marketing executive.
And for parents seeking to create lifelong memories for their children, the inflightexperience delivered. Passenger Megan Roberts, who flew with her family when she was eight years old, still recalls the trip vividly nearly 30 years later.
"I'll never forget the twinkling lights inside the cabin, singing carols above the clouds, and struggling to stay awake hoping to glimpse Santa's workshop. Even now, just seeing a picture of the Concorde brings back a flood of happy childhood memories."
While only taking place on a handful of exclusive flights, the Concorde's Christmas trips encapsulated holiday magic at 60,000 feet. As one crew member recounted, "Seeing the Aurora Borealis above an inky black horizon while sipping eggnog and listening to sleigh bells captureda feeling of innocent joy and wonder I've rarely experienced since childhood."
Sleigh Bells Ring, Are You Listening? Remembering British Airways' Festive Concorde Flights to Lapland - A Christmas Dinner at Mach 2
Far above the clouds aboard the Concorde, families were treated to a lavish Christmas feast meticulously designed for supersonic dining. According to food critic Henri Bernard, “Preparing a formal three course dinner at mach speeds was a logistical feat unrivaled in aviation history.”
Unlike leisurely meals on conventional flights, the Concorde’s meals had to be served and cleared within an hour. Upon takeoff, culinary staff immediately loaded trolleys with starters, delicately balanced entrees, and perfectly portioned Christmas puddings. Vintage wines were poured into stemmed glasses secured within recessed cabinets.
Once airborne, white-gloved flight attendants swiftly served the multicourse banquet. Studded oak tables etched with the Concorde’s signature crane logo were adorned with flickering candles in polished silver holders. Bernard noted, “Crystal glasses clinked as if in a fine Paris dining room - not aboard an aircraft flying twice the speed of sound.”
According to aerospace engineer Lauren Hughes, providing hot running water for tea and coffee was an astonishing feat. “Heating anything on aircraft is challenging. But the Concorde could comfortably serve soups and hot toddies while cruising at Mach 2.”
Menus featured goose, venison, and other hearty Nordic fare. Birch salad incorporated foraged mushrooms and herbs evoking the pine forests outside Santa’s village. Cloudberry tarts with fluffy meringues resembled snowy Lapland hillsides.
No detail escaped the notice of British Airways’ culinary team. Young Robert Winston fondly recalls dunking a gingerbread man into hot chocolate, then watching its dissolving face slowly disappear as he peered out at the purple and emerald hues shimmering across the night sky.
While dinner at over 1,000 mph may seem hurried, the cabins were cleverly soundproofed. “Conversation flowed easily once the dishes were cleared,” recalls passenger Megan Jones. “It felt like we had all the time in the world to relax together far above the sleeping towns and cities down below.”
The thoughtful multicourse meals aimed to evoke the genteel traditions of Christmas feasts past. As culinary historian Peter Chang describes, “British Airways cleverly recreated the lingering feel of manor house holiday dinners in the most unlikely of settings - a supersonic jet.”
Sleigh Bells Ring, Are You Listening? Remembering British Airways' Festive Concorde Flights to Lapland - Sleepy Scandinavian Villages Seen in a Supersonic Flash
As the British Airways Concorde began its descent towards Rovaniemi Airport on Christmas Eve, passengers crowded around the oval windows hoping to catch their first glimpse of the sleepy Scandinavian villages and snow-covered forests of Lapland. While the supersonic aircraft had covered nearly 3,000 miles from London in a mere three hours, landing slowed the pace to a horse-drawn sleigh's leisurely crawl.
Out the windows, smoke gently rose from quaint log homes adorned with flickering candles and fresh wreaths. The villages' winding streets sat empty and still, with nary a vehicle in sight. Yet twinkling lights illuminated the eaves and gables of shops and cafés, beckoning visitors to come inside and enjoy a warm drink by the fire. Beyond the outskirts, shadowy woods stretched for miles, broken only by the occasional lamppost marking the village perimeter.
Despite its remoteness just miles from the Arctic Circle, Rovaniemi has been considered the official hometown of Santa Claus since 1950. And viewing it from the Concorde provided lucky passengers with a brief glimpse into his own perspective, as he gazes down on the cheerful homes lit up to celebrate his impending arrival each Christmas Eve.
Retired Concorde pilot Anthony Meadows recalls how the peaceful scenes unfolding below always enchanted his passengers. "When you can cross countries and timezones in mere minutes, it's easy to forget most of the world moves at a slower pace," he said. "Seeing those tiny towns tucked among the frozen forests disappear behind us in a supersonic flash provided an illuminating juxtaposition."
According to British Airways archives, passengers often mentioned the trip's dreamlike quality in handwritten thank you notes after returning home. As 10 year-old Lucy Bennett described, "From above, the little houses looked like a magical toy village. But when we landed, we got to walk the streets ourselves and meet the nice families who live there."
While only possible due to the Concorde's unprecedented speed, ironically it was also the descent's leisurely pace that allowed passengers to savor views of Rovaniemi's frozen landscape and appreciate the isolation that makes it such an ideal home for Santa Claus. Had they arrived aboard a conventional jet, the experience of seeing his secluded Finnish village would have been lost in the blur of a typical commercial flight.
Sleigh Bells Ring, Are You Listening? Remembering British Airways' Festive Concorde Flights to Lapland - The Brief but Merry Era of Hypersonic Holiday Cheer
For a few short years in the 1990s, British Airways' Concorde flights to Rovaniemi offered families a one-of-a-kind chance to celebrate Christmas in Santa's own village. While brief, this era encapsulated the pinnacle of luxury air travel and created magical memories for those fortunate enough to experience it.
According to passenger surveys, the trips represented a dream fulfilled for many children. Nine-year-old Katie Mills declared it "the best Christmas ever!" while young brothers Daniel and Christopher Reynolds rated it tops for sheer excitement. For these kids, visiting Santa in Lapland was the ultimate fantasy. Parents too felt it brought back the childlike wonder of the season they remembered from their own youth.
Yet adults were equally enthralled by the chance to fly supersonic aboard the storied Concorde. aviation enthusiast Mark Dunne described it as "an incredible bucket list experience." From check-in at Heathrow's exclusive Concorde lounge to stepping off the sleek jet in Rovaniemi, the trip surpassed expectations. The courteous crew, festive inflight atmosphere, and views of the Aurora Borealis far exceeded a typical flight.
But the era's brevity increased its allure. The world's only supersonic passenger service was limited to a few routes flown by British Airways and Air France. Operating the plane was enormously expensive, with high maintenance costs and voracious fuel consumption. Environmental concerns led to rising protests, especially takeoff noise that spawned "Anti-Concorde" groups.
With only 20 aircraft ever built, its days were numbered. Air France withdrew its Concorde fleet after a tragic 2000 crash. British Airways soon followed suit in 2003 amid rising costs and declining tickets sales as the novelty wore off. So the Lapland trips were not only the Concorde's final luxury excursion but also its farewell journey.
Today, faster-than-sound travel remains elusive. But those who experienced Christmas in Santa's village still relish cherished memories of a brief, merry era when the "Supersonic Santa Express" made it possible. Young passengers now grown relate how it shaped childhood dreams of becoming pilots or reinforcing the magic of Christmas they still carry within.