Airports where pax had to use stairs to board 747, DC-10, L-1011

ro1960 · Mon Jun 11, 2018 10:21 pm

NCE didn't have airbridges until T2 opened (in the 80s?) so 747 (AF, UT, GN, UY), DC-10 (UT, RK), L1011 (BA) used stairs:

Now both T1 and T2 have airbridges. T1 can only accommodate up to the 777 while T2 can have up to the A380. However it's common to see an EB 747 or a J2 A346 use remote stands and stairs.

gwrudolph · Mon Jun 11, 2018 10:22 pm

F27500 wrote:
I boarded an Eastern L1011 at Hartford-BDL via airstairs in 1976 …. and in Orlando in 1977 (old terminal)

I vaguely remember boarding an EA L1011 at the old MCO airport as a young kid. It was a ground level terminal with a boarding bridge that did one of those zig-zag ramp things to get to widebody door height. First time I was on a widebody and was quite amazed by it. Hence the reason I even remember any of these details

EvanWSFO · Mon Jun 11, 2018 10:25 pm

727LOVER wrote:
I have no idea about outside the USA....but in the USA

The only one I know for sure is CLT

My analysis on others

MIA - when the 747 arrived in 1970, I think all the gates had bridges.

JAX - opened in 1968, all gates had bridges

TPA - new terminal opened before the tri-jets flew. Not sure if any airline brought in the 747 before April, `971

MCO - I think this is one. The jetways, I think, started showing up around 1976/77. National, Eastern & Delta had tri-jets in way before that

PBI - not sure about this one. DL terminal opened in 1974 with the bridges. Not sure when the main terminal got bridges
.
ATL - hmmmmm...well DL had bridges from the opening of the 1961 terminal (BEFORE actually)......Eastern, I believe, put the jetways on
Concourse A specifically for the L-1011. Don't know about Northwest Orient & the DC-10

JFK - The questionable terminals would be 1,2,3,& 4

Airports like MSY, BUF, DTW, STL or CLE...I have no idea

Air Canada flew 747s into TPA in the early days of the a/c type. AA flew a 747 to BDL to RON the aircraft, I assume it had a few pax, it was listed in timetables. UA flew them into Hartford a little later.

ImperialEagle · Mon Jun 11, 2018 10:33 pm

At ATL EA's jetways were originally built to service the DC8's and 720's. Many L-1011's (and stretched Eights) were boarded and deplaned via airstairs at the remote ramp between the hanger and Concourse A.
NW was late to get jetways and in any event many DC-10's were boarded via airstairs.
On occasion BN's Big Orange would visit and used airstairs.
Until the Midfield terminal finally opened, one got used to taking whatever you got.

Howardt · Mon Jun 11, 2018 10:36 pm

BDA used stairs for the 747, L1011, A300 and DC10 that flew to the island. We are building a new termimal that will have jetways. It is schedule to be completed June 2020

m0ssy · Mon Jun 11, 2018 10:41 pm

The memories are fuzzy, but I think I have memories of Delta L1011's using stairs at ONT in the 80's.

ImperialEagle · Mon Jun 11, 2018 10:41 pm

TPA was a very small terminal (with a leaky roof) and all gates were open-air until the current airport opened in the early 70's. Any early wide bodies that visited were handled via airstairs.

727LOVER · Mon Jun 11, 2018 10:46 pm

EvanWSFO wrote:
727LOVER wrote:

TPA - new terminal opened before the tri-jets flew. Not sure if any airline brought in the 747 before April, `971

Air Canada flew 747s into TPA in the early days of the a/c type. AA flew a 747 to BDL to RON the aircraft, I assume it had a few pax, it was listed in timetables. UA flew them into Hartford a little later.

But AC didn't start flying the 747 until 1971, and it probably wasn't until winter 71-72 before they flew them to TPA. New terminal was open by then.

DiegoSS02 · Mon Jun 11, 2018 10:49 pm

Back in the 1970's, ASU (Asunción, Paraguay) received regular LH and IB DC-10 services. The old and rather antiquated terminal had no jetways. Affortunately, this problem was solutionated with the inauguration of the new terminal in 1980.

soflaflyer · Mon Jun 11, 2018 10:50 pm

bpat777 wrote:
TC957 wrote:
Many of the Caribbean airports don't have jetties.

Actually many of the larger airports now have jetties including: MBJ, KIN, PAP, SDQ, BGI, POS and NAS. I know STT still uses stairs.

SXM still uses stairs I believe and they receive a decent amount of widebodies.

727LOVER · Mon Jun 11, 2018 10:51 pm

ImperialEagle wrote:
At ATL EA's jetways were originally built to service the DC8's and 720's. Many L-1011's (and stretched Eights) were boarded and deplaned via airstairs at the remote ramp between the hanger and Concourse A.
.

I actually had to board that way back in 1975. We went out on the mobile lounge. I can't remember if that connected to the aircraft or if we had to exit and board via stairs

michaeljfk · Mon Jun 11, 2018 10:53 pm

BDA is also among the airports (which still use air stairs to this day, though the only regular heavy is BAs 777 service -- until the new airport is completed). I have footage of an Eastern Airlines L-1011 boarding here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1265&v=U8uD1M0zDjM
I've been restoring vintage film and this is just one of many vintage aviation films I've come across. Be sure to check out the rest.

DaveFly · Mon Jun 11, 2018 11:01 pm

Only a few years ago, I had to use airstairs in FRA on the 744 and A346. It’s a long way down!

In the 1980s, I boarded a TWA 747 at TLV via air stairs. The very weird coincidence was that I stopped on the stairs and turned around to have my photo taken. The serial number can easily be seen — 17119, better known as TWA 800. (If someone can tell me how to post pictures, I’ll post it here)

910A · Mon Jun 11, 2018 11:15 pm

LAX in the early 1980's - World's DC-10 and some other charters used the Imperial Terminal. Over on the other side T2 international, SAS, Laker and Braniff all used stairs. Stairs are the only way off a plane today at PPT.

SkyflyerYYZ · Mon Jun 11, 2018 11:22 pm

MFM used airstairs on a BR 744 in 2011. They mainly see narrow bodies today, but here's some footage of the 744 boarding:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=j4CQofwqfKs (skip to around 1 min)

Yflyer · Mon Jun 11, 2018 11:25 pm

727LOVER wrote:
I have no idea about outside the USA....but in the USA

The only one I know for sure is CLT

Can you elaborate? This was before the current terminal opened, I assume? Who flew widebodies to CLT in those days? Eastern? On what routes?

727LOVER · Mon Jun 11, 2018 11:29 pm

DaveFly wrote:
17119, better known as TWA 800.

That's not TWA 800....AFAIK
Isn't that 93119?

727LOVER · Mon Jun 11, 2018 11:35 pm

Yflyer wrote:
727LOVER wrote:
I have no idea about outside the USA....but in the USA

The only one I know for sure is CLT

Can you elaborate? This was before the current terminal opened, I assume? Who flew widebodies to CLT in those days? Eastern? On what routes?

Dude...I was surprised as well
This video gave me the idea for this thread

From 1979:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eirRl1cjxWs

Apparently DL had an early morning L10 to ATL

afcjets · Mon Jun 11, 2018 11:41 pm

EA flew the A300 LGA-RDU-CLT and ATL-RDU-LGA during the late 70s (not sure about the L10). I first flew into RDU in the late 80s and noticed EA was in a dated single level concourse where jetways were at a steep incline to reach narrowbodies. I am not sure if it would have been possible for them to reach a widebodies so it's possible they had to use stairs.

Cyber7823 · Mon Jun 11, 2018 11:45 pm

I’m surprised no one has mentioned LHR T5 (unless I’ve missed it). The end gates from satellite piers B and C (from what I can remember) don’t have airbridges and bus pax to the plane and board via stairs. It’s a definite advantage when arriving in the early morning overload of arrival pax trying to cram into the inter-terminal train to get to the main terminal as you get bussed directly to the terminal. I’ve boarded a 747 bound for Boston and arrived on a 787 from EWR.

727LOVER · Mon Jun 11, 2018 11:47 pm

afcjets wrote:
EA flew the A300 LGA-RDU-CLT during the late 70s (not sure about the L10). I first flew into RDU in the late 80s and noticed EA was in a dated single level concourse where jetways were at a steep incline to reach narrowbodies. I am not sure if it would have been possible for them to reach a widebodies so it's possible they had to use stairs.

I'm assuming that's the B Terminal....well...what eventually became B

afcjets · Mon Jun 11, 2018 11:52 pm

727LOVER wrote:
Yflyer wrote:
727LOVER wrote:
I have no idea about outside the USA....but in the USA

The only one I know for sure is CLT

Can you elaborate? This was before the current terminal opened, I assume? Who flew widebodies to CLT in those days? Eastern? On what routes?

Dude...I was surprised as well
This video gave me the idea for this thread

From 1979:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eirRl1cjxWs

Apparently DL had an early morning L10 to ATL

Yup, did you notice the two EA A300s in the video too? Eastern also flew the L1011 into CLT at times (the same flight would be an A300 or L10 depending on the day of week and month). My first widebody was in Spring 1981 EA on an A300 FLL-ATL-CLT onestop. In November of that year I flew the exact same flight ATL-CLT and it was an L1011. Ironically EA ended all widebodies into CLT just a few months before the current terminal opened on 5/2/82 and CLT did not see any more scheduled widebodies until 6/15/87 when PI launched CLT-LGW. The rotation was actually TPA-CLT-LGW-TPA.

flyer1225 · Mon Jun 11, 2018 11:58 pm

Doesn't Jeddah still lack aerobridges (until the opening of the new terminal this year, and the Hajj terminal)? I remember reading trip reports from the 2010s which showed EK A380s and 744s from AI and SV using the airstairs.

ACCS300 · Mon Jun 11, 2018 11:59 pm

YHZ had AC L-1011 service beginning in 1973, at the time YHZ had no jet bridges.

afcjets · Tue Jun 12, 2018 12:07 am

727LOVER wrote:
afcjets wrote:
EA flew the A300 LGA-RDU-CLT during the late 70s (not sure about the L10). I first flew into RDU in the late 80s and noticed EA was in a dated single level concourse where jetways were at a steep incline to reach narrowbodies. I am not sure if it would have been possible for them to reach a widebodies so it's possible they had to use stairs.

I'm assuming that's the B Terminal

Yeah that looks like it, jetways were added later (at least by the late 80s) for that terminal. I am not sure if it was called concourse A or B. I know AA's gates were referred to as concourse C.

In this pic it is the concourse in the upper left corner. It was connected to what is now T1 and it seemed only EA was there. Piedmont, Delta, United, Pan Am, etc were all in what is considered T1 today and this newer part may have been concourse B (or maybe they considered that whole side B).

DaveFly · Tue Jun 12, 2018 12:11 am

727LOVER wrote:
DaveFly wrote:
17119, better known as TWA 800.

That's not TWA 800....AFAIK
Isn't that 93119?

Same plane, see below:

Aircraft
Trans World Airlines - TWA
Boeing 747-131
Reg.: N93119
MSN: 20083
Line No.: 153
Code: 17119

On July 17, 1996, at around 8:31 p.m. the plane, a Boeing 747-131 registered as N93119 and designated by TWA as ship number 17119, exploded in mid-air off Long Island and plunged into the ocean.

N62NA · Tue Jun 12, 2018 12:16 am

LGA, at least in the first part of the 70s.

There's pictures in the database here that show DC-10s with pax boarding via stairs (I think UA and NA).

DLHAM · Tue Jun 12, 2018 12:16 am

In Dubai you have very big chances to deboard/board your 777/380 on a remote stand. Also Istanbul.
Or fly Qatar in/out of TXL, the 777 is boarded via stairs too.

Ziyulu · Tue Jun 12, 2018 12:17 am

Just last year, all international flights at WUH had to use stairs since there were no jet ways for the international terminal. It only had four gates being the largest city in central China.

Yflyer · Tue Jun 12, 2018 12:18 am

727LOVER wrote:
Yflyer wrote:
727LOVER wrote:
I have no idea about outside the USA....but in the USA

The only one I know for sure is CLT

Can you elaborate? This was before the current terminal opened, I assume? Who flew widebodies to CLT in those days? Eastern? On what routes?

Dude...I was surprised as well
This video gave me the idea for this thread

From 1979:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eirRl1cjxWs

Apparently DL had an early morning L10 to ATL

Wow, I had no idea CLT had any widebody flights prior to Piedmont's 767s.

flyPIT · Tue Jun 12, 2018 12:18 am

ZRH back in the day

bigredx · Tue Jun 12, 2018 12:50 am

I boarded a DL 763 at CDG in October 2016 at a remote stand via stairs. It was neat. We boarded a bus at the gate and then drove to the stand. I don't know how many trips it took to get everyone over since it was scheduled service, not a charter.

DCA-ROCguy · Tue Jun 12, 2018 1:06 am

In 1973, American flew DC-10's to ROC, four daily at one point. Passengers would have enplaned and deplaned via airstairs at that point. ROC's first jetways were installed a few years later.

Jim

JOYA380B747 · Tue Jun 12, 2018 1:11 am

CCU back in the 90s. I remember it had AI 747 flights to Tokyo that used stairs for boarding.

Brickell305 · Tue Jun 12, 2018 1:32 am

bpat777 wrote:
TC957 wrote:
Many of the Caribbean airports don't have jetties.

Actually many of the larger airports now have jetties including: MBJ, KIN, PAP, SDQ, BGI, POS and NAS. I know STT still uses stairs.

BGI doesn’t have jet bridges unless they are very recent. PAP has jet bridges but most flights still board via stairs. ANU and SXM have jet bridges as well.

afcjets · Tue Jun 12, 2018 2:00 am

EWR for People Express in 1985

airbazar · Tue Jun 12, 2018 2:13 am

Outside the US is occurs every day in a lot of places. Just recently I boarded both a BA 788 and 772 thru stairs at LHR T5.

afcjets · Tue Jun 12, 2018 2:14 am

Yflyer wrote:
Who flew widebodies to CLT in those days? Eastern? On what routes?

Here are the ones I know of before Piedmont's 767 arrived in 1987.

Eastern L1011 late 70s / early 80s
ATL-CLT-LGA

Eastern A300 late 70s / early 80s
ATL-CLT-LGA
RDU-CLT

Delta L1011
1979 ATL-CLT roundtrip
1974 EWR-CLT-ATL (Departed EWR at 155a!) This one is on departedflights.com.

sccutler · Tue Jun 12, 2018 2:23 am

1986, Cancun, Q Roo (CUN/MMUN), had DC10 service, Mexicana from DFW and from PHL. No jetways (heck, not that much of a terminal).

Hard to believe, but you could tell when a plane arrived, because some buses would show up at the (very few) hotels, and you could tell if it was the Philly flight from all the Yankees wearing cut-offs and wife-beater shirts. They were very excited to escape winter, it appears.

teneriffe77 · Tue Jun 12, 2018 2:27 am

At SYR in the 1970's EA and AA flew L-1011's and Dc-10's and I've seen pics of AA using a jetway for their planes and i'm sure Ea did the same. Currently UA's gates can't handle widebody cause they're too close to DL's which can cause their at the end of the concourse.

727LOVER · Tue Jun 12, 2018 2:29 am

afcjets wrote:
Yflyer wrote:
Who flew widebodies to CLT in those days? Eastern? On what routes?

Here are the ones I know of before Piedmont's 767 arrived in 1987.

Eastern L1011 late 70s / early 80s
ATL-CLT-LGA

Eastern A300 late 70s / early 80s
ATL-CLT-LGA
RDU-CLT

Delta L1011
1979 ATL-CLT roundtrip
1974 EWR-CLT-ATL (Departed EWR at 155a!) This one is on departedflights.com.

DL flew CLT to all 3 NYC airports ???? WOW...didn't know THAT !!!

EDIT---on the return there's two EWR flights...no JFK

The L10 continued on to MSY, DFW & SFO

afcjets · Tue Jun 12, 2018 2:36 am

In 1974 DL also flew the L10 DAY-ATL. Based on this picture which seems to be from the 1970s, DAY did not have jetways. The jet on the left appears to be a UA 727-100, I can't tell what airline or type the other plane is though.

http://www.flydayton.com/wp-content/upl ... r-1990.jpg

leleko747 · Tue Jun 12, 2018 2:45 am

Here in Brazil:

Fortaleza Airport didn't have jetways until the new terminal was opened in 1998.
Many 747s, DC-10s and MD-11s had to use airstairs.

Recife airport only got jetways in 2004.

mozart · Tue Jun 12, 2018 2:45 am

In 2018, outside the US, for wide body jets

London LHR
Amsterdam
Frankfurt
Paris CDG (seldom though)
Paris ORY
Berlin TXL
Milan MXP
Lisbon
Madrid
Vienna (seldom)
Jeddah
Dubai
Doha
Muscat
Istanbul
Casablanca
Auckland
Cologne

Beardown91737 · Tue Jun 12, 2018 2:50 am

Used airstairs for a 767 on DEN-LGB in 1986

AirMatt wrote:
AA flew a DC-10 to ONT during the late 90's for a short period, prior to the new terminals opening and it was a stairway. Also, I believe HA flew a DC-10 as well in the 90's.

Matt

I think HA was a L1011

EvanWSFO · Tue Jun 12, 2018 3:06 am

727LOVER wrote:
EvanWSFO wrote:
727LOVER wrote:

TPA - new terminal opened before the tri-jets flew. Not sure if any airline brought in the 747 before April, `971

Air Canada flew 747s into TPA in the early days of the a/c type. AA flew a 747 to BDL to RON the aircraft, I assume it had a few pax, it was listed in timetables. UA flew them into Hartford a little later.

But AC didn't start flying the 747 until 1971, and it probably wasn't until winter 71-72 before they flew them to TPA. New terminal was open by then.

I was merely pointing out AC flew the 747 to TPA. I have a 1970 TT that shows this route was indeed flown.

EvanWSFO · Tue Jun 12, 2018 3:08 am

DaveFly wrote:
727LOVER wrote:
DaveFly wrote:
17119, better known as TWA 800.

That's not TWA 800....AFAIK
Isn't that 93119?

Same plane, see below:

Aircraft
Trans World Airlines - TWA
Boeing 747-131
Reg.: N93119
MSN: 20083
Line No.: 153
Code: 17119

On July 17, 1996, at around 8:31 p.m. the plane, a Boeing 747-131 registered as N93119 and designated by TWA as ship number 17119, exploded in mid-air off Long Island and plunged into the ocean.

What does this have to do with the thread topic?

EvanWSFO · Tue Jun 12, 2018 3:11 am

I doubt TYS had jetbridges for widebodies in 1982 when DL was flying 2x daily L10s for the World's Fair

afcjets · Tue Jun 12, 2018 3:16 am

NW flew D10s into Billings and Great Falls, MT in the late 1970s and I have heard at one point even 747s I doubt those small airport would have had jetways back then but I could be wrong.

teachpdx · Tue Jun 12, 2018 3:16 am

Norwegian (DI) doesn’t use a jetbridge at SEA for their 789.

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