Old Map of DFW Airport

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usctrojan18@reddit

American only having a couple gates at DFW is crazy to think off, even if it's old as hell

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halfty1@reddit

I wouldn’t say they only had a “couple of gates” (granted compared to today…). Most of that terminal was AA gates, the other airlines cohabitating had fairly small operations.

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Icy_Huckleberry_8049@reddit

AA did only have a couple of gates. They didn't move to DFW and make it their hub until 1979. So before that, yes, they only had a few gates, just like all the other airlines at that time.

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AA, like all airlines at the time except Southwest, was at DFW since day 1- in fact the first commercial flight to land at DFW was a AA flight. They were the second largest carrier at the airport at the time behind Braniff. AA didn’t have traditional hubs before 1978 (remember that was pre deregulation) and once deregulation went into effect they focused heavily DFW because that was already one of their largest operations.

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rsvpw@reddit

Besides, Aaron was still at love

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Ok_Mathematician6075@reddit

Continental and Delta there together...

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Icy_Huckleberry_8049@reddit

not together, just in the same terminal.

Lots of airlines were sharing the terminal but had their own gates and ticket counters.

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llynglas@reddit

No European airlines. I'm surprised.

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Icy_Huckleberry_8049@reddit

DFW wasn't an international airport at that time. It was a SMALL operation at best.

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rsvpw@reddit

Missing the delta island

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Icy_Huckleberry_8049@reddit

that came much later in the 1990's.

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1979Tonka@reddit

No TWA huh?

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Icy_Huckleberry_8049@reddit

TWA was mostly international at that time and was mainly in JFK.

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Pubics_Cube@reddit

Fun Fact: American's current corporate HQ sits on the site of the former Greater Southwest Airport & is colloquially known as GSW. Amon Carter Blvd is what remains of rwy 17/35.

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Icy_Huckleberry_8049@reddit

Actually NOPE. AAs operations (HDQ, Training, IROC, Res) are all ACROSS 360 from where the GSW was.

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Agreeable_Meaning_96@reddit

this is such a cool fact thanks for sharing, the old runway is easily visible on google maps too

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Pubics_Cube@reddit

Yup! The northern end of it is still used by TX DOT crews to test the durability of new types of road paint. You can see the old run up pad from the highway, all covered in white & yellow stripes.

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MrTacocaT12345@reddit (OP)

Actually it is just across the street from the old airport site

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edisonlbm@reddit

Yeah, it used to be in CenterPort (which was directly on the old GSW runway) but it moved about 10 years ago.

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cyberentomology@reddit

That last image is not DFW. The little piece of the N/S runway at Great Southwest that goes north of the highway is still there, the only piece of that airport that remains.

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Icy_Huckleberry_8049@reddit

they mentioned that with their post under the photo

"This map did not have a date but judging by the presence of Greater Southwest International Airport (which was located just 1.5 miles south of DFW airport and was de-comissioned in 1974), I believe this map was likely distributed around 1973."

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Kanyiko@reddit

Dallas Fort Worth opened on January 13th 1974; Greater Southwest International closed the very same day.

Air Canada was founded as Trans-Canada Air Lines in 1936 but changed name in 1965. It still operates.

American Airlines was formed as a conglomerate between eight different airlines in 1926 but became a proper airline in 1936. As you know, it's still in operation.

Braniff operated from 1928 but closed down its airline operations in 1982 (the company still exists).

Continental Airlines was founded as Varney Speed Lines in 1934, changing name to Continental Air Lines in 1937. It merged with United Air Lines in 2012.

Davis airlines was founded in 1965 and merged with Rio Airways in 1978.

Delta Air Lines was founded as Huff Daland Dusters Inc. in 1925, changing name to Delta Air Service in 1929; as you know it's still operating.

Eagle seems to refer to Eagle Commuter Airlines of Texas. This was founded in 1976 and folded in 1986

Eastern Air Lines was founded in 1926 and folded in 1991

Frontier Airlines operated from 1950 until it folded in 1986

Metro Airlines - formerly Houston Metro Airlines - was founded in 1969 and filed for bankruptcy in 1993.

Metroplex Helicopter Airways was founded in 1976. I found one timetable for 1977.

Mexicana de Aviación operated from 1921 to 2010

Ozark Air Lines was founded in 1943 but only operated as an airline from 1950 to 1986 when it merged into TWA

Pan American was founded in 1927 and folded in 1991

Rio Airways operated from 1967 to 1987

Texas International was founded in 1944 (changed name from Trans-Texas in 1969); they merged into Continental in 1982.

So given the mentions of Davis, Eagle and Metroplex Helicopter, this map can be dated to 1976-1978 exactly.

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Kirbys_got_a_gun@reddit

So tie frontier you mentioned has zero correlation with the frontier of today ?

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Icy_Huckleberry_8049@reddit

two separate companies, no connection

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tristan-chord@reddit

No direct lineage but the current Frontier was founded by former Frontier employees and hired a former Frontier CEO. So, a lot of connections even without a direct lineage.

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opteryx5@reddit

Amazing — thanks for going to the trouble! Love me a good upperbound-lowerbound sandwich.

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epicenter69@reddit

Nice sleuthing!

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tomplace@reddit

This guy airline histories

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cyberentomology@reddit

Also fun fact: when they ceased airline ops in 1982, Braniff sold off the South America Routes it acquired with Panagra in 1967 to Eastern. When Eastern shut down in 1990, those routes were acquired by American.

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MrTacocaT12345@reddit (OP)

Nice thanks!

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Icy_Huckleberry_8049@reddit

DFW opened in 1974.

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billinparker@reddit

I was driving into airport on 14 the day that Delta(?) crashed there

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Eastern-Ad-3387@reddit

I was living in Lewisville at that time.

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twilightmoons@reddit

Delta Air Lines Flight 191, a Lockheed L-1011 Tristar.

I remember seeing in the distance from the road, for a while.

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billinparker@reddit

One of the first documented instances of micro bursts if I recall correctly

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Old-GliderGuider@reddit

Not quite. Microburst downed a 727 (I think it was Eastern) at MSY (New Orleans) on takeoff, all lost.

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comfortably_nuumb@reddit

I've flown on Texas International and Rio.

Shit. I am old.

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snt271@reddit

How were they?

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Dangerous-Salad-bowl@reddit

Can I just say that the only time I flew into GSW was in a CAF B-17 back in ‘74.

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GrecoMontgomery@reddit

When I hear of Braniff I think of Dallas Love Field, as in Tom Braniff Lane (I'm sure someone here knows the history and context that I don't).

Also being an IAD guy with mostly United flyer, I rarely frequent DFW and always have fond memories when I was a kid visiting my grandparents, riding the automatic air trains that always seemed way, way ahead of their time. IIRC some of the concrete "tracks" still exist outside some of the terminals(?) even though they've been gone for what - 25-30 years now? Those things were mind blowing when I was 10 years old and competed with only the even then-old mobile lounges at Dulles. Both we're cool but the DFW air trains were leaps-and-bounds above the monster-truck like mobile lounges (again, I was 10). Ahhh... happy times.

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elcheapodeluxe@reddit

They haven't been gone quite that long. I remember riding the trAAin in the very early 2000's. Looks like they left in 2005.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vought_Airtrans

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double_echo@reddit

And while this is Aviation and not Railroads: the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (The Rock Island Line) went out of business in the 1980s and was bought piecemeal by other railroads.

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The_dots_eat_packman@reddit

Before I even read the caption I saw Rock Island and went "Oh, this is an OLD old map."

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TigerIll6480@reddit

Braniff, Ozark, and Eastern. Those were the days.

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throwawayfromPA1701@reddit

Braniff! Pan Am! Takes me back

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Top_Carpenter9541@reddit

Awwww I remember that. My family lived just south of DFW. Before 01/14/1974, the day DFW opened, there were training flights into and out of GSW airport. You could still park and walk around its terminal and concourses and the facilities were mostly intact. A B-36 Peacemaker was on static display and four derelict DC-4s (C-54) were out in the field that you could walk around and climb in to. Still had seats and instruments were in Spanish. When DFW opened we were right under the air traffic which I thought was great, parents not so enthused.

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Top_Carpenter9541@reddit

Awwww I remember that. My family lived just south of DFW. Before 01/14/1974, the day DFW opened, there were training flights into and out of GSW airport. You could still park and walk around its terminal and concourses and the facilities were mostly intact. A B-36 Peacemaker was on static display and four derelict DC-4s (C-54) were out in the field that you could walk around and climb in to. Still had seats and instruments were in Spanish. When DFW opened we were right under the air traffic which I thought was great, parents not so enthused.

Edit: Pan Am and Air Canada didn’t start flying into DFW until 1976

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salooski@reddit

I miss Braniff. I do not miss Ozark.

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twilightmoons@reddit

Loved flying PanAm as a kid... Miss them.

Especially their Orion III orbital clipper.

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IATA	ICAO	Name	Location
DFW	KDFW	Dallas Fort Worth International Airport	Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, United States

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