Beagle - I am sorry but your suggestion that as a nation we should be "proud" or Richard Branson is nonsense. Branson wanted to score a cheap point against BA - nothing more, nothing less. He has spent his whole life avoiding British taxes - he was charged with fraud by customs and excise and most of his companies are "owned" by off-shore trusts. So when he expresses his outrage and the alleged favourable treatment BA received from the British taxpayer he should be a little more honest. I admire Branson as a bussinessman, but am amazed at the gullible out there who are still taken in by his patter - he is not a philanthropist, he does very little for charity - he is a sharp businnessman with very little to say.
BA retired Concorde because it was no longer viable - BA is a company with shareholders - what do you expect?
For those who are still taken in by Branson I suggest you look up a copy of a biography by Tom Bower and then contrast it to RB's own work of fiction.
Concorde was fantastic and I do not want to diminish its importance but times change.