PART TWO: BOOM AND BUST



Looking across Love Field in 1965 - note the brand new second level parking deck.
Courtesy of Jim Kruggel


A postcard from early 1967 shows the Love Field terminal just before the massive 1968-1970 expansion program got underway. Note the new two-level parking deck and interim extension to American's green concourse. Construction work on Braniff's new terminal is just getting started. Also note the homes and businesses that have sprung up beyond the airport, effectively hemming it in.

By the mid-1960s, the Love Field terminal was at its designed capacity. With the opening of the Dallas/Fort Worth Regional Airport (DFW) still ten years away, Dallas officials reluctantly began planning a major expansion of the DAL terminal.


A map of the Love Field terminal in 1966, before work on the 1968-1970 expansion began.

To ease the crowded conditions immediately, a number of interim improvements were undertaken. American Airlines opened a four-gate temporary extension of the green concourse in 1966, while a second-level parking deck had been completed the year before. In 1965, the seven outdoor gates on the yelow concourse were demolished and enclosed, providing more holdroom and circulation space for Braniff and Delta.

By 1967, construction on more than $50 million worth of improvements was underway at Love Field. The additions were designed to "tide the airport over" until DFW was ready in the 1970s, and to handle the proposed "jumbo jets" due to enter service in 1970.


An aerial view of DAL in November 1967 shows the massive new Braniff/Texas International complex under construction at left. Braniff's route expansion in the 1960s (spurred on by generous route awards from the Texas-friendly Johnson administration) played a large hand in Love Field's runaway growth. From the Corbis collection


Love Field in early 1968, as the expansion program neared completion. Note the new additions surrounding the old terminal. From the DPL archives

First on the list was a badly-needed extension of the baggage reclaim hall, which was opened February 19, 1968. Although the facility continued to use an antiquated shelf system to dispense luggage, the extension more than doubled the amount of shelf space available.


This 1972 photo shows the baggage claim wing extension - note the seam separating it from the original baggage hall. Reprinted from Airport World magazine


Construction is well underway in this 1968 diagram of the Love Field facility. The new baggage claim extension is complete, as is the first phase of American's expanded concourse. The original west concourse has been demolished to make way for the second phase of the project - note the temporary bridge linking it to the main lobby. Eastern has moved to a new ticket counter location as well.

THE BRANIFF TERMINAL

The largest component of the expansion project was a $10 million terminal for Braniff, the airport's largest carrier. Designed by Corgan Associates (the same architects who had built the main building a decade before) it was formally opened December 7, 1968.

Dubbed the "Terminal of the Future" by Braniff, the building was an ultra-Mod sensation, a celebration of the colorful, sexy carrier it was designed for. Although the exterior was rather bland in appearance, the interior broke new ground for airport design, using synthetic materials, bright colors and trendy Carnaby Street furnishings to go with Braniff's ultra-hip image.


The main entrance and lower-level lobby of the Braniff terminal. The new terminal included an extension of the ticketing wing with 50 check-in positions (40 for Braniff and 10 for Texas International). In the background of the above photo is Braniff's exclusive baggage claim wing, which included four automated carousels - a first at Love Field.


A fish-eye view of the Braniff terminal's lower-level lobby, with its funky mirrored ceiling and hanging artwork. Note the large departures board on the far wall. On the right are the escalators to the boarding gates and the baggage wing; on the left is the connection to the ticket wing and Braniff's new ticket lobby.


The "Concourse of Color", which connected the lower-level ticketing and baggage claim halls to the upper-level boarding gates. Although almost 1500 feet long, the concourse was punctuated by undulating colored synthetic panels and mirrored walls, both of which broke up its perceived length.


The upper-level lobby of the Braniff terminal, which included a restaurant, gift shop, transfer counter (at rear in the photo) and a USO station. A fluorescent light sculpture set against a black velvet ceiling gave this lobby a decidedly otherworldly appearance.


The innovative 'rotunda' at the end of the boarding concourse, which allowed Braniff to add an extra five gates to the terminal. A second rotunda was planned for the northern end of the terminal but was never built; instead, the facility was connected to the existing red concourse.


One of the gate lounges in the new terminal. Each of the gates was outfitted with swivel chairs, woolen curtains and South American art work to give it the impression of a plush living room. Floor-to-ceiling oak grills separated the departure lounges from the traffic on the main concourse.


One of the fifteen jetway loading bridges attached to the Braniff terminal. Two of the gates were equipped with devices tall enough to handle Boeing 747s. When DFW Airport opened in 1974, Braniff took all fifteen jetways and installed them at Terminal 2W, where they remain in service today. Above photos from the 1968 Braniff annual report


A report on the Braniff terminal from Interiors magazine in 1969. The upper and lower lobbies, baggage claim, rotunda, "Concourse of Color", and departure lounges are all shown.

Braniff leased two gates in the new terminal to Texas International, who used them for its DC9 "PamperJet" flights. In May of 1969, Texas International opened a lower-level satellite with three gates for its Convair 600 propliners.

THE AMERICAN TERMINAL

Not one to be outdone by its rival Braniff, American announced in 1966 it would spend more than $7 million to triple the size of its green concourse. In the first phase of construction, completed in December 1967, a nine-gate extension was built perpendicular to the existing facility. The old concourse was then closed and demolished to make way for a new two-level facility with five additional gates. The American terminal was completed on December 3, 1968, when a connector bridge to the main terminal was opened.

The American terminal lacked the panache of the Braniff terminal, but made up for it with functionality. It was carpeted to cut down on noise and reduce cleaning costs. Each of the 14 gates (a fifteenth gate was added in 1970 for dual-bridge 747 operations) had seating for 150 passengers. A unique system of sliding panels at each gate allowed arriving passengers to deplane directly onto the main concourse instead of into a crowded holdroom area.


An artist's rendering of the new American terminal before construction began. The building was designed by Corgan Associates, the architects of the 1958 terminal and of the new Braniff addition. The sketch was made before a fifteenth jetway was added at the 'elbow' of the concourse for 747 aircraft.


An aerial view of Love Field in 1969 shows the completed American terminal on the green concourse. Reprinted from Airport Services Management magazine

The terminal included a new corridor to the baggage claim hall, allowing passengers to bypass the crowded main lobby. American installed a new moving walkway on the terminal bridge that glided on a cushion of air, making it twice as fast as the previous installation. Also included in the design was a snack bar, Admirals Club for premium passengers, ramp control tower and newsstand.


A postcard from 1969 showing American aircraft parked at the new green concourse.


A publicity still from circa 1970, showing an American Airlines crew inside the then-new Green Concourse facility. Southwest has replaced the red carpet (one of American's signature features) but otherwise the concourse interior looks very similar today.

The centerpiece of the terminal, however, was a motorized mobile by famed artist Alexander Calder, which was placed at the 'elbow' of the concourse. This was moved to DFW's Terminal 3E in 1974 and is now located at American's headquarters south of the airport.

THE DELTA TERMINAL

When Braniff vacated the yellow concourse for its new terminal in December 1968, its old gates and ticket counter were snapped up by Delta, then Love Field's third-biggest carrier. In 1969 Delta began construction of a $6 million terminal addition, designed to handle 747 "jumbo jet" aircraft.

When it was completed March 31, 1970, the Delta terminal had nine upper-level gates, each with a holdroom seating 120 passengers. Each gate was connected to the existing ground-level concourse by an escalator (the old ground-level gates were converted to operations offices.)


An architect's rendering of the new Delta gates completed in 1970. The addition was built on either side of the existing concourse, which was left intact (unlike the American terminal).

Five of the gates were equipped with fixed-position jetbridges for DC8 and DC9 aircraft. The other four had been designed for Boeing 747 and Lockheed L1011 jumbo jets, and featured both fixed-position and apron-drive flexible jetways. When parked at the gate, a 747 or L1011 could load from three jetways at once (two on the port side and one on starboard).


The four "jumbo jet" gates on the north side of the new Delta terminal. Two 747s or three L1011s could be handled simultaneously. Both photos reprinted from Airport Forum magazine


One of Delta's new 747s pulls into the Yellow Concourse in late 1970. American's new widebody hangar can be seen across the runway at center right.
Courtesy of George Macesich


A view of a Braniff BAC111 in 1971 with the Delta concourse in the background. Note the DC8 parked at one of the flexible jetbridges on the north side of the concourse.

The Delta terminal also had a second-level snack bar and passenger service center. Extensive signage was installed on the yellow concourse to direct passengers to the upper-level gate areas.

OTHER IMPROVEMENTS

Continental spent $3 million in 1970 to 'double-deck' its two red concourse gates. Connected to the old concourse by escalators, the two gates had fixed-position jetbridges.

To provide extra gate space for Eastern and Frontier (which had absorbed Central in 1967), a six-gate extension was added to the yellow concourse in 1969. Compared to the other improvements, it was rather crude looking (it was built from corrugated steel) and continued to use airstairs for passenger boarding. Moreover, it was almost half a mile from the main terminal, which led Eastern to offer a bus service from the lobby to its gates.


A diagram of Love Field in 1972, once the expansion program was complete. Southwest Airlines, which began service in 1971, used gates on 29 and 31 on the yellow concourse. Neither gate was equipped with a jetway. Note the yellow concourse extension (gates 33, 35, 37, 38, 39 and 40) that was built for Frontier and Eastern. Reprinted from Airport Forum magazine

THE BRANIFF JETRAIL

Despite the addition of the parking deck in 1965, the Love Field parking lot remained jammed packed at peak times. To provide extra space, Braniff purchased ten acres near Mockingbird and Cedar Springs for a remote parking lot. To transport passengers to and from its terminal, it built an elaborate monorail system, known as the Jetrail.


An artist's rendering of the Jetrail remote terminal near Mockingbird and Cedar Springs. From the 1968 Braniff annual report

Departing passengers could park in the satellite lot and check their bags at the Jetrail terminal. They could then ride the monorail to the terminal, where they were deposited adjacent to the upper-level lobby. Two separate monorail cars carried luggage back and forth. On arrival at Love Field, a passenger could call ahead for his car, then ride to the Jetrail terminal, claim his bags, and have his car waiting for him.


A composite of photos showing the Jetrail in operation in the early 1970s.

The Jetrail opened in May of 1970 and served for less than four years. After DFW opened, it was abandoned and finally demolished in 1979.

Love Field in the 1970s

Despite the downturn in traffic in the early 1970s, Love Field continued to boom, until by 1972 it was the eighth busiest airport in the nation. Flights came and went 24 hours a day; it was not unusual to see planes backed up four and five deep at the runway threshold, waiting to depart. Braniff, American and Delta all introduced widebody 747s in 1970, with DC10s and L1011s following a few years later.


Two views of Love Field in 1971. The expansion programs are complete, but the parking lot and aircraft apron are still packed.


A curbfront view of the Braniff terminal (foreground) and the more distant 1958 building.
Courtesy of Jim Kruggel


A postcard showing the Braniff terminal in 1971. Note the Jetrail tracks at lower left. Courtesy of Tom Moore


A detailed map of the Love Field terminal from 1972, showing the final gate and ticket counter locations for all airlines.


A spectacular aerial view of Love Field in 1971, showing the entire terminal with all additions complete.
From the Dallas Morning News


This detailed drawing by Jim Kruggel depicts the Love Field terminal as it appeared in 1973. All airlines serving DAL are in evidence.

Conditions at the Love Field terminal grew steadily worse until 1974, when the Dallas/Fort Worth Regional Airport was opened to traffic. Operations were transferred the evening of January 12, 1974; the last flight to depart Love Field was a Braniff 727 bound for Little Rock and Nashville.

The following morning, Love Field was deserted. Braniff had dismantled its jetbridges and trucked them to the new airport; American also took several of its jetways to DFW. The ticket counters were barren, the lobby empty, and the runways quiet. Love Field was slated to become a major general aviation airport, with the terminal serving as a fixed-base operator. The concourses were to be demolished by the end of the year, with only the original main building left standing.

On to Part Three: Love Field Renaissance