Today I was in O'Hare, on a layover from St Louis on my way to Aspen. The latter flight, a CRJ-700, departed out of Gate G13, in the basement of the G concourse, and it was grungy. The lighting was low, it was windowless (a given), the power ports didn't work, and it was somewhat cramped. I know EWR also has downstairs gates, but this was one of my first experiences with them at ORD.

So that brings me to my question. What are the most dated American concourses--or parts of concourses--that you have traveled out of? I'll nominate both Terminal 1 balls (plus Gates 1A, 1, and 2) at SAN, and will also nominate Concourse D in Atlanta.

CLE concourses A and B - hasn't changed much in my 4+ decades

LAX T3

BUR - whole airport

RNO - concourses look similar as they did in the '80s

ABQ - another one that is fairly 70s / 80s designs

IAH Terminal B north still the same rotunda style gates from when the airport opened in 1969.

Do the remaining 1960's-era LGA concourses from the Central Terminal count on this list?

Also, what constitutes as "dated" for the purposes of this discussion? User maps4ltd suggested ATL Concourse D. If Concourse D received the same "ATLNext" remodeling treatment as Concourses T/A/B/C, will it still be "dated" because the concourse was built in the late 70's-early 80's?

maps4ltd wrote:

Concourse D in Atlanta.

Oak - stuck in the 80's
BNA - remodeling when I was there in feb, but whole airport felt super old.
SEA - Concourse B

Don't know what others think but JFK T1 is definitely not a modern terminal. It is narrow, cramped and certainly overcrowded (pre-Covid).

Flying through IAD with two non-avgeek pals in 2014, even they commented on how spartan the C/D concourse was. And these were chaps who I'd flown out of LTN with before. We're spoilt with a majority of fairly new, light and airy airports in Europe and I guess this just encompassed the antithesis of that.

BIL

Agree with CLE. The whole terminal is showing its age.

phatfarmlines wrote:

Do the remaining 1960's-era LGA concourses from the Central Terminal count on this list?

Also, what constitutes as "dated" for the purposes of this discussion? User maps4ltd suggested ATL Concourse D. If Concourse D received the same "ATLNext" remodeling treatment as Concourses T/A/B/C, will it still be "dated" because the concourse was built in the late 70's-early 80's?

maps4ltd wrote:

Concourse D in Atlanta.

No. Concourse A is pretty old, and I don't consider it dated. I'm just saying concourses that haven't been renovated in a while or look unkempt.

Concourse E/F in ORD. Built for the 1960's.
Concourse C/D at IAD. A "temporary" structure built in the 1980's that should have been torn down 20 years ago.
All of Terminal 1 in LAS. Even with renovations it still looks like a 1970's era terminal.
Concourses F and G in MIA. Not only does it look bland, it looks neglected.

Memphis
downstairs area of Boston former terminal D

+1 for Memphis. I can't name another major airport with interior exposed brickwork (and not of a "rustic" type, the "popular in civic buildings in the 50's" type.

Another that hasn't been mentioned is Concourse C at MKE (which isn't as bad as E was, but still feels cramped and old).

Also, if you're looking for an entire airport that feels like it's straight out of the late 70's or early 80's - LAN. I know it's not a major airport but geez, literally nothing has been updated it seems like.

PHL Concourses B & C. Dingy and crowded with people spilling out into hallway from small gates. Hallways congested by kiosks to maneuver around and always noisy with multiple announcements blaring and crowds of people talking. I'd walk from A to F if I had a choice to avoid B or C, but PHL no longer my home airport so less an issue now and reduced flying due to Covid anyway.

Newark Terminal B (B-1 Concourse).

I agree with bfitzflyer above, "Oak - stuck in the 80's"

and if you take a look at the check-in wing of Oakland, it looks like you are back in the 1960s or so.

Although some airports have not been able to expand or construct new concourses and terminals due to space or budget constraints, many airports have renovated older concourses to enhance passenger comfort.

For example, at Minneapolis, Concourses E, F, and G are basically intact from their original construction in the 1960s/1970s, but they have been renovated with popular restaurants, bars, shops, and power ports in the gate areas to provide for a pleasant passenger experience.

Same thing for Seattle Concourse B and Chicago O'Hare Concourses E and F (previously mentioned above)--old, original design, but functional nevertheless.

Finally, quoting maps4ltd (Topic author), " I'll nominate both Terminal 1 balls."

maps4ltd, most airport operations and terminal planning personnel, as IAHFLYR mentioned above, refer to that type of terminal design as "rotundas."

However, when Terminal A was built at Washington National Airport (KDCA) around 1970--the Northwest/TWA terminal--they affectionately referred to it as the "banjo concourse."

e38

Concourse C at LAS

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Terminal 3 at KFLL, especially the AA section. Not a lot of room and the men's room always smells bad. Believe the terminal is in the process of being redone though.

bfitzflyer wrote:

Oak - stuck in the 80's
BNA - remodeling when I was there in feb, but whole airport felt super old.
SEA - Concourse B

OAK Terminal 2 was expanded in the 00s so it feels relatively modern, if cramped. Terminal 1 is very dated.

The first thought that came to mind upon reading the title was, "oh, I should mention San Diego!", but maps4ltd beat me to it.

Terminal 1 has outlived its usefulness and needs to be replaced with a newer facility. But so does Terminal 2 East. In fact, I'd prefer T1 over T2 East any day! Especially the gates at the end, with 2-3 doors right next to each other, but no additional seating. And what did the designers have against windows?

If you never experienced it in the 60+ years it was in existence, BFL's original "terminal" building was, well...unlike anything any other airport I have ever been in. There wasn't even a baggage carousel for arriving passengers until the mid-1980's, and the "waiting area" was one small room separated from the main room by a glass partition. When the plane was ready to board, passengers walked out onto the tarmac and climbed on board via airstairs.

At times in the mid 1980's, passengers and those waiting for incoming flights fought each other for a place to sit. Oh, and there were no restrooms post security. And there was no food available in the terminal at all, period. The Skyway House restaurant, while located nearby, was a full-service facility, not really intended for passengers. It was an embarrassment, but its eventual replacement in 2005 more than made up for the short-comings. BFL today is a great place!

Ironically enough, for the brief time that ExpressJet flew SAN-BFL non-stop, I took that flight many times, as 42 minutes on a plane with a beverage versus 4+ hours in car was enough for me to say, "yes, please!". From San Diego, one departed from the now-closed Commuter Terminal, but upon arrival, one left the plane into a modern, efficient, and easy to navigate building in Bakersfield.

Terminal A and Terminal B at EWR will always feel dated and cramped, but the old-school design is at fault, not any "remodeling" one might try. These buildings are simply not salvageable in the long run, and rightfully are being replaced.

In my one and only time at IAD, I got to see a People Mover. I looked for a flight attendant who resembled Karen Black and a sick little girl on a stretcher on her way to Los Angeles for an operation, but thankfully, there weren't here that day. Other than that, however, the airport felt as 70's as any place I have ever been...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgxWsZt7sao&t=380s

If you have never seen this video, travel in time back into the 1980's and 1990's while touring STL Concourse D. While currently closed off from the rest of the airport, it is interesting to note that a large number of the gates at the east end of D have been re-modeled and are now in use as E gates. Ironically enough, STL could indeed one day see the two terminals connected for all passengers if demand warrants it.

I would LOVE to see video of the C gates at STL that were the old international facilities, numbered C28 up. The "don't-leave-stuff-inside-these-markings-because-these-are-widebody-gates!" paint markings are still visible where I'm sure 747's from LHR and CDG docked! Interestingly, the gate markings on the north side of Concourse C remain, as on Google Satellites the tarmac markings for C28, C30, C32, and C34 are still visible. However, on the south side, the markings end at C27, and with all other markings removed. I wonder if it is a time capsule like the D Concourse...

The IAH B-is-for-banjo gates. I don't know how many are still in use, however, like EWR, tiny terminals need to go the way of the Edsel.

I have never understood United's "Express gates" system at DEN - it has always struck me as such an "add-on" from the beautiful B gates. I know consolidation is happening, but the north side facilities always struck as converted shipping containers.

By the way, I'm kind of glad Google's "Globe View" is as dated as it is, as it is more a historical tool than a useful guide:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Concourse+B,+8500+Pe%C3%B1a+Blvd,+Denver,+CO+80249/@39.8587339,-104.6759034,602m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x876c67e2641e015d:0x7576d20df3b75f6d!8m2!3d39.8587339!4d-104.6737147

Click on the globe to "enable Globe View", and you'll see how old the image is. The same is true for the Cross Border Xpress at TIJ airport - if you click on globe view there, dirt hasn't been turned for the facility. Kind of ironic that Google's "fabulous tool" is more historical than anything else...

PSAatSAN4Ever wrote:

The IAH B-is-for-banjo gates. I don't know how many are still in use, however, like EWR, tiny terminals need to go the way of the Edsel.

IAH Terminal B northside has about 16 of the "bango gates" in the rotunda style. A good number more than the old five gate per bango when all you have parking at them was DC9's, B727's, maybe a widebody when AA or PA were using them.

https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/ ... tion=close

They are almost exclusively used for UA Express flights, though once in a while I've seen a UA mainline parked there usually when there is construction ongoing at Terminal C or E.

ucdtim17 wrote:

bfitzflyer wrote:

Oak - stuck in the 80's
BNA - remodeling when I was there in feb, but whole airport felt super old.
SEA - Concourse B

OAK Terminal 2 was expanded in the 00s so it feels relatively modern, if cramped. Terminal 1 is very dated.

Both are dated, functional yes, flashy, no

e38 wrote:

Newark Terminal B (B-1 Concourse).

I agree with this one whole heartedly. There's a reason I tend to fly DL into PHL instead of EWR when I am in the Trenton area, even though it tends to take longer to get to final destination via SEPTA/NJT from PHL than it would via NJT at EWR. I tend to fly out of Terminal D at PHL when on DL or Terminal F when I'm taking an Eagle flight, and both are nice. Don't believe that I have been to B/C recently except for TSA at C because if you're not checking a bag and are TSA PreCheck, you're through security within 4 minutes of stepping off the SEPTA, as C is PreCheck only.

ATL Concourse E is pretty dated as well. E/F at O'Hare also

IAHFLYR wrote:

PSAatSAN4Ever wrote:

The IAH B-is-for-banjo gates. I don't know how many are still in use, however, like EWR, tiny terminals need to go the way of the Edsel.

IAH Terminal B northside has about 16 of the "bango gates" in the rotunda style. A good number more than the old five gate per bango when all you have parking at them was DC9's, B727's, maybe a widebody when AA or PA were using them.

https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/ ... tion=close

They are almost exclusively used for UA Express flights, though once in a while I've seen a UA mainline parked there usually when there is construction ongoing at Terminal C or E.

In 2013, I flew SAN-IAH-MEM, and we departed out of the new style boarding areas on the south side of the terminals, both coming and going. I didn't get to experience the banjo gates until 2018 flying SAN-IAH-XNA. I understand, also, they will be replaced soon (eventually), but they just don't live up to the standards of the rest of the airport.

IAH Terminal B, C, and D check in area, and Terminal D post security gates D1 - D12.

LH658 wrote:

IAH Terminal B, C, and D check in area, and Terminal D post security gates D1 - D12.

When was the last time you were in those mentioned terminals? North side of both Terminal B and C are wonderful and fresh with C north having been built from the ground up within the last six years or so.

E gates (T2) at HNL...absolute woof. It doesn't match the rest of the airport in decor, and is just random concrete walls thrown together in some parts

The Central Terminal at MIA was probably the most dated I've ever seen. The ticketing lobby looked like it hadn't been updated since it opened in 1959 -- Terrazzo flooring, brick walls, and sea foam green ticket counters. I was actually there for a charter flight to Cuba for one of those "educational" cultural tours, and I almost felt like I was already in Cuba when I set foot in that terminal. The concourse didn't look quite as old, but it was still a total time warp back to the 1980s, with totally rad neon gate signs and such. Based on Wikipedia's description of the concourses that must have been concourse F.

IAHFLYR wrote:

IAH Terminal B north still the same rotunda style gates from when the airport opened in 1969.

They can upgrade the infrastructure of the facility but I hope the shape. It makes me nostalgic and is a fun part of an airport that is otherwise becoming like other airports. Not that that's a bad thing, I just believe some things shouldn't change, and B north is a nice little treasure in the ever-coming uniformity in the aviation world.

+1 for BUR. I like the airside with the ramp boarding and old feeling, but landside + security are both atrocious.

The AA terminals at PHX are very dated (and terrible).

dfwjim1 wrote:

Terminal 3 at KFLL, especially the AA section. Not a lot of room and the men's room always smells bad. Believe the terminal is in the process of being redone though.

That terminal used to be one of the worst. Especially when the air conditioning wouldn’t work (which was like half of the time). Fortunately they’ve made a lot of progress on both E and F, so it’s a lot better to use. I think airside is around 70% complete, and last time I was there this month, they were working on the check in areas near AA.

ATLgaUSA wrote:

The AA terminals at PHX are very dated (and terrible).

I would say that applies to two of the three Southwest concourses as well (D is fine).
Also, has anyone mentioned MCI? That's gotta be up there.

I would ascertain that Terminal C here at my home airport of DFW is quite .... crappy. Efficient, but crappy.

I was at MEM a couple years ago and it felt like a time warp. Although I gather there are renovations going on now.

BIL last winter was serviceable, but dated airside. I regularly use smaller airports (places like LSE, ALO, TYS, etc). Airside at BIL was much less appealing than airside TYS (which is probably the fairest comparison - both about 100K pax/yr).

gdavis003 wrote:

ATL Concourse E is pretty dated as well.

Wow. We've reached a time where 90's construction is apparently now dated. Maybe I've been on these forums too long.

It seems to me many on this thread are citing "dated" terminals/concourses compared to recent construction and remodeling projects at said airport. Someone cited PHX Terminal 4 (a late 80's construction and the landside facilities went through a remodel during the 2000s), but compared to Terminal 3, yes the interiors would not align. I personally like the desert patterns that are in the Terminal 4 gate areas and adds a bit of Arizona persona to the architecture.

phatfarmlines wrote:

gdavis003 wrote:

ATL Concourse E is pretty dated as well.

Wow. We've reached a time where 90's construction is apparently now dated. Maybe I've been on these forums too long.

It seems to me many on this thread are citing "dated" terminals/concourses compared to recent construction and remodeling projects at said airport. Someone cited PHX Terminal 4 (a late 80's construction and the landside facilities went through a remodel during the 2000s), but compared to Terminal 3, yes the interiors would not align. I personally like the desert patterns that are in the Terminal 4 gate areas and adds a bit of Arizona persona to the architecture.

They don't necessarily feel old when you consider them in isolation from the rest of the airport. I personally think the architecture in E is beautiful, but when you consider them in comparison to the recently renovated and in progress concourses T and A-C, it can definitely feel "dated"

I am not sure I'd call it dated, but instead change it up to indicate concourses /terminals that are good examples of their era of construction / design.
Despite some being functionally obsolete by today's standards, its interesting to see their design, history, and some of the throw-back feel.

Vintage 60's / 70's era design:
MEM
MSP - E, F
ORD - E, F
Portions of EWR
STL

80s:
DFW - C
Portions of PHL
CLT - B, C, D
BNA - pre construction

gdavis003 wrote:

e38 wrote:

Newark Terminal B (B-1 Concourse).

I agree with this one whole heartedly. There's a reason I tend to fly DL into PHL instead of EWR when I am in the Trenton area, even though it tends to take longer to get to final destination via SEPTA/NJT from PHL than it would via NJT at EWR. I tend to fly out of Terminal D at PHL when on DL or Terminal F when I'm taking an Eagle flight, and both are nice. Don't believe that I have been to B/C recently except for TSA at C because if you're not checking a bag and are TSA PreCheck, you're through security within 4 minutes of stepping off the SEPTA, as C is PreCheck only.

ATL Concourse E is pretty dated as well. E/F at O'Hare also

For ATL you sure you aren't talking about Concourse D? Concourse E is still a pretty nice place even compared to the renovated A through C, T is kind of ho hum but super convenient for O&D passengers.

I will say SLC is pretty dang bad but that is in progress of being addressed with the new terminal being built.

Can I add JFK Terminal 1 arrivals. It was my first experience of the USA (in 2016) and felt very third world.

Re. the poster mentioning BOS Terminal D, is that C5-10 now? Didn't seem too bad to me earlier this year.

pezzy669 wrote:

gdavis003 wrote:

e38 wrote:

Newark Terminal B (B-1 Concourse).

I agree with this one whole heartedly. There's a reason I tend to fly DL into PHL instead of EWR when I am in the Trenton area, even though it tends to take longer to get to final destination via SEPTA/NJT from PHL than it would via NJT at EWR. I tend to fly out of Terminal D at PHL when on DL or Terminal F when I'm taking an Eagle flight, and both are nice. Don't believe that I have been to B/C recently except for TSA at C because if you're not checking a bag and are TSA PreCheck, you're through security within 4 minutes of stepping off the SEPTA, as C is PreCheck only.

ATL Concourse E is pretty dated as well. E/F at O'Hare also

For ATL you sure you aren't talking about Concourse D? Concourse E is still a pretty nice place even compared to the renovated A through C, T is kind of ho hum but super convenient for O&D passengers.

I will say SLC is pretty dang bad but that is in progress of being addressed with the new terminal being built.

I went through ATL in January. The south part of T (Delta) is pretty nice, with renovated lighting and gate areas (like A, B, and C). The north part (American/United) is older and in the same style as D.

maps4ltd wrote:

pezzy669 wrote:

gdavis003 wrote:

I agree with this one whole heartedly. There's a reason I tend to fly DL into PHL instead of EWR when I am in the Trenton area, even though it tends to take longer to get to final destination via SEPTA/NJT from PHL than it would via NJT at EWR. I tend to fly out of Terminal D at PHL when on DL or Terminal F when I'm taking an Eagle flight, and both are nice. Don't believe that I have been to B/C recently except for TSA at C because if you're not checking a bag and are TSA PreCheck, you're through security within 4 minutes of stepping off the SEPTA, as C is PreCheck only.

ATL Concourse E is pretty dated as well. E/F at O'Hare also

For ATL you sure you aren't talking about Concourse D? Concourse E is still a pretty nice place even compared to the renovated A through C, T is kind of ho hum but super convenient for O&D passengers.

I will say SLC is pretty dang bad but that is in progress of being addressed with the new terminal being built.

I went through ATL in January. The south part of T (Delta) is pretty nice, with renovated lighting and gate areas (like A, B, and C). The north part (American/United) is older and in the same style as D.

Agreed. And yes, E is a little dark and gloomy when it is taken in comparison with the newly renovated A-C, especially at the gate areas. They're certainly not bad though by any stretch of the imagination; ATL runs like a well-oiled machine when taken in comparison to most airports in the US of that size so hard to even critique.

MIA Concourse G

HNL has markings at the gate for DC-10s and L1011s I was hoping one of the two would arrive but no such luck.......

I think there's a big difference between the terminals that have older design elements but have been nicely maintained and those that just look tired and neglected. AA T4 at PHX and ABQ I think both fit in that nicely maintained category. While neither would be mistaken for brand new, both are in good shape and have some unique architecture.

The tired and neglected category are the places where you expect to see cockroaches and rats scurrying around. MEM, IAH Terminal B, SAN T1, ORD E&F concourses, multiple concourses in PHL and CLE, T1 at STL, EWR Terminal B, etc...

Alias1024 wrote:

I think there's a big difference between the terminals that have older design elements but have been nicely maintained and those that just look tired and neglected. AA T4 at PHX and ABQ I think both fit in that nicely maintained category. While neither would be mistaken for brand new, both are in good shape and have some unique architecture.

The tired and neglected category are the places where you expect to see cockroaches and rats scurrying around. MEM, IAH Terminal B, SAN T1, ORD E&F concourses, multiple concourses in PHL and CLE, T1 at STL, EWR Terminal B, etc...

T1 at STL is pretty nice now (both the A and C concourses). It was renovated a few years ago. None of the STL concourses deserve to be in a category alongside CLE and MEM (both of which have really low ceilings and dated designs).

Another one that feels dated is ORF. The concourses are pretty blah, but the atrium area while not modern is still nice.

maps4ltd wrote:

Alias1024 wrote:

I think there's a big difference between the terminals that have older design elements but have been nicely maintained and those that just look tired and neglected. AA T4 at PHX and ABQ I think both fit in that nicely maintained category. While neither would be mistaken for brand new, both are in good shape and have some unique architecture.

The tired and neglected category are the places where you expect to see cockroaches and rats scurrying around. MEM, IAH Terminal B, SAN T1, ORD E&F concourses, multiple concourses in PHL and CLE, T1 at STL, EWR Terminal B, etc...

T1 at STL is pretty nice now (both the A and C concourses). It was renovated a few years ago. None of the STL concourses deserve to be in a category alongside CLE and MEM (both of which have really low ceilings and dated designs).

Having been in A Concourse a couple times last year I’d disagree. They spruced up the retail outlets but in my opinion it still feels old, like they put a little gloss on a building in need of much more serious work. The security area and walk from concourse to baggage claim is ugly, and the baggage claim feels dated too.

I do very much like the openness and architecture of the ticketing level. It’s a really great space.

Been awhile since I was at MDW but.....
Concourse C at MDW


Walkway to A4A/A4B..long corridor makes me feel like Im in a state run hospital


No longer in use but dated at the time I used it in the early 2000s
Terminal 2 CVG (Only closed 9 years ago in 2012)

gdavis003 wrote:

e38 wrote:

Newark Terminal B (B-1 Concourse).

I agree with this one whole heartedly. There's a reason I tend to fly DL into PHL instead of EWR when I am in the Trenton area, even though it tends to take longer to get to final destination via SEPTA/NJT from PHL than it would via NJT at EWR. I tend to fly out of Terminal D at PHL when on DL or Terminal F when I'm taking an Eagle flight, and both are nice. Don't believe that I have been to B/C recently except for TSA at C because if you're not checking a bag and are TSA PreCheck, you're through security within 4 minutes of stepping off the SEPTA, as C is PreCheck only.

ATL Concourse E is pretty dated as well. E/F at O'Hare also

Also the A1 concourse and probably also A3.