How awesome! My dad was based there as a DC-9 Captain with Southern/Republic, and I remember many trips with him as a little girl to the old terminal to turn in his bid sheet & hang out in the crew lounge. Great memories!
@HuntJumpSC That's awesome! My dad is an MD-88 Captain for Delta, and is based at ATL. I remember going with him to the crew lounge in the new airport.
It must be an awkward moment on an AirTrash flight when you taxi/takeoff/land by that beautiful big red sign "FLY DELTA JETS," but on DL when you go by that, you know you're seated on an a/c of the best airline in the WORLD! FLY DELTA JETS!!!!!!
The color looks so bad on this clip for a 1980 take ! The Atl that I knew in '87 was much more sophisticated than this. Of course that's a good 7 years ahead from this though. ;P
Can anyone tell me where the old terminal was in relation to the current terminals, and are any of the old runways part of the current airport? Thanks.
@kingward100 The old terminal building was situated well north of the current terminals: The Renaissance Hotel now occupies that location. I believe runway 8R/26L was part of the old airport. The old concourse D extended out to where 8L/26R is.
Great footage! I can't even imagine the engine noise back then with all of the tri-jets and DC-9s. It certainly had to be the best sound in the world!
Any idea what airline that is @ 3:50? The tail logo almost looks like Alaska Airlines, but I don't think ATL was part of their schedule (at least back then).
What a great video! My earliest memories of ATL date to 1983 or so; I don't remember the old terminal at all. Thanks for capturing the end of an era; looks like the almost-finished new midfield terminal complex is visible in the background a couple times, and I love the Republic DC-9 still in Southern colors.
My husband worked for Eastern.. After it closed , we could not drive down 36th St or Le jeune road for years without him getting emotional. We had wonderful trips, living in Miami, we traveled through Atlanta a lot. I believe that the orange airplane in the video was Frontier.
Busiest airport in the world!, Atlanta is now becoming very urbanized, you see people from all over the world in this wonderful city. Very big city but it stil has that "At home" feeling to it.
Ah Eastern, I flew them a lot as a kid going from LGA to PBI to visit my grandparents, they never were on time, and one year ('85 I think) the plane had mechanical problems and they had to bring a replacement in from Newark, ended up getting to PBI 6 hours late, good stuff!
Delta's old livery was much nicer than what they currently have.
Eastern also flew L-1011's from MCO-ATL. Used to get them going MCO-ATL-RDU from mid 70's to early 80's. It was a great ship. Eastern was a great airline, good service, to bad they had to go out of business. Atlanta was a good but busy airport then. Usually had long layovers there, spent a lot of time rambling to kill time. Also flew A-300'S from MCO-ATL.
@fergusoo I can't imagine an L1011 used to do ATL-RDU back when RDU only had what is now the north end of Terminal 1. It must have been quite crowded when one of those Whisperliners came in.
Living in Tampa, I've connected thru ATL many times dating back to the early 70s. AARC the Delta gates all had boarding bridges whereas Eastern's did not. And it was great seeing all the 727s and L1011 Tristars. Believe it or not until they were retired Delta flew the Tristar between TPA and ATL. Amazing such a large aircraft for such a short flight.
Anybody remember the "Stay & See Georgia" display that was at the entrance to this observation deck? Big wall map of Georgia that had points of interest light up when a button was pressed at the bottom.....
Great film, thanks for posting. I first visited ATL in 84, to interview for Delta. By then, Southern and Republic had been merged, but EAL was still a big presence. I wish I hadbeen to the old terminal. It's awesome to see so many tail engined jets (L1011s, B727s and DC-9s) in the video.
Man , Lockheed L-1011s. Haven't seen one of those in 15 years. FedEx still is flying the look-alike DC-10 as is the Air Force refueling wing based at McGuire AFB in New Jersey. Thank you very much for posting this SD'.
Thank you from a Delta brat. I knew and miss the old ATL. (I miss the old video arcade they had in the Hartsfield terminal back in the 80's, too. Remember that, kids?)
Amazing old footage. It is clear by the huge number of aircraft parked "hardstand" and doubled up on the tarmac, that ATL was indeed obsolete and overcrowded. Besides the EA and DL hubs, it appears the Republic had a pretty sizable presence there (Via the merger with Southern). Love the old liveries and the "token" flights via Northwest and Braniff.
I grew up in Massachusetts. My family would visit my grandmother once a year - and we always had to connect thru ATL. As soon as we would land - I would race to the observation deck.
The Old Airport was crowded and cramped - but it had character.
I live 5 miles from PHL. There are some days I sit on my deck and just hope beyond hope that I am fortunate enough to see a 727 climbing out. I am sad to say that its been a good year and a half since I've seen a 727 airborne. I miss its airborne shape, I miss everything about it. I didn't know how good I had it in the 80's I took those times for granted :(
Atlanta had 3 runways at that time. This was 4 months before the new terminal opened in Sept 1980. I started working for Delta in August of 1980, and was part of the moving crew to set up the new airport. We moved everything in just 2 nights.
It was amazing to think how much traffic the old building handled. It was built in 1961 to handle 4 million passengers per year. At this filming, it was handling 43 million/yr. The tarmac looks like a cluster for sure, and for good reason!
My godfather was a pilot for Eastern from 1977-91.he was a captain at the time Eastern went out of business,he retired almost 3 years ago on his 60th birthday from Airtran.he was a pilot and instructor!!!
And something neat that I have done here...I'm listening to the audio from the Krofft Supershow intro while while watching this video....sends me into retro sensory overload! No disrespect to SDMullis, but I just like this better.
What a find! A GREAT memory from my days growing up in Georgia! I may have actually been on one of those Eastern flights departing ATL. WOW! Southern Airlines (by then under
Piedmont's guidance). And the airport itself, then a major hub for most flights. Only two terminals IIRC. Now, ATL is this sprawling complex, and damn impossible to get around even changing flights.
It's a shame that you can't just go to the airport and watch planes takeoff and land anymore with our state of security .
Thanks for the compliments. My father took me to the airport that day just to watch airplanes. Best entertainment around if you ask me. Too bad so many observation decks have closed.
I worked for Delta when this video was made. I was a mechanic in Line Mtc. so this really brings back memories. I worked for Piedmont before I worked for Delta.
The L-1011 was a huge plane. it was almost as wide as it was long!
As for Piedmont Airlines, does anyone remember when one of their jets attempted a crash landing on a highway in west Georgia, near Carrollton or Douglasville?
The TriStar was the back bone of Delta and Eastern's high density and long haul fleet. At it's peak, Delta operated 50+ frames. And yes, that is the old tower that was recently demolished.
I wish i was there to see all those airlines back then when they were so retro. too bad i was born eight years after this video was taken. :) I wish the L10-11's would come back
The old super 8 mm film had to be transferred to video tape and then I had to transfer the video to my computer's hard drive. I then used a video editing program to add a music track. Very simple actually. Glad you enjoyed it !
I searched on iTunes and could not find it. If you don't have access to the editing program (iMovie) I really don't know how you would download it. Sorry.
Absolutely stunning! Amazing piece of nostalgia! The soundtrack fits all too well! I miss these days. Long live the widget and the great giants, Eastern, Braniff.
man! i just wanna live back those days
PredatorLSSMALI 2 months ago
watch name all music?
ehsfaxinal 5 months ago
tranks usa
ehsfaxinal 5 months ago
This certianly brings back a lot of memories. Thanks for posting!
dwbush777 7 months ago
How awesome! My dad was based there as a DC-9 Captain with Southern/Republic, and I remember many trips with him as a little girl to the old terminal to turn in his bid sheet & hang out in the crew lounge. Great memories!
HuntJumpSC 8 months ago
@HuntJumpSC That's awesome! My dad is an MD-88 Captain for Delta, and is based at ATL. I remember going with him to the crew lounge in the new airport.
RCKTBOY7 8 months ago
I remember flying into the old Atlanta Airport in the summer of 1980.
71tarheelfan 9 months ago
An awesome video made with deregulation and L-1011 Tristars!
madnavigator 9 months ago
To any "airline geek" such as myself this stuff is GOLD!!!!
MrGlb2012 10 months ago
It must be an awkward moment on an AirTrash flight when you taxi/takeoff/land by that beautiful big red sign "FLY DELTA JETS," but on DL when you go by that, you know you're seated on an a/c of the best airline in the WORLD! FLY DELTA JETS!!!!!!
sky30394 10 months ago
@sky30394 tomorrow no more Air Tran - legally. Southwest closes on the purchase.
tommiej3 10 months ago
wow...my first time to atl airport was probably in 1978...I was only 7. My sister went into the military that year.
craig9843 10 months ago
This was back in the day when one could identify the jet at the airport, unlike today's jets which are all two engines on a wing and a fuselage!
mscotthowell1 10 months ago
The color looks so bad on this clip for a 1980 take ! The Atl that I knew in '87 was much more sophisticated than this. Of course that's a good 7 years ahead from this though. ;P
superyusrie 1 year ago
WOW! great nostalgia. Thanks for sharing this!
jjouney 1 year ago
Can anyone tell me where the old terminal was in relation to the current terminals, and are any of the old runways part of the current airport? Thanks.
kingward100 1 year ago
@kingward100 The old terminal building was situated well north of the current terminals: The Renaissance Hotel now occupies that location. I believe runway 8R/26L was part of the old airport. The old concourse D extended out to where 8L/26R is.
jjouney 1 year ago
@jjouney - Thanks, Partner. Appreciate the info. I thought the terminal was on the "Atlanta" side of the field.
kingward100 1 year ago
Check out the Republic at 1:50 with the old Southern insignia still on the tail! They merged about this time.
tommiej3 1 year ago
Can you imagine how fabulously noisy it would have been ? Man, I miss the scream of the old JT8's and the JT9's...
SGH28N 1 year ago
Awesome to watch this. I was born the next month, my dad worked at the airport and we lived in a house where Runway 5 is now located.
Tai1gate 1 year ago
This is such a great video! I have one question, Do you know of any observation decks that are still open?
SimComProductions 1 year ago
Great footage! I can't even imagine the engine noise back then with all of the tri-jets and DC-9s. It certainly had to be the best sound in the world!
rocantr 1 year ago
Any idea what airline that is @ 3:50? The tail logo almost looks like Alaska Airlines, but I don't think ATL was part of their schedule (at least back then).
SoCalGuy93065 1 year ago
@SoCalGuy93065 That was a Frontier 737
scottdb 1 year ago
Great video - lots of memories in that one. Any chance you could post a list of the music that you used in it?
SoCalGuy93065 1 year ago
music?
dudamaraba 1 year ago
name musics? trank .... good
dudamaraba 1 year ago
What a great video! My earliest memories of ATL date to 1983 or so; I don't remember the old terminal at all. Thanks for capturing the end of an era; looks like the almost-finished new midfield terminal complex is visible in the background a couple times, and I love the Republic DC-9 still in Southern colors.
beatlesguru 1 year ago
Northwest Airlines 727-200 that's the orange coloured plane
melonjb 1 year ago
wow, seeing all the plane parked so close to each other. and parking like car parking. unbelievable
Midway737 1 year ago
This video brought back a lot of good memories for me. Thanks for posting it.
kyspentay 1 year ago
how i miss the days of these graceful birds
youngestpilotinGa 1 year ago
My husband worked for Eastern.. After it closed , we could not drive down 36th St or Le jeune road for years without him getting emotional. We had wonderful trips, living in Miami, we traveled through Atlanta a lot. I believe that the orange airplane in the video was Frontier.
ladybu9able 1 year ago
@ladybu9able Braniff not Frontier
RCKTBOY7 1 year ago
A wonderful history of what was probably the most overused terminal building in the country, at the time.
mizzouluvr 1 year ago
Busiest airport in the world!, Atlanta is now becoming very urbanized, you see people from all over the world in this wonderful city. Very big city but it stil has that "At home" feeling to it.
DUDEfreestyle 2 years ago
I grew up with the L-1011s and 727s, miss them.
pjtc85 2 years ago
good muito bom nostálgico adorei my favorits
dudamaraba 2 years ago
Eastern - gone - Southern - gone - Republic - gone - Frontier - gone - Piedmont - gone - Old Terminal - gone - sane regulation - gone - L1011 - gone - DC8 - gone - nothing left but Delta and the misery.
antimatterXXXIII 2 years ago
Amazing time-capsule...thanks for posting this.
johnlouisville 2 years ago
Ah Eastern, I flew them a lot as a kid going from LGA to PBI to visit my grandparents, they never were on time, and one year ('85 I think) the plane had mechanical problems and they had to bring a replacement in from Newark, ended up getting to PBI 6 hours late, good stuff!
Delta's old livery was much nicer than what they currently have.
xabat77 2 years ago
@xabat77 THANK YOU! Finally someone, besides my dad, agrees with me!!!
RCKTBOY7 1 year ago
Eastern also flew L-1011's from MCO-ATL. Used to get them going MCO-ATL-RDU from mid 70's to early 80's. It was a great ship. Eastern was a great airline, good service, to bad they had to go out of business. Atlanta was a good but busy airport then. Usually had long layovers there, spent a lot of time rambling to kill time. Also flew A-300'S from MCO-ATL.
fergusoo 2 years ago
@fergusoo I can't imagine an L1011 used to do ATL-RDU back when RDU only had what is now the north end of Terminal 1. It must have been quite crowded when one of those Whisperliners came in.
98148AH 1 year ago
@98148AH I flew L1011's on the MCO-ATL leg of the trip only. Got 727's an DC-9'sATL-RDU
fergusoo 1 year ago
Living in Tampa, I've connected thru ATL many times dating back to the early 70s. AARC the Delta gates all had boarding bridges whereas Eastern's did not. And it was great seeing all the 727s and L1011 Tristars. Believe it or not until they were retired Delta flew the Tristar between TPA and ATL. Amazing such a large aircraft for such a short flight.
georgemcgowanfl 2 years ago
Loved seeing the Republic DC9 painted over old Southern Airways livery. And what were the Republic prop aircraft?
georgemcgowanfl 2 years ago
Those turboprops were Convair 580's. They came from the original North Central fleet.
dualref 2 years ago
theres alot of l-1011's and DC-9's
youngestpilotinGa 2 years ago
Anybody remember the "Stay & See Georgia" display that was at the entrance to this observation deck? Big wall map of Georgia that had points of interest light up when a button was pressed at the bottom.....
tmatson2005 2 years ago
Excellent video! The orange Braniff at the end was awesome, cool to see all the Republic DC-9s too.
ntxguy 2 years ago
Great video!!! I love those old planes!
stevekach 2 years ago
Great film, thanks for posting. I first visited ATL in 84, to interview for Delta. By then, Southern and Republic had been merged, but EAL was still a big presence. I wish I hadbeen to the old terminal. It's awesome to see so many tail engined jets (L1011s, B727s and DC-9s) in the video.
rmoe701 2 years ago
md88 BABy still in service and still
rockin the delta logo!!!!!!!!
ronaldbuffalo2 2 years ago
Man , Lockheed L-1011s. Haven't seen one of those in 15 years. FedEx still is flying the look-alike DC-10 as is the Air Force refueling wing based at McGuire AFB in New Jersey. Thank you very much for posting this SD'.
TralfazConstruction 2 years ago
Thank you from a Delta brat. I knew and miss the old ATL. (I miss the old video arcade they had in the Hartsfield terminal back in the 80's, too. Remember that, kids?)
lenew3 2 years ago
I miss the arcade also..It was mine!
mas1944 2 years ago
Fantastic! Thank you for posting!
stoeger40 2 years ago
this was nice to watch...thanks
miamivicepastels83 2 years ago
Amazing old footage. It is clear by the huge number of aircraft parked "hardstand" and doubled up on the tarmac, that ATL was indeed obsolete and overcrowded. Besides the EA and DL hubs, it appears the Republic had a pretty sizable presence there (Via the merger with Southern). Love the old liveries and the "token" flights via Northwest and Braniff.
CairnTerrier69 2 years ago 3
That video is Awsome bring back old times great archival footage make me think what
Hartsfields-Jackson going to look like 30 years from now
ehg1962 2 years ago 8
I grew up in Massachusetts. My family would visit my grandmother once a year - and we always had to connect thru ATL. As soon as we would land - I would race to the observation deck.
The Old Airport was crowded and cramped - but it had character.
THANK YOU FOR POSTING ...
AND THAT MUSIC IS PERFECT !!
atlhotguy7 2 years ago 5
the republic prop planes are convair 580's I think...we used to get those at our airport...sigh, those were the days.
FallenFear223 2 years ago
Are those Republic props convairs?
bpacino 2 years ago
yup
samimalik1 2 years ago
Anybody know the model of that delta in the background that is about to take off at 1:57?
1091Alcatraz 2 years ago
727-200
Blackhawk145 2 years ago
The Delta plane takeing off at 1:57 is a 727-200 .
schnellguy 2 years ago
Is the control tower in the background at :38 the one that just got replaced?
jmkpns 2 years ago
I live 5 miles from PHL. There are some days I sit on my deck and just hope beyond hope that I am fortunate enough to see a 727 climbing out. I am sad to say that its been a good year and a half since I've seen a 727 airborne. I miss its airborne shape, I miss everything about it. I didn't know how good I had it in the 80's I took those times for granted :(
JC10255 2 years ago
Come see us at MEM sometime. FedEx still has about 80 of 'em.
tigerbandalumni 2 years ago
Great stuff! Thanks for putting this up.
BehindFor17Hours 2 years ago
Atlanta had 3 runways at that time. This was 4 months before the new terminal opened in Sept 1980. I started working for Delta in August of 1980, and was part of the moving crew to set up the new airport. We moved everything in just 2 nights.
It was amazing to think how much traffic the old building handled. It was built in 1961 to handle 4 million passengers per year. At this filming, it was handling 43 million/yr. The tarmac looks like a cluster for sure, and for good reason!
smn76 2 years ago
I may be wrong but it looks like the new terminals are being built in the backround??
sspeed30043 2 years ago
great footage. does any 1 kno how many runways atlanta airport had at that time?
mikegr190 2 years ago
Wow that is awesome. Nothing like seeing 727's/DC 9's and L-1011's in the same shot. It looks like the old ATL was still pretty busy.
PacificAirTransport 2 years ago
Back when DC9's were still DC9's and not MD80's, and DC10's were still DC10's and not MD11's, and you could actually watch planes at the airport.
larrya444 2 years ago
I missed old Atlanta International! It's shame they demoish all old!!
hcannonii 3 years ago
God _ I miss EASTERN!!
tommiej3 3 years ago 3
My godfather was a pilot for Eastern from 1977-91.he was a captain at the time Eastern went out of business,he retired almost 3 years ago on his 60th birthday from Airtran.he was a pilot and instructor!!!
WCD73 2 years ago 2
Sigh...long live Braniff, Southern and Eastern.
And something neat that I have done here...I'm listening to the audio from the Krofft Supershow intro while while watching this video....sends me into retro sensory overload! No disrespect to SDMullis, but I just like this better.
Again, a GREAT video. Miss the old ATL.
riceboy1701e 3 years ago 4
Alot of the good airlines are'nt in business anymore.TWA,Pan Am,etc.!!!
WCD73 2 years ago
Can't count how many times I've flown in and out of the old ATL airport.
Question: Around time stamp 4:58, an orange-colored B-727 shows up. I couldn't identify the airline. Anyone know who it was?
bigsargeofsc 3 years ago
Braniff International
SDMullis 3 years ago
Oh, yea. Forgot about them.
bigsargeofsc 3 years ago
DOH! Make that Southern Airlines, then under Republic's guidance, not Piedmont.
My bad.
riceboy1701e 3 years ago
What a find! A GREAT memory from my days growing up in Georgia! I may have actually been on one of those Eastern flights departing ATL. WOW! Southern Airlines (by then under
Piedmont's guidance). And the airport itself, then a major hub for most flights. Only two terminals IIRC. Now, ATL is this sprawling complex, and damn impossible to get around even changing flights.
It's a shame that you can't just go to the airport and watch planes takeoff and land anymore with our state of security .
riceboy1701e 3 years ago
Oh cool these are sounds from garage band. And nice video buddy. love it. The good old days ya? hehe
jodecci 3 years ago
I agree with you. Even after 9/11 you cant really even watch from the outter limits of the fence's.
I enjoy doing the same thing. Watching planes. I could do it 24/7
hawk4174 3 years ago
Awesome Video.
Were you there too catch a flight or just went an watched the planes?
hawk4174 3 years ago
Thanks for the compliments. My father took me to the airport that day just to watch airplanes. Best entertainment around if you ask me. Too bad so many observation decks have closed.
SDMullis 3 years ago 5
@SDMullis Yep
RCKTBOY7 1 year ago
@SDMullis there's still one at BWI Marshall Airport! Love that airport! GO Southwest!
bmore209 1 year ago
@hawk4174 noooooossssstaaaallllgiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
dudamaraba 1 year ago
Trainman
I worked for Delta when this video was made. I was a mechanic in Line Mtc. so this really brings back memories. I worked for Piedmont before I worked for Delta.
dragonlore2004 3 years ago
wow...a montage of defunct and merged airlines!
FFlyDDrum1 3 years ago
Yes note the Republic plane with the Southern logo
tommiej3 3 years ago
That was great video, loved it!
hellnini 3 years ago
The L-1011 was a huge plane. it was almost as wide as it was long!
As for Piedmont Airlines, does anyone remember when one of their jets attempted a crash landing on a highway in west Georgia, near Carrollton or Douglasville?
rweskew 3 years ago
That wqs a Southern Airways accident. Southern became Republic, then Northwest.
It almost made it except for a pole near the roadside.
zxb3250 3 years ago
I worked the ramp for eastern in the early 70s at hartsfield,this brings back a lot of memories.
schnellguy 3 years ago
Why do you see mostly L1011s in 1980? Is the tower at 1:55 the one they just demolished?
jmkpns 3 years ago
The TriStar was the back bone of Delta and Eastern's high density and long haul fleet. At it's peak, Delta operated 50+ frames. And yes, that is the old tower that was recently demolished.
FlyASAGuy2005 3 years ago
"Fly Delta Jets" is still there, after all of these years.
telebambam 3 years ago
Bravo, the airport now looks so different, but it´s amazing, I love to ride the train between concourses, It´s so organized.
SpantaxDC10 3 years ago
I wish i was there to see all those airlines back then when they were so retro. too bad i was born eight years after this video was taken. :) I wish the L10-11's would come back
job2402 3 years ago
Great video!! THis is fantastic... wonderful memories. Thanks for posting.
WADE0249 3 years ago
ah i love those old 737-200s has those nice loud cigarette engines.
AMT4245 3 years ago
WOW....I have been looking for some vids of my 'childhood airport ' forever...thanks for putting this up!
Eric2221 3 years ago
Braniff. Which could be seen at the end of South Park.
mcclanahand 3 years ago
the airport looks soooo different
superchris450 3 years ago
Wow,great video!!! Could you please tell me how you added the song on??
IFlyIt 3 years ago
I wish they would bring back the Tristars!
96Senirem 3 years ago
The old super 8 mm film had to be transferred to video tape and then I had to transfer the video to my computer's hard drive. I then used a video editing program to add a music track. Very simple actually. Glad you enjoyed it !
SDMullis 3 years ago
WOW....I never knew what the airport looked like BEFORE it took on it's INTERNATIONAL role. Amazing. Good to see Eastern Airlines in the video.
seand67 3 years ago
Great Video!! There are no photos of the old airport anywhere in the current airport so thanks a great deal for this.
PLATINUMFIYAH 3 years ago
bringing back the history of atlantas airport
techfan2121 3 years ago
The present-day Midfield Terminal didn't upen until September 1980, right?
assaultislove 3 years ago
The Tristars, greatly miss....
pcmiler2000 3 years ago
Wow! Thanks for posting this! I used to love that observation deck. Any way to get this on DVD?
zeusface 3 years ago
Which video editing program did you use? I assume this was shot near where the Raddison stands today?
gmaa90 3 years ago
For short, simple projects like this I use iMovie.
I filmed from the observation deck of the old terminal and I think you're correct, the Radisson is there now. I am not positive.
SDMullis 3 years ago
What is the name of thr song from 1:17 to 2:28. I like the guitar..
JMG717 3 years ago
The name of the song is "Yearbook". All these audio tracks are simply royalty free music scores that came with my video editing program.
SDMullis 3 years ago
Is there any way to download the song?
JMG717 3 years ago
I searched on iTunes and could not find it. If you don't have access to the editing program (iMovie) I really don't know how you would download it. Sorry.
SDMullis 3 years ago
Absolutely stunning! Amazing piece of nostalgia! The soundtrack fits all too well! I miss these days. Long live the widget and the great giants, Eastern, Braniff.
PenAirPilot 3 years ago