Upstairs in Dublin Terminal 1

Wicklowleaid

Hi All,
I was in terminal 1 the other night picking up my girlfriend and with an hour to spare decided to take a walk around and it occurred to me. As a child I remember there being an observation area where you course see the planes landing and taking off and perhaps a bar or cafe. I remember it being about two levels above departures. My question is where and why did it go? What is up there now or is it a chance I am hallucinating! Also is there any old pictures of inside the terminal online? Be interesting to see! Thank you all in advance!

lovelyhurler

You're right. I remember there being an old observation deck over where McDonalds is now (roughly). If memory serves me right the bar was right beside it.
However, with the various redevelopments over the years, and the fact that terminals are more like shopping centres nowadays, it probaly had to make way for the mighty (Mac) dollar.........:(

Very few airports have observation decks/areas now.

dogmatix

They even had a little mueseum/display up there - complete with various exhibits and jet airliner cockpit simulator. Also a piece of moon rock was on display once - I heard rumours they have since lost this?

CaptainSkidmark

Schiphol and Frankfurt are the only places ive seen lately that were decent for spotting. Main Airports anyway. and you dont need to be traveling to access these areas either!

lord lucan

The only decent view from T1 landside these days would be from the Alcock & Brown Bar & Restaurant adjacent to McDonalds. There was another restaurant beside there which had good views of the ramp but its been closed a good while now.

I'd love to see the DAA construct a viewing terrace. They could even have their own retail concession and a coffee shop and make a few quid out of it. Add on possible extra revenue from the short term car park from families parking up for a couple of hours and it's a win win for the DAA.

Rain Dog

The area you are thinking of is actually around the middle of that floor level, infront of where starbucks was until recently. The original terminal was extended around 2000, with that end of the building being swallowed into the new whole. The old Failte bar on arrivals is where the meet and greet area is now. The last row of check-in and the walk around to Pier A on departures is around check-in area seven or eight now.

peter1892

There was a museum in the terminal in the 1980's - iirc it was towards the back of the departures floor in the corner behind the check-in area (so in the door and head to the left then the back of the departures floor, but still landside). They had the Iolar hanging from the ceiling and there was a good view over the apron and runways (pre 10/28 days).

Another area that had a view over the apron was towards the opposite side of the terminal (departures floor towards the right), in fact it might even have been in the link building between the terminal and 'pier a'. Things were a lot quieter back then!

The viewing area mentioned by the OP was there until 1998, when it was swallowed up by the extension to T1.

Birmingham has a good viewing area and aviation shop in the terminal (well it did in 2005!). It'd be great to see something like that in EIDW.

LXFlyer

Zurich airport has a fine viewing facility also.

L1011

Birmingham's been heavily reconfigured in the past year and I don't know for sure if that survived. Manchester has a models shop in T1 and the viewing park nearby which has a number of old craft parked as static exhibits.

I can remember the era of being able to get airside without a ticket at DUB, and also the metal detectors to enter the terminal (not airside). Pity I was too young to be that interested in viewing then!

bbsrs

Rome FCO T3 has a very nice view of the runways and apron from McDonalds up one level from check in.

ozzy jr

MYOB wrote: »

I can remember the era of being able to get airside without a ticket at DUB, and also the metal detectors to enter the terminal (not airside).

They were the days!

Metal detector at the main door, then up two flights of stairs to the bar and the viewing area.

robclay26

Yep they where the days!
I remember 3 viewing areas in terminal 1.

The Departures level over where Hughes & Hughes book shop used to be there was a viewing spot here, you could see the left/eastern side of pier B there. memories of EI BAC 1-11's parked there.

The other spot was on the top level, turn right at the top of the stairs and out through the gap and you had a long corridor viewing area looking all over the west and north of the airport, looking towats the control tower and what was pier A.
Was good back in them days

Does anybody remember the third viewing place, it was situated in the long corridor that links terminal 1 to pier A? used to have them red and black bend seats there. you sat right in front of there the EI commuter shorts 360's parked?

use to be at the top of the stairs and escalators on level three right infornt of you the old tv monitors showing the arrivals on one side and departures on the other side. Would love to see some photos of the terminal back in the 80's and early 90's.

Really wish the DAA would do a proper viewing Gallery, charge a €5 and security check like Frankfurt has. You would get spotters coming from all over europe.

bbsrs

robclay26 wrote: »

You would get spotters coming from all over europe.

Why would tourist spotters pick Dublin over larger busier airports?

Plowman

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sunshinediver

robclay26 wrote: »

You would get spotters coming from all over europe.

Is there really any interesting daily visitors to Dublin? While a viewing area would be nice I can't see too many spottesr coming from all over Europe to look at 737s and 320s.

robclay26

sunshinediver wrote: »

robclay26 wrote: »

You would get spotters coming from all over europe.

Is there really any interesting daily visitors to Dublin? While a viewing area would be nice I can't see too many spottesr coming from all over Europe to look at 737s and 320s.

They would come if it's open air terrace as for they are not too common in Europe and in fairness Dublin does have some good visitors these days. No reason why other Europeans would come foot here just as we go to Manchester or Amsterdam

ozzy jr

robclay26 wrote: »

Dublin does have some good visitors these days.

Slightly off topic, but do we ever see 747's in Dublin?

I brought the kids out to the airport and stood them under the planes landing and they were amazed at how close they were to them. Would love them to stand under a 747 coming into land.

slimjimmc

ozzy jr wrote: »

Slightly off topic, but do we ever see 747's in Dublin?

I brought the kids out to the airport and stood them under the planes landing and they were amazed at how close they were to them. Would love them to stand under a 747 coming into land.

Air France Cargo land there an odd time I think. A quick Google brought up this pic from in Feb 2012.

I have hazy memories of watching planes from the viewing area back in the early 90's (i think) on the rare time I was in the airport.

jamo2oo9

Air France Cargo operated their 747-400F into Dublin from Chicago before heading home to Paris. Although, as part of phasing their 747s out, they've replaced it with 777F instead. Two 777 operators in Dublin, Emirates being the other. AFR operates them on Saturdays, arriving at 1130 local and departing around 2-3 (unsure of the exact timeslot)

Jamie

Rud

Plowman wrote: »

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I remember this as clear as day and there was red chairs there also if i'm not mistaken.Good times.I also like the little viewing area in Shannon even if you can't see too much it's still nice to use

bf109

I didn't see anyone mentioning this. There is a nice spot behind McDonald's, where the toilets are. If you don't mind the smell...

sparrowcar

Anyone any old pics of inside terminal 1 from the 80's & 90's before the extension? It would bring back memories I'd say

LXFlyer

Plowman wrote: »

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That's the link building between the main terminal and Pier A.

It was originally landside - happy memories of watching Aer Lingus Commuter SD360 operations there!

It is now airside and half or more subsumed into the T1 extension.

Skatedude

i remember they had 60's or 70's coin operated tv's down stairs, very cool looking retro ones, and the museum at the other end with the cockpit on display as well as one of two vintage planes suspended from the ceiling.

the viewing area was upstairs that ran along side the bar, but the whole bar was windows anyway so you could sit and watch all day.

Strumms

sparrowcar wrote: »

Anyone any old pics of inside terminal 1 from the 80's & 90's before the extension? It would bring back memories I'd say

Yeah I gotta say I'd love to see the same, scouted the usual sites Flickr etc but couldn't come up with anything. It was the place that infatuated me as a kid in the 80's and 90's and where I developed my love of aviation and subsequently a career, The long corridor upstairs beside the bar was a great place for spotting no such facilities now although from a selfish point of view I guess my airside pass would have been like a golden ticket to that kid growing up in the 80's haha.