Excellent choice of music. Don't ask me why but ever since i was a kid i always thought classical music well accompanies the inner sceneries of an airport terminal
The old Greater Pittsburgh Airport was a destination even when one wasn't flying. When I was a kid, they had a movie theater there where I remember seeing Frank Sinatra in "Some Came Running". There were fountains in front with colored lights that were cool. Also, at one time, one could go onto an open rooftop/observation area and view the planes on the ground as well as taking off.
OMG Bowfin! This is Incredible! I'm sitting here all weepy! I used to walk through that airport! So many fond memories! Thanks! To me it was a different atmosphere in those days! I usually flew Eastern, sometimes other ones but usually Eastern. It was a very special place to me! I remember one time back in the 70's, I remember I was dropped off at the front door, and I went in and got my ticket, and I remember it was between 6 and 7 pm, everything seemed so elegant to me,
Wow this was really cool to watch. This used to be such a grand airport. This brings back a lot of memories for me as a young boy flying out of Pittsburgh to visit my grandparents in Florida every year. Wow I really miss the old days.
Wonderful video!! I've been looking for a long time for photographs of the inside of Greater Pitt- you don't know how hard it is to find those let alone a great video!! That was like going back in time. Thanks for posting!
(continued) The elegance! I went and got something to eat and darted off to my gate! It wasn't my first time, but it was such a special place. It was a different atmosphere and I was glad to be a part of it. Thank you so much for putting this on! =D
I was just getting back from an Air Force stint in '85 back to that airport and was actually looking for myself in uniform, as I flew U.S.Air all that year... It's funny that I haven't been "home" in so long, I never realized that it hadn't changed. That's exactly how I remember PIT. I recall that "People's Express" was still there that year...
(continued)- the architecture, the chandaliers and what not, I remember. The people all seemed so well to do. You know like they were getting ready for business meetings in faraway places that I dreamed of going someday. So Beautiful! Sorry, I'm still weepy, it's just so Beautiful. I remember, seeing the monitor and I still remember that on that night there was a flight to Paris about to depart at 8pm. I can still see everything as it was the beautiful marbel, the chandaliers, the people.
Great vid. I have one vague memory going through that airport probably 1988 or so (I was 7). We live about 5 miles out under the approach for 27 C. We used to watch the airplanes at night line up for approach, sometimes 8 long. Hours of a plane going over every minute. And at 4:00 everyday the British Airways 747 would go over. Nowadays, theres so little traffic most of the time they cut their approach short so we just catch the base leg to final approach before they disappear over the hill
I used to love to go there as a kid to meet family arriving or leaving, I used to run up & down the long carpeted concourses, weaving through the crowd.
I remember coming to this airport frequently when I was a kid, I used to spend summers with my grandparents in greensburgh. However, the part I remember most about this place was at the 2:39 mark of the film, how in some gates you had to walk down to get to the floor of the concourse. I always found it weird. I wish I could find floorplans to the old place.
i remeber when the Penns won the cup and my dad and i went to the airport to cheer them home and Mario literally had the cup over his head walking through the airport. great memories!!!
And to think...no one in this video had to remove a belt, a shoe, or be put through a body scan. Man, bring back the good ol' days. Screw terrorism. Great stroll back through memory lane. Been there so many times as a kid.
Remember when you could board a commercial aircraft without removing your shoes? When your family could meet you at the gate? When you got a real meal instead of a bag of nuts, and the price was included in your ticket? When Eastern, TWA, Pan Am, and Republic still flew? What was that - a Christmas tree? In an airport terminal? Yes, boys and girls, it really used to happen. And you could board your flight without showing photo ID, but with a full tube of toothpaste.
This is cool..Ive always wondered what the old airport looked like. You can see small parts of video on the old Pens and Pirates VHS tapes but only short clips. The key to saving the new airport is by turning it into a Wayport, where the feds will pay for other airlines to land their connectors at PIT rather then Philly NY or NJ. This eliminates the congestion at those other highly travel airports and will bring jobs back to PIT..Call your Senators and let them know you support a the PIT Wayport
That was the advantage of when US Air (US Airways) had their hub in Pittsburgh. The northeast cities along the Atlantic coast all are so close that the airspace is shared, and those areas are congested without hub traffic. Pittsburgh is far enough west to get away from that traffic, but is still close to travel to anywhere in the northeast/eastern midwest
yea i know what you mean, I work at the great PIT airport too and its a ghost town now, its a shame that terminal is sitting there and isn't even being used
@iGamers12 I flew from Pittsburgh (the new airport terminal) to London on British Airways in 1995. They ended their Pittsburgh service on October 31, 1999.
I love seeing this old video from the late years of the Greater Pittsburgh! I still love the old airport better than the new one. The new one is just an ugly sci-fi reject. The old one was done in the late art-deco style and was built in 1948.
Pittsburgh International was without question a world class airport due to the greed of US Airways and a county - state government that was clueless it is but a shadow of what it was. You build a world class airport to the specs of your number one tenant then they ask you to pay for it all then they leave you for Charlotte who gave away the town.
WooHooo! I was with some friends in a club in Oakland that night watching the game. Everyone bolted out of whichever club they had been frequenting; some even going so far as to rock buses, jitn...I mean, cabs & other vehicles. Even with people standing on top of them. It was madness! Wonderful madness! Then the riot police came & began the herding of the populace...bummer. It was all good, though, & a helluva celebration!
That's because the current Airport is a LOT bigger than the old one. Plus since US Airways left, the airport is lot less busy. Also Pittsburgh international puts up a Christmas tree every year
Wow, Look how people dressed to fly. There are no people dressed in sweats ready to fly.I mean, I even saw a woman wearing a fur coat. People actually dressed up. I flew out of this airport this year to Florida on Eastern airlines.
USAir not only ruined this airport but had it torn down in favor of a larger one, now it has to be downsized because it's too big after USAir abandoned it. I used to live across the parkway on Rouser Road. My mom worked the coffee shop and this place was our playground. The natural sound would've been better than the asinine stuff you put over this - THUMBS DOWN
The days before anti-Christians would tell airports NOT to put up Christmas trees anymore. In some ways the old airport had some charm, but it was VERY outdated, even by the time I moved to Pittsburgh in 1982. Sad that US Scareways pretty much is vacating the new terminal and has become a ghost town.
Excellent choice of music. Don't ask me why but ever since i was a kid i always thought classical music well accompanies the inner sceneries of an airport terminal
The old Greater Pittsburgh Airport was a destination even when one wasn't flying. When I was a kid, they had a movie theater there where I remember seeing Frank Sinatra in "Some Came Running".
There were fountains in front with colored lights that were cool. Also, at one time, one could go onto an open rooftop/observation area and view the planes on the ground as well as taking off.
OMG Bowfin! This is Incredible! I'm sitting here all weepy! I used to walk through that airport! So many fond memories! Thanks! To me it was a different atmosphere in those days! I usually flew Eastern, sometimes other ones but usually Eastern. It was a very special place to me! I remember one time back in the 70's, I remember I was dropped off at the front door, and I went in and got my ticket, and I remember it was between 6 and 7 pm, everything seemed so elegant to me,
Wow this was really cool to watch. This used to be such a grand airport. This brings back a lot of memories for me as a young boy flying out of Pittsburgh to visit my grandparents in Florida every year. Wow I really miss the old days.
Wonderful video!! I've been looking for a long time for photographs of the inside of Greater Pitt- you don't know how hard it is to find those let alone a great video!! That was like going back in time. Thanks for posting!
I worked for Associated Cleaning in this Airport in the 80's & 90's . I am surprised they tore it down and did not use it for office space !
(continued) The elegance! I went and got something to eat and darted off to my gate! It wasn't my first time, but it was such a special place. It was a different atmosphere and I was glad to be a part of it. Thank you so much for putting this on! =D
I was just getting back from an Air Force stint in '85 back to that airport and was actually looking for myself in uniform, as I flew U.S.Air all that year... It's funny that I haven't been "home" in so long, I never realized that it hadn't changed. That's exactly how I remember PIT. I recall that "People's Express" was still there that year...
(continued)- the architecture, the chandaliers and what not, I remember. The people all seemed so well to do. You know like they were getting ready for business meetings in faraway places that I dreamed of going someday. So Beautiful! Sorry, I'm still weepy, it's just so Beautiful. I remember, seeing the monitor and I still remember that on that night there was a flight to Paris about to depart at 8pm. I can still see everything as it was the beautiful marbel, the chandaliers, the people.
They weren't well to do... its how people traveled back then. I was poor, when I got to fly, I wore my Sunday best
great video!! I was not alive when that building was still around- its nice to get to see some part of it!
The OJ guy!! He's down the escalator to the left. My first flight came from goin up them ramps
Great vid. I have one vague memory going through that airport probably 1988 or so (I was 7). We live about 5 miles out under the approach for 27 C. We used to watch the airplanes at night line up for approach, sometimes 8 long. Hours of a plane going over every minute. And at 4:00 everyday the British Airways 747 would go over. Nowadays, theres so little traffic most of the time they cut their approach short so we just catch the base leg to final approach before they disappear over the hill
I used to love to go there as a kid to meet family arriving or leaving, I used to run up & down the long carpeted concourses, weaving through the crowd.
I remember coming to this airport frequently when I was a kid, I used to spend summers with my grandparents in greensburgh. However, the part I remember most about this place was at the 2:39 mark of the film, how in some gates you had to walk down to get to the floor of the concourse. I always found it weird. I wish I could find floorplans to the old place.
The year I was born! Lol looks like people are so elegant compared to these days!
i remeber when the Penns won the cup and my dad and i went to the airport to cheer them home and Mario literally had the cup over his head walking through the airport. great memories!!!
I love the old Pittsburgh Airport. It sort of looks like New York JFK.
And to think...no one in this video had to remove a belt, a shoe, or be put through a body scan. Man, bring back the good ol' days. Screw terrorism. Great stroll back through memory lane. Been there so many times as a kid.
Remember when you could board a commercial aircraft without removing your shoes? When your family could meet you at the gate? When you got a real meal instead of a bag of nuts, and the price was included in your ticket? When Eastern, TWA, Pan Am, and Republic still flew? What was that - a Christmas tree? In an airport terminal? Yes, boys and girls, it really used to happen. And you could board your flight without showing photo ID, but with a full tube of toothpaste.
Yeah and guess what happened America pissed off the whole middle East and caused 9/11
Travel was so beautifully simple.
Great video!
I remember seeing a placard stating "
TO DAVID"
at that airport don't know anything about him but he sure must have liked flying
This is cool..Ive always wondered what the old airport looked like. You can see small parts of video on the old Pens and Pirates VHS tapes but only short clips. The key to saving the new airport is by turning it into a Wayport, where the feds will pay for other airlines to land their connectors at PIT rather then Philly NY or NJ. This eliminates the congestion at those other highly travel airports and will bring jobs back to PIT..Call your Senators and let them know you support a the PIT Wayport
That was the advantage of when US Air (US Airways) had their hub in Pittsburgh. The northeast cities along the Atlantic coast all are so close that the airspace is shared, and those areas are congested without hub traffic. Pittsburgh is far enough west to get away from that traffic, but is still close to travel to anywhere in the northeast/eastern midwest
yea i know what you mean, I work at the great PIT airport too and its a ghost town now, its a shame that terminal is sitting there and isn't even being used
@iGamers12 I flew from Pittsburgh (the new airport terminal) to London on British Airways in 1995. They ended their Pittsburgh service on October 31, 1999.
And now this service is back
Great!
I love seeing this old video from the late years of the Greater Pittsburgh! I still love the old airport better than the new one. The new one is just an ugly sci-fi reject. The old one was done in the late art-deco style and was built in 1948.
It's wonderful! Do you know what month it was filmed in 1985? Thanks
Not sure
There is a Christmas tree in the Rotunda . might be a clue ?
Today, it's a suburban business park. ;-)
Back when America was free....
Funny not to see everyone on their cell phone:)
the song accompanying this video- is it chopin's romance larghetto?
@luckyleaf6 Actually, Pittsburgh dosen't have any 27s. Its runway 28s
Pittsburgh International was without question a world class airport due to the greed of US Airways and a county - state government that was clueless it is but a shadow of what it was. You build a world class airport to the specs of your number one tenant then they ask you to pay for it all then they leave you for Charlotte who gave away the town.
And my aunt told me if any"MOONIES" came up to me to swat em in the face.
WooHooo! I was with some friends in a club in Oakland that night watching the game. Everyone bolted out of whichever club they had been frequenting; some even going so far as to rock buses, jitn...I mean, cabs & other vehicles. Even with people standing on top of them. It was madness! Wonderful madness! Then the riot police came & began the herding of the populace...bummer. It was all good, though, & a helluva celebration!
@luckyleaf6 BA used to fly to pittsburgh! when did service stop??
You landed at a very different airport than the one in the video. What did you think?
man have things changed, it is no where near that busy even at peak hours, and if that Christmas tree was up now, everyone would sew them....
That's because the current Airport is a LOT bigger than the old one. Plus since US Airways left, the airport is lot less busy. Also Pittsburgh international puts up a Christmas tree every year
@luckyleaf6 Make that 27L, I dont think they land on 27C
Does anyone notice what they're missing
The days before the TSA...
Wow, Look how people dressed to fly. There are no people dressed in sweats ready to fly.I mean, I even saw a woman wearing a fur coat. People actually dressed up. I flew out of this airport this year to Florida on Eastern airlines.
@petey8887 are you talking to blackhawkdogs cuz im the owner of that channel
I want to hear the sounds of the airport not the music.
Baaaa....
Baaaaaaa
Eastern, Piedmont, Pan Am, signs that were in this video that you will no longer see. Shame
Also everyone wearing more business-like attire and not sweatpants/
USAir not only ruined this airport but had it torn down in favor of a larger one, now it has to be downsized because it's too big after USAir abandoned it. I used to live across the parkway on Rouser Road. My mom worked the coffee shop and this place was our playground. The natural sound would've been better than the asinine stuff you put over this - THUMBS DOWN
@ Jet Gardner dude...take a chill pill
The days before anti-Christians would tell airports NOT to put up Christmas trees anymore.
In some ways the old airport had some charm, but it was VERY outdated, even by the time I moved to Pittsburgh in 1982. Sad that US Scareways pretty much is vacating the new terminal and has become a ghost town.
Last I checked Pittsburgh international puts up a Christmas tree every year
Most airports still put up Christmas trees.