ATLANTA HARTSFIELD
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT




Delta's ticket counter in the ATL terminal as it appeared shortly after opening in 1961.

Atlanta is probably the "granddaddy" of all old terminals - certainly one of the best-known, and (along with Pittsburgh and Denver Stapleton) probably one of the largest to be abandoned in a single day. There's no trace of it left today, other than highway exit ramps and a section of former parking lot.

When it opened on May 3, 1961, Atlanta's terminal was the largest all-under-one-roof airport facility in the world. Its predecessor was a former hangar that had been converted to a terminal in 1948, but was ill-suited to handle the high amount of connecting passengers who transited through Atlanta. Ground was broken for the new terminal in 1957.

The design chosen for the terminal was typical of many high-activity buildings from the early jet age - a central terminal and lots of finger concourses extending from it, like Miami and Chicago O'Hare. A two-level main structure featured a ticketing lobby with a vaulted ceiling that led into a large central lobby. In the lobby were all the usual conveniences - gift shops, hairdressers, a coffee shop, newsstand, etc. A full-service restaurant and enclosed observation deck were situated in the mezzanine. Baggage claim - which used a linear belt system to deliver luggage, one of the first of its kind - was on the lower level, with airline offices behind it.

Airline ticket counters were ordered in 1961 (from west to east): Piedmont, TWA, Northwest Orient, Eastern, Delta, United, Southern. The passageway to the main lobby was in between the Eastern and Delta counters.


An article which appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution describing the design of the new terminal. Note the terminal model still shows Delta's Concourses E and F at ground level.
From Greg Germanis at Atlanta Time Machine.


The Atlanta terminal nearing completion in 1961.


Two views of the ATL terminal in 1961. Both show its proximity to the quonset-hut terminal. Note in both photos that work on Eastern's Concourse A has not begun, as a part of the 1948 complex takes up the site.


A postcard looking across the new completed Concourses C and D toward the main terminal (left) and a close-up of the administrative block and control tower (right).
Courtesy of Jim Kruggel

Branching off from the main lobby were the six boarding concourses. To the east were Concourses E and F, used exclusively by Delta. Midway through construction of the terminal, Delta decided to reconfigure these two piers to feature second-level boarding. Consequently, a second floor was added to both piers, for a total of ten jetway loading bridges - at that time the largest single installation in the nation. The two center concourses (C and D) branched out in a 'Y' configuration. United, TWA and Northwest used Concourse D, and Piedmont, Southern and Eastern used Concourse C.


Two views of the central lobby shortly after the building was opened. A mobile entitled "The Phoenix" was hung from the ceiling, symbolizing Atlanta's reconstruction after the Civil War. The Passport restaurant and lounge were located at the top of the escalator.

To the west were Concourses A and B, which were used solely by Eastern. Concourse A was not opened until 1962 - a part of the old terminal building stood in its way, and so construction could not begin on the pier until 1961. When it opened, it included eight jetway loading bridges, all entered from the ground level.


The Atlanta terminal as it looked in 1963. Eastern's Concourse A is now complete; note the ground-level jetways.


One of Southern's gates on Concourse C. Each gate in the new Atlanta terminal had its own departure lounge. From 1962 Southern Airways annual report

Almost from the outset, the building was too small. Jet traffic was on the rise; the airport opened a second parallel jet runway in 1964. At the terminal, however, space was at a premium, particularly when one of Eastern or Delta's notorious "banks" of flights arrived.


A view of Delta's Concourse E in 1965. Note that Delta is now operating short-haul DC9 jets. The two gates nearest the terminal have not yet been fitted with jetways; ground-level devices would be added to them in 1968.


Two bird's eye views of ATL in 1965.


Another aerial view of ATL, this time from 1967.

Faced with a shortage of ramp and gate space, officials began looking at solutions. The city wanted to construct a new terminal in between the two parallel runways, but the airlines wanted to build a new airport at a greenfield site north of the city. In the meantime, with traffic climbing, the airlines began looking for ways to expand their facilities at the existing terminal. Delta added innovative 'rotunda' satellites to Concourses E and F in 1968. Each rotunda had six fixed-position jetway gates, which were used primarily by DC9 aircraft, but also by larger DC8s on occasion.


An artist's rendering of the new rotunda gates added by Delta. Each rotunda was set slightly below the concourse and was connected by a zig-zag hallway. Reprinted from the 1967 Delta annual report


The completed rotunda gates, inside and out.


A view of ATL in 1968. The two rotunda gate areas are under construction. Also note the terminal's space problem - almost all gates are occuppied.


A Delta DC9 pushes back from Concourse E in 1968 with the main terminal behind it.
Reprinted from the 1968 Delta annual report

Delta began 747 service in Atlanta in March 1970. To acommodate the new aircraft, apron-drive jetways were installed on two of the gates on the Concourse E rotunda, making two 747-capable parking positions. 747 flights used two boarding lounges in the rotunda.

On the landside of the terminal, officials embarked on an 'infill' expansion project in 1970. The two baggage make-up areas on each side of the terminal were enclosed, greatly increasing the size of the main terminal hall. Included in the project was more ticket counter space (Braniff and National were granted Atlanta routes in 1969), two general-use departure lounges, and concession space. On the lower level, the expansion added two baggage carousels to the existing belt setup. Most importantly, the project added two much-needed entrances to the gates. Passengers using Concourses A and B now passed through a portal on the west side of the terminal, while Delta passengers used a similar corridor on the east. This allowed them to bypass the central lobby, which was now used only by passengers on Concourses C and D.


Looking across the main building and Delta concourses in 1969-1970. The rotunda gate areas are complete; however, work has not yet begun on the 'infill' expansion above the baggage make-up area. This project would occur partially in the concrete area at lower right.

Enhancements continued to be made at the terminal through the early 1970s. Eastern added a second story to the north side of Concourse A to acommodate its new L1011 Tristar aircraft. Northwest built a second level over its two gates in 1973-1974, with two jetways to handle DC10 aircraft (which began service on the Chicago-Atlanta-Miami route.) United began DC10 service as well, but continued to board passengers via airstairs. Delta razed and rebuilt four gates on Concourses E and F to handle its L1011s. The new gates featured much larger departure lounges and new jetway loading bridges.

Despite the additions, however, Eastern and Delta found it difficult to keep up with the skyrocketing passenger numbers. In 1971 Delta opened a large passenger holdroom at Gate 62, in between Concourses E and F. Passengers boarded buses to remote stands located at Delta's cargo area on Virginia Avenue. In 1976 Delta doubled the size of Gate 62 and increased the number of remote positions to 12. Eastern also introduced remote boarding - its new upper-level gates on Concourse A included two docks for mobile lounge shuttles, which transported passengers to remote parking near the Eastern maintenance hangar.


An aerial view of the terminal taken in 1975 or 1976. Note that the terminal 'infill' project is complete. Also visible are Eastern's new Concourse A gates (with two mobile lounges docked) and Northwest's second-level addition to Concourse D.


Another view of the main terminal block during the 1970s, showing the exterior areas that were built over as part of the infill project.


The curbfront drop-off area of the ATL terminal in the 1970s.


The Eastern ticket counter at ATL during the 1970s. Beyond the ticket counter is the corridor to the main lobby and Concourses C and D.


Two views of aircraft at the ATL terminal during 1973. Photos by William W. Sierra


A detailed diagram of the main terminal block at ATL in 1975.


United 727s line up along Concourse D during 1976. Photo by George W. Hamlin

Various views around the old ATL during 1977. Photos by Peter Liander and Andrew Abshier


A rare view of Eastern's ground-level jetways at Concourse A in the mid-1970s. The Braniff 727 is most likely operating an interchange flight; like most non-hubbing airlines at ATL, Braniff's scheduled flights used Concourse D. The second-level addition for Eastern's L1011 'Whisperliners' is visible in the background.
Courtesy of Steve DeLisser


A United 727 pushes back from its Concourse D gate in 1977. Visible behind it is a Delta L1011 parked at one of the new gates built for widebody aircraft.
Photo by Peter Liander


Two evocative views of the old ATL in the 1970s, showing the landside (left) and airside (right) facades.
Courtesy of Jim Kruggel


Views around the terminal in 1978. In the center photo, the new midfield terminal can be seen under construction. In the photo on the right, Delta's new Customs addition to Concourse E is visible. Photos by Andrew Abshier

The airlines and airport officials finally agreed to construct a new midfield terminal in 1976, and work got underway in 1977. In the meantime, Atlanta began gaining international flights - Sabena to Brussels, Lufthansa to Frankfurt, and Delta to London. A two-story cinderblock addition with FIS facilities was added to the Concourse E rotunda in 1978 (Eastern's international flights to Mexico had used a trailer as a customs hall since 1971.)


Maps of the ATL terminal and main lobby area circa 1977. Published by Eastern Airlines

On the airline front, Ozark and Frontier began Atlanta service immediately after Deregulation in 1978. At the same time, United pulled out of Atlanta, choosing instead to make Memphis the center of its southern US operations. National also left the Atlanta market in 1977.

Eastern and Delta, however, greatly increased their operations after Deregulation, adding hundreds of daily flights. The terminal building was jam-packed with passengers almost 24 hours a day (many of the new flights had to be added late at night when gate space was available.) Delta was able to acquire some of United's former Concourse D gates, but even that wasn't enough. By 1978 both Eastern and Delta were making increased use of remote parking positions and using buses or mobile lounges to transport passengers to their aircraft.


A mobile lounge loads passengers onto an Eastern 727 during 1979. Photo by John F. Ciesla


Rare widebodies in Atlanta during the late 1970s... a Braniff 747 on a charter flight (left) parked on Concourse D, and a British Caledonian DC10 (left) at the new international gates on Concourse E. Note the takeoff queue in the background.
Courtesy of Steve DeLisser

In its final configuration in 1980, just before it closed, the terminal served twelve airlines. Eastern occupied all of Concourses A and B, and the entire west side of Concourse C. Piedmont used two gates on Concourse C, while Republic used all the gates on the east side of Concourse C. Frontier, Ozark and Delta used the east side of Concourse D; Northwest, Braniff and TWA used the west side. Delta occupied all of Concourses E and F. The international carriers - Lufthansa, Sabena and British Caledonian - used the Concourse E for their flights to Europe.

Ticket counters in the main lobby were arranged, from west to east: Braniff, TWA, Ozark, Northwest, Piedmont, Eastern (corridor to lobby), Delta, Republic, Frontier, and the international airlines.

The terminal's last full day of service was September 20, 1980. That evening, a convoy of thousands of vans, aircraft service vehicles, baggage carts, and support equipment drove across the runways to the new terminal, which began serving passengers the next morning.


The old ATL terminal sits empty in 1982. In this series of three photos, all six concourses can be seen. Note that all of the jetways have been removed from the concourses. Photos by Tom Moore

For several years the terminal building sat completely abandoned. The city's Aviation Office maintained its headquarters in the building's office tower, but the rest of the building was left to fall apart. Concourses C and D were removed in 1982 so that a fourth parallel runway could be added on the north side of the airport. Concourse B came down shortly thereafter, followed by Concourses E and F in early 1984. The office building and control tower were imploded in late 1984, when plans to turn the site into a hotel/convention center were dropped. The main terminal block came down in 1986. For many years only Concourse A was left (it served as the headquarters building for start-up Air Atlanta during the 1980s.) It was finally pulled down in the early 1990s. Today there is nothing left.


An aerial view of the old ATL site in the late 1980s. By this time Concourses C and D have been removed and the northernmost parallel runway built across the site. The outline of the former terminal and Concourses E and F are clearly visible. Only Eastern's former Concourse A is still standing.
Courtesy of Steve DeLisser


The old terminal's office building comes crashing down in 1984. Reprinted from Airport World magazine


A satellite view of the old ATL site in 2001. A small piece of the terminal's parking lot is still in use; however, hotels and cargo buildings have been built over the rest of the site. The gray stripe across the parking lot at left is the footprint of the former Concourse A.

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