REMOTE GATES AT ATLANTA'S 1961 TERMINAL
The 1961 facility was so overcrowded during the 1970s that Delta and Eastern both resorted to using remote satellite aircraft parking, busing passengers from the terminal to the planes.
Delta had 10 remote gates in the old cargo area just north of concourse F adjacent to the Delta headquarters. This area, referred to by employees as "the patio" or "the pad", was reached by bus from a common gate area on course F. These parking positions were used for DC-9s and 727s, the two smallest aircraft types operated by Delta at the time.
This May 3, 1979 photo, taken by David Wilson, shows Delta's remote gates and the buses used to transport passengers to the planes.
Another shot showing a line of DC-9s at the remote gates. Courtesy of Air Nikon.
The common waiting area for Delta's remote gates 53 through 60A was located in this two story addition to concourse F. Buses picked up and dropped off passengers beneath the gate house. In this view the remote gates would be just off the left side of the photo. You can see several Delta buses shuttling passengers back and forth. The main terminal block is at bottom right in this photo.
This map shows Delta Air Lines' gate numbers and locations in November 1979. Gates 53 through 60A, at top, were the remote satellite gates.
Eastern used "mobile lounges" that resembled a cross between a jetway and a bus on scissor lifts. These had been pioneered in the 1960s at Washington's Dulles Airport. Eastern's remote gates were located next to their hangar on the northwest corner of the airport. Mobile lounges departed and arrived at gate 1 on concourse A. This and the following two images are from the Eastern Air Lines Digital Collections.
These photos show demonstration and test runs shortly after the arrival of the first mobile lounges in 1971.
The height of the mobile lounges could be adjusted to match various aircraft types. Apparently, DC-9s required the lowest setting as seen in this 1976 photo.
Here's another great shot of this chaotic and crowded ramp, taken by Flickr photographer David Wilson in March 1979. The hotels and gas stations along Virginia Avenue can be seen in the distance.
At bottom left, two of Eastern's mobile lounges can be seen at concourse A in this postcard view.
This is the interior view of the second level common area for Eastern's remote gates on concourse A. The gate numbers, although blurry, can be seen over the doors along the wall in the background. At far left, it reads Gate 1a; to the right of the ticket counter is Gate 1b; Gate 1c is blocked and the sign is unlit; the door to Gate 1d is open, and Gate 1e is presumably the door at far right. Looking at the postcard above, it appears that there are only 3 spots for the mobile lounges, which would correspond to the 3 doors seen in use here.
