Why The Twa Sign At Jfk?

AA191

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Sep 17, 2002
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Was departing JFK on an HP flight recently to Phoenix and saw the TWA sign light up between 2 active Jet Blue gates. Is the sign there for the sake of history?
 
Terminal 5 was the TWA domestic terminal for 20 years from the time Pan Am took over National Airlines in 1981 until it closed its doors. This building has all kinds of old unused Jet Bridges since it was used by DC-10's and 747's by its prior occupants. The Jet Bridge talked about here probably hasn't been used used Reagon was it the White House. TWA did have the occasional 747 parl ther in the winter for flights to California but its was the L-1011 that used it often. Terminal 4, TWA's international terminal, saw all the 747 action. I hope this helps.
 
JFK777 said:
Terminal 5 was the TWA domestic terminal for 20 years from the time Pan Am took over National Airlines in 1981 until it closed its doors. This building has all kinds of old unused Jet Bridges since it was used by DC-10's and 747's by its prior occupants. The Jet Bridge talked about here probably hasn't been used used Reagon was it the White House.

Sometimes the old Jetways are still being used--at two of the three Southwest gates here at TUS, for example, if you glance over at the Jetway control panel as you board the aircraft you can't help but notice "Jetway--made exclusively for TWA" signage on the panel!
 
JFK777 said:
Terminal 5 was the TWA domestic terminal for 20 years from the time Pan Am took over National Airlines in 1981 until it closed its doors. This building has all kinds of old unused Jet Bridges since it was used by DC-10's and 747's by its prior occupants. The Jet Bridge talked about here probably hasn't been used used Reagon was it the White House. TWA did have the occasional 747 parl ther in the winter for flights to California but its was the L-1011 that used it often. Terminal 4, TWA's international terminal, saw all the 747 action. I hope this helps.
[post="264860"][/post]​

Does anyone want to point out the numerous errors in this statement? :p
 
audio-nut said:
Does anyone want to point out the numerous errors in this statement? :p
[post="271332"][/post]​


Ohh ohh ohh..Pick Me! Pick Me! :lol:


Let's see...first, National operated from the glass walled Terminal 6 (Designed by I.M. Pei), Terminal 4 only picked up that name recently...during the heyday of TWA and Pan Am it was called the IAB.

There hasn't been a jetbridge on Terminal 5 in several years now, the Port Authority had them all removed for security reasons as well as alleged asbestos contamination.I dont know how true that is,but thats what people I know at the Port have told me.

That sign atop Terminal 5 has been lit for years now...'course the Port also keeps the internal lights on 24x7 as well. :blink:
 
USAir757 said:
I say leave it there and light it up... for a little bit of nostalgia if nothing else.
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The sign is considered a historical landmark with the terminal building. Thus it stays, per our Real Estate VP.
 
autofixer said:
Is not the TWA terminal on the Fed's list of national historic places; thus, you cannot just tear off a sign without "an act of congress"?
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Yes it is a historical site.
 
Males a lot of sense, having a historical landmark, of that size, on a busy operating airport!
 
USAir757 said:
I say leave it there and light it up... for a little bit of nostalgia if nothing else.
[post="271444"][/post]​


I'm for that as well, as long as it doesn't fall into disrepair over time. Anyone from Chicago probably remembers the legendary huge neon lips from Magikist (carpet/upholstery cleaning company) that appeared alongside several of the city's major expressways for years. They became something of a landmark that readily identified "Chicago", and years after Magikist ceased business the lips remained, until they were eventually torn down after years of neglect. Really too bad that no one else acquired them after Magikist folded... could have kept the icon alive and adapted the logo for their own!
 
Dizel8 said:
Males a lot of sense, having a historical landmark, of that size, on a busy operating airport!
[post="289950"][/post]​


It's not like you choose what's going to become an historic landmark when you build it! It was a fantastic architectural design and became an enduring symbol of the golden age of jet travel in the US. Those of us who care about our history absolutely believe it's absolutely right for it to have its historic designation. JetBlue deserves a lot of credit for stepping up with a plan to keep the building intact and incorporate it into its new terminal.
 
JetBlue deserves a lot of credit for stepping up with a plan to keep the building intact and incorporate it into its new terminal.
The people of the state of New York, more precisely New York City, deserve the credit, because without them, the political cronyism of our NY Governor Pataki, without NY's tax incentives JB, JB would be toast.

BTW, the TWA sign stays, if only to remind JB and the new lower paid airlines workers that there was once an airline, that actually flew around the globe, with truly First Class service, carrying Royalty, Popes and Hollywood's best, while providing livable wages to it's employees.

Please pass the blue peanuts. :D
 
BTW, the TWA sign stays, if only to remind JB and the new lower paid airlines workers that there was once an airline, that actually flew around the globe, with truly First Class service, carrying Royalty, Popes and Hollywood's best, while providing livable wages to it's employees.

Please pass the blue peanuts. :D

TWA had some of the finest employees I have ever met. Let's not let nostalgia blind us to the truth. Wether it was due to poor management, fierce competition, Carl Ichan, or whatever you want to blame it on TWA ran out of rabbits. They had been pulling rabbits out of their hat for years just to survive. The employees got the royal shaft from AA no doubt.
At JetBlue there are MANY MANY MANY former employees of TWA. At least half the pilot group are furloughed from one airline or another. Almost every single mechanic I have talked to is furloughed from some airline. So please spare us the "to remind JB and the new lower paid airline workers" mantra. So many outsiders seem to think we all fell off the apple cart yesterday and don't have any experience in this business. Well you are sorely mistaken if that's what you believe.