The History and Growth of Fort Lauderdale International Airport - FLL The 1970’s Operations at Fort Lauderdale Airport remained quiet for years until the early 1970s. In mid-May, 1972, a major mishap occurred, threatening the lives of passengers arriving at the airport. Eastern Airlines was operating a DC 9-31 flight coming in for a landing when the landing apparatus on the plane suffered a catastrophic failure. The landing gear collapsed under the weight of the plane and contact with the ground. Subsequent damage caused the tail section of the aircraft to separate completely as well. To make matters worse the aircraft also ignited into flames. However, those on board were lucky and there were no fatalities, a significant feat given the circumstances. Two and half years later in January 1975 another plane crash occurred but never made it to the Airport itself. Instead, the crew of three crash-landed the small plane in the water. Again, no deaths and all the crew survived the crash to live another day. The 1980s - 1990’s At the turn of the decade into spring 1980 a third aircraft accident occurred, again not on the airport property itself but nearby. A flight from Bermuda destined to land at Fort Lauderdale instead suffered engine stall and went down. This crash was more severe and one of the passengers was badly hurt on impact. After the 1980 crash Airport operations were quiet again, and Fort Lauderdale Airport administration spent time focusing on facility expansion and construction. Over $260 million were pumped into the construction of new terminal facilities for the Airport. Following this initial effort, three terminals in total were built for the airport as part of a broad expansion plan. And the fourth terminal was inaugurated by the arrival of the supersonic jet, the Concorde. The second terminal, labeled number 2, included on main hall path with nine gateways attached for plane dockings. Delta Airlines based Fort Lauderdale operations from this branch as well as its Sky Club for frequent travelers. The terminal serviced Delta proper and Delta Connections as well as a partnership port with Air Canada for northern international flights. The third terminal, also aptly named number 3, was larger and involved the building of two hallways accommodating gangways for a total of twenty planes at least. Terminal 4 was dedicated to primarily international flights and related passengers, with appropriate customs screening. Similar to Terminal 2, number 4 was smaller with one main concourse and a capacity of docking for ten planes at a time. All of this construction bode well for the future of Fort Lauderdale and the capacity to handle increased traffic. However, by the middle of the decade aviation disaster would visit the airport again. Flight 191 operated by Delta Air Lines took off from Fort Lauderdale and was destined for Dallas/Fort Worth. Tragedy in the form of high winds and human mistakes cause the aircraft to demolish itself on the landing at the Dallas tarmac. The profit-making heyday of the 1980s was replaced with the early recession of the 1990s beginning in 1991. As a result, fliers began to shift their dollars to discount airlines for the same trips, being willing to put up with no frills travel to save on ticket prices. This discount airline trend allowed companies like Southwest, Spirit, and Jet Blue to establish themselves well in main domestic traffic routes. Fort Lauderdale Airport was no exception with Southwest beginning flights to the location just after 1995 and Spirit and Jet Blue settling into the Airport by the end of the decade. Home - The Beginnings 1970’s - 1990’s Early 2000’s FLL Airport Today Privacy Policy