LUBBOCK REGIONAL AIRPORT



DC3s of Pioneer and Braniff Airways idling at the Lubbock terminal shortly after its opening in 1950.

Lubbock Regional Airport was established after World War II on the site of the South Plains Army Airfield, which had been a glider base during the war. Initial services were operated by Braniff Airways, Pioneer Air Lines, and Trans-Texas Airlines, all using DC3 equipment.

In 1950 a permanent terminal was opened to replace a WWII hangar that had been pressed into service. The new facility was located on the western edge of the airport, at the junction of the field's three runways. Planners sited the terminal alongside the main Lubbock-Amarillo highway, putting LBB within driving distance of most of the Texas Panhandle.


An architect's rendering of the new LBB terminal.


An early photo of the LBB terminal, taken shortly after it was completed. The baggage claim wing is in the foreground, with the round lounge/restaurant area and control tower behind it.
From the Lubbock Pictorial History Collection at Texas Tech University

A simple design was selected for the terminal - a V-shaped structure with a small lobby flanked by ticketing and baggage offices. Above the lobby, the architects placed a restaurant and observation deck in a circular space with a wide view of the sporadic activity on the field. A three-story control tower was also attached to the terminal.


A view of LBB in the mid-1960s. The ticket wing is in the foreground, baggage claim at rear beyond the control tower. LBB was not exactly a 'bustling' airport during this period - only two cars are parked on the landside, and the approach road does not even appear to be paved!

Continental Airlines (which had absorbed Pioneer in the mid-1950s) began Lubbock's first jet service in 1966, on routes to Dallas and Albuquerque. Braniff and Trans-Texas followed the next year. At some point in the 1960s, the ticket lobby was renovated and extended to the southwest.

By the early 1970s, airport officials were planning for a replacement terminal. The 1950 terminal was well located, but was beginning to show its age: the airlines wanted amenities like baggage carousels and jetway loading bridges. Construction started in 1974 for a new terminal across the runways.

The new terminal was opened in late 1976. At that point, LBB was served by Braniff (with 727s to Dallas and Amarillo), Continental (727s to Dallas, Midland, Albuquerque, Wichita Falls and El Paso), Texas International (DC9s and Convairs to Albuquerque, Austin, San Antonio, Hobbs, Clovis, Amarillo, Abilene and Houston) and Southwest (which had just begun 737 flights to Dallas, El Paso and Austin).

The old terminal is still standing today, although it is now the home of the Silent Wings Museum, which is dedicated to the gliders that used the field during the war. On a flight through LBB in September 2002, I saw the old terminal as we taxied to the runway. It appeared extremely small; even a DC9 or 727 must have towered over the facility.


The front of the then-abandoned LBB terminal as it looked in 1990. The old ticket wing is at right; note the extension added in the 1960s. The old terminal has since been renovated and turned into a museum for WWII-era gliders. Photo by Tom Moore


The front of the Lubbock terminal in the 1990s, as it was being remodeled into the Silent Wings Museum.
Photo by Robert Tidwell


Two views of the apron and gate area of the old LBB, prior to renovation. The second photo shows LBB's boarding 'concourse.'
Photos by Robert Tidwell


Three shots of the interior of the old LBB before renovation work got underway in the 1990s. Most of the terminal furnishings have been removed, but the original signage is still intact.
Photos by Robert Tidwell


A view of the former ground-floor lounge at LBB. The seating has been removed, but a mural on the back wall is still there.
Photo by Robert Tidwell


A satellite view of the old LBB in 2000; the building has changed little since it closed in 1976. It looks as though the apron could hold 3-4 small jet aircraft.


A 2003 view of the old Lubbock terminal, now the site of the Silent Wings Museum. The control tower and terminal frontage are relatively unchanged.
Photo by Ben Crandall

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