Where Oh Where Can My Luggage Be?

What makes JFK a unique airport is its original concept of unit terminals. Individual airlines designed, built, and operated their own terminal, allowing their company branding and slogans to be implemented. What it didn’t provide, however, was an easy transfer of baggage from one terminal to another for passengers who arrived on one flight and may have transferred to another airline for a connecting flight. An interline baggage company would transfer bags from one terminal to another. 

Pan Am extended the Umbrella Terminal (later known as Terminal 3) to the Worldport in December 1973. The terminal was expanded to include 16 gates, 8 of which could handle 747 wide-body aircraft. The Worldport was the only terminal at that time with that capability.

Conversely, the TWA Flight Center, designed by Eero Saarinen and associates, was built between 1959 and 1962. The architectural masterpiece became a landmark and houses the TWA Hotel today. 

In 1972, Pan Am included a new baggage system called Docutel in the Worldport to handle the increased passenger traffic. The system cost $4.8 million. The Docutel system operated on a rail track similar to a roller coaster. The Telecar carried the baggage, but it weighed 200 pounds and was made of steel. On the side of the car was a magnetic strip, which was read by readers on the tracks. Once properly read, the Telecars proceeded to an unload station where flights were sorted. 

As with any new system, there were many operational challenges. The check-in consisted of a steel enclosure where the baggage would be placed on a belt and then transferred to the Telecar insert by a pusher. The insert would descend to the Telecar to the lower level for flight loading. Needless to say, there were numerous problems. At times, the magnetic strips on the cars were not correctly read and would continue along the track and not drop down to the unloading station. It took some time to resolve these issues. 

I recall a time when our Vice President insisted that I demonstrate the new baggage system to one of our first-class Pan Am passengers who was traveling on our premier Flight 100. I told him I didn’t think this was a good idea, but he insisted. I met the passenger, took his two brand-new Hartman bags, went behind the counter, and checked him in. The bag was placed on the belt and traveled toward the insert, which came up lopsided! The pusher then slammed the bag, which caused the bags to split open, throwing his clothes all over the check-in position. 

The passenger thought it was a joke and believed he was on Candid Camera, a TV comedy show that covered embarrassing situations in public places back in the day. I tried to walk away but was stopped by the VP, who asked me where I was going. I said I was going to the mall to buy two new Hartman bags! The baggage systems were later replaced by a conventional baggage conveyor system.  ■