Original MCO Terminal (finally) bites the dust

Originally Posted By seanyoda

Here's the word from the Orlando Sentinal...

<< Before Walt Disney World and in the infancies of Martin Marietta and International Drive there was the Orlando Jetport.

What started as a simple metal-framed hangar used by the Air Force to store "Hound Dog" missiles grew into Orlando's first large-scale commercial airline terminal handling 6.5 million passengers a year and known for housing the finest restaurant in town. ...

This week the buildings where Orlando International Airport first added "International" to its name will fade from existence altogether. They're being demolished to make way for future commercial development along the BeachLine Expressway. >>

More in the link...

<a href="http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-oia2606may26" target="_blank">http://www.orlandosentinel.com
/business/orl-oia2606may26</a>,0,4655230.story?page=1&coll=orl-business-headlines

In case the link doesn't work... <a href="http://tinyurl.com/z5l73" target="_blank">http://tinyurl.com/z5l73</a>

And, in case you want more info on the old Jetport (including newly added photos of the demolished terminal) visit <a href="http://oldterminals.topcities.com/orlando.html" target="_blank">http://oldterminals.topcities.
com/orlando.html</a>

 

Originally Posted By mickey_ring

I remember being there in 1976... Somewhere at Mom and Dad's there's a few minutes of a home movie of planes rolling by. That's when there was just a fence separating passengers at the terminal and the planes!

 

Originally Posted By TDLFAN

The demolition of the old terminal started about 2 weeks ago and it's almost finished. Not sure if they will re-build a new facility for UPS who has been the main tennant of that old terminal. However..it's a sentimental thing, as everytime I drive pass that area, it reminds me of the first time I flew to Orlando on an Eastern Airlines 727... Very sad.

 

Originally Posted By jkayjs

I remember well our first arrival by plane. It was May of 1979. We deplaned down stairs like you see in the movies and walked into the terminal. Back then as a standby you had to dress up. If you went lst class a female had to wear a dress and heels. There I was with a toddler and an infant trying to get down these stairs. My husband had our toddler and all the carry-on and I had the baby. What a memory I hadn't thought about that in a while.
Remeber those days TDLFAN when people actually dressed up to fly.

 

Originally Posted By TDLFAN

I know... If only we could turn back time to those days... *sighs*

 

Originally Posted By mickey_ring

Yep Mom and Dad's house has plenty of photo albums with us in darn near formal travel apparel.
Plus, all of the big, hard-sided, non-wheeled suitcases are still in the attic. Didn't take long to understand why it was called luggage.

 

Originally Posted By Labuda

A-hem! I wear slacks (or nice capris) and a blouse to fly - no jeans & t-shirt here, man!

 

Originally Posted By jkayjs

That's cause you're a lady Miss Ann!

 

Originally Posted By ssWEDguy

>> Remember the days when people actually dressed up to fly. <<

Too many people dress down these days when travelling by air. It's giving them too much credit to call it "casual."

It's closer to crumb-bum for some. The only thing missing is the crate of live chickens.

 

Originally Posted By ssWEDguy

A good buddy of mine to this day showers, shaves, and dresses in his best when he travels.

Aside from looking good and feeling good, he says that you never know when you travel. And he doesn't want to die someday in some crummy clothes.

 

Originally Posted By leemac

<<And he doesn't want to die someday in some crummy clothes.>>

My. What a cheerful thought.

 

Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom

When I fly, I travel in comfortable clothes. Sorry, but airlines cramming in more seats certainly doesn't help while wearing dressy clothes. Now if I was flying first class that would be a different story. Yes I would wear more appropriate clothes in first class or Business class.

 

Originally Posted By leemac

<<Yes I would wear more appropriate clothes in first class or Business class.>>

Really? Why is that Tom? I always travel first with work and wear casual clothes on the plane every time. Usually some cotton pants that I can sleep easily in (nice flat beds on BA!). I never got why people travel in suits. Crazy.

 

Originally Posted By TDLFAN

Not crazy at all... For one thing, they do not look like your average free upgrade frequent flyer bum, but also... in the event of a survivable crash and fire, the more layers of clothing you have on, the better your changes of come out with lesser burns and cuts.

 

Originally Posted By LadyandtheTramp

^^ We resent the "...average free upgrade frequent flyer bum" categorization. We typically fly in comfortable casual clothes - and I can't think of the last time I saw someone wearing a tie on a plane, domestic or international.

 

Originally Posted By TDLFAN

>>I can't think of the last time I saw someone wearing a tie on a plane, domestic or international.<<

Obviously a Southwest customer, aren't you? When was the last time *you* paid for First Class? I am sure you probably can't remember that as well...

 

Originally Posted By SuperDry

Well, I for one paid for a First Class flight out to California last month, so there are still some of us out there. Now that most of the airlines are pricing their domestic First Class product reasonably, I think more people are willing to buy it. When they were asking $2200 for it a few years ago, no wonder most of the seats were given away as upgrades.

As far as clothing, I do often dress like a (very comfortable) bum. But one thing I always make a point to do is to wear shoes that won't easily slip off and I keep them on until we're above 10,000 feet. When I see people next to me take their shoes of while we're still at the gate, I think to myself that I hope they never need to get out of and away from the airplane in a hurry just wearing socks.

 

Originally Posted By leemac

<<I for one paid for a First Class flight out to California last month>>

My flight from London to Seattle last week was over $12,000 return. I almost fell off my chair when they told me.

 

Originally Posted By SuperDry

<<< My flight from London to Seattle last week was over $12,000 return. I almost fell off my chair when they told me. >>>

The int'l premium-cabin products are still priced in the stratosphere. I guess they must have enough people willing to pay those rates to make it worthwhile. It would seem that the paying passengers in these cabins would have to be mostly people on expense accounts or people with so much money that $12,000 isn't much to them, but how many of those people can there be on every flight? I would have to think that a great many people in those cabins are nonrevs, upgrades, or award tickets. I know I sure as heck don't pay $12,000 to fly to TDR yet always manage to be in the front of the plane one way or another. I also suspect that there are major corporations that have contract rates on these cabins that give them substantial discounts.

 

Originally Posted By leemac

<<I would have to think that a great many people in those cabins are nonrevs, upgrades, or award tickets.>>

I think that is still the case for the US airlines. I know that most of the European airlines have better business models and fly a lot more full-far passengers. BA in particular has seen huge demand for Club World recently. It seems every flight I take with them is full to the brim in Club World and First. That is even on routes that should be highly competitive like London to Chicago, NYC and DC.

<<I also suspect that there are major corporations that have contract rates on these cabins that give them substantial discounts.>>

Yup. We get 30% kick-back at the end of the fiscal year from BA. Same deal with United.