Worst Party Bus: The Story of the Dulles Airport Mobile Lounges [USA Bus History]

[@StephenCole1916]

I worked at Dulles for 13 years until getting laid off recently. I rode these from time to time but had more 'fun' trying to avoid these things while driving around the ramp. The main use for these are moving people to and from the main terminal and the C/D concourse and from there to the A concourse. While IAD does have a train system, it's not well designed and you have a long walk from the station to the concourse. The station for C/D is actually out under where the proposed replacement C/D concourse will be built. The old C/D concourse was supposed to be a 20 year temporary building that would have been replaced in the early 2000's but of course the events of 9/11 changed all that. There was at one point a proposition to use mobile lounges to move people from the metro station and the airport, but that was dropped. From what I remember about the rehab is that they are making them giant EV's which would cut down on pollution greatly. They still use the plane mates a great deal and even came to the rescue one day when the jet bridge (D11) outside our office failed. They had a plane mate come in and dock with the left rear boarding door and offload the passengers then it drove to the D dock right next door.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Hello! Wow, that's great inside information! Thank you for all of this! I don't think I ever had to go through Dulles for anything, so it's a bit difficult to understand how it all currently works! I'm sorry to hear about your job loss from the airport after all that time...hope everything works for the best for you! Thanks very much for watching!!!

[@theodricaethelfrith]

For a "mobile lounge" there is a distinct lack of light jazz and bar space

[@crabbymilton390]

@@theodricaethelfrith I wonder if they had built them with a full bar, they would let you carry your drink onto the plane? I remember that scene from AIRPORT 1975. Those guys were getting in the plane looking for the bar. The stewardess tells them that it won’t open until cruising altitude. He says you mean we’re not at cruising altitude yet?😀

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

LOL, and they are still called lounges even though anything of luxury was removed years ago! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@crabbymilton390]

A similar vehicle was featured in the movie AIRPORT 1975. I’m surprised that the President of the United States still has to climb the stairs to Airforce One. A vehicle similar to this would enhance his safety. Thanks again Jeffery.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Oh yes, I have wondered why the President still has to use those stairs. Doesn't make sense. A throwback to the Hollywood glamor days, I guess. Thanks very much for watching!!

[@markbass7145]

It's for ceremonial purposes I think and so the press can get a nice picture or him going up the stairs. Air Force one has a lower stairway that comes out of the baggage area he can use but it doesn't look as cool.

[@frogmantoad8110]

To be fair, only one president seems to have failed at climbing the stairs! 😂😂😂

[@wilsjane]

Just imagine the cost of a 24/7 security guard to prevent someone from planting a bomb in it.

[@crabbymilton390]

@ Well it would always be on the secured side but not a bad point.

[@asciimation]

I LIKE the aroma of aviation fuel!

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

LOL, I'm sure a lot of people do! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@rixxroxxk1620]

My wife and I flew into Dulles from Punta Cana and we had to use the mobile “lounge”. Our flight came into a domestic terminal, so we had to ride it to immigration and customs in a different terminal. It was tight, mostly everyone was confused, but it was a cool way to see all of the aircraft as we drove around😂

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Thanks for sharing your experience - it sounds like a very memorable (and maybe slightly chaotic) experience!! Thanks for watching!!

[@davidbennetts616]

Remember experiencing one of those contraptions at a US Airport many years ago. Whilst the concept sounded good in theory, in practice the thing was excruciatingly slow and cumbersome. After landing we had to wait for one of the things to lumber its way to the plane, it seemed to take forever to lift itself to the plane doorway, and then it could only cope with about half the number of passengers on the plane. When the first contingent had boarded, it slowly lowered to ground level, and trundled off to the terminal with the remaining passengers left behind wondering whether it would ever come back to us. Then it repeated its act when it arrived at the terminal, slowly rising to meet the upper level. After disgorging its passengers, it repeated the lowering process and after what seemed like an eternity, trundled back to pick us up. Of course it had to go through the same tedious process of raising to meet the aircraft cabin, and lowering to ground level, then raising again at the terminal. Thank goodness for aerobridges! Far quicker and more practical.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Thanks for relaying your experience using one of these vehicles - very interesting to read! No wonder they were not adopted in most airports, although a few can't give them up just yet. Thanks very much for watching!!

[@petercurrell9344]

I flew out of Dulles Airport in 77 on Concord banned in New York. I was amazed when the lounge drove across the apron and adjusted the height at the plane.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Wow, that must have been a great experience!!! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@robt2151]

Bus to plane (and walk to plane) is still very common in many parts of the world, especially at the small airports favoured by the low-cost carriers.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Oh yes, that's still very true in many countries. Thanks very much for watching!!

[@MelanieRuck-dq5uo]

An unusually quirky topic, even for Jeffrey, but done with his usual enthusiasm. Thank you for this interesting piece Mr O.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Hello Melanie! Glad you thought it was interesting! Thanks very much for watching again!

[@edwardjones4870]

Back in the early 1960s a photo shoot took place at Dulles to showcase the original mobile lounges for a Chrysler ad in LIFE magazine. A number of staff members of the Fairfax County Public Library were recruited to play the role of passengers. Years ago I was shown the ad by one of the participants. If I remember correctly, the “passengers” were photographed from a distance and in profile while onboard the mobile lounge. I’d love to see that ad again.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Wow! That's a great little piece of history. I hope it turns up again someday! There's a Chrysler ad in the video of passengers walking to the plane from the lounge, but it sounds like it's a different ad than what you describe. Thanks for watching!

[@edwardjones4870]

@@JeffreyOrnstein It was not a video. It was a full page color photo. Many libraries have bound issues of LIFE. The ad I would guess dates to around November 1962 when Dulles opened. Thanks for the interesting video that reminded me of my first ride on a mobile lounge in 1966!

[@Lowrider2905]

I was in Dulles 2023 and rode in one of these. That was a nice experience.

[@1208bug]

Jeffrey you are always coming up with the interesting and fantastic stuff!

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

I'm happy you found this subject very interesting!! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@andrefiset3569]

The Montreal Trudeau airport has 5 of these mobile lounges but mostly boarding bridges are used. Mirabel airport used them exclusively but it was closed and the terminal was demolished..

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Thanks for the info! Very interesting that they still have them for....whatever! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@SteveBrandon]

I remember riding on the mobile lounges at Mirabel in 1997, only around a year or so before all scheduled passenger flights were moved to Dorval airport (now, officially, "Montreal Trudeau International" but I still call it Dorval since it's an airport located mostly in Dorval). Since they were the kind of mobile lounges with the two sets of stilt mechanisms going up through the middle of the passenger compartment, the interior walls around the stilt mechanisms made the passenger compartment feel a bit cramped.

[@joeseeking3572]

I've ridden them at Dulles 10, 20 times I guess over the years, including before the airtrain. Something about the experience seems to confuse passengers; the act even more befuddled than normal trying to enter, position themselves and exit. A lot of systems designed to move people efficiently are gummed up by human behavior - it's not logical. Fluid dynamics is just a wish here :)

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Thanks for that analysis! Yes, it looks like there are very narrow entry doors on each side of the cab and then you walk into this oversized space with few seats. Interesting. Thanks very much for watching!!

[@whatever8282828]

I actually rode on this contraption probably 32 years ago as a kid, picking up a family member at Dulles. Back then you didn't need a ticket to get to the gate. It was hardly luxurious. No different from any airport train system, but obviously a lot weirder. I'm amazed they still use it after they have some underground system to get to the other terminals by now.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Thanks for your memory of riding the so-called "mobile lounges!" Dulles still has not completed the airport train, and so will be still using the lounges for years to come! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@Slartibartifast]

AH! Memories of being a Flight Attendant and passing through Dulles A LOT! It was great for Plane spotting!

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Awesome! Must have been interesting to watch all the planes at Dulles! Thanks very much for watching!

[@saltyroe3179]

I used the Dullas Mobil lounges. They were wonderful. The terminal was beautiful and wonderful. No long walks. Just board the mobile lounge and ride to your aircraft. The 1st year the savings on jet fuel paid for the lounges.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Thanks for sharing your experience, it's always interesting to hear from people who have actually used these lounges! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@saltyroe3179]

@JeffreyOrnstein of course I used the mobile lounge in the late 1960s before jet travel was a mass market nightmare. Even LAX was a pleasure back then. Service was fantastic. The last time I flew out of Dullus was a nightmare. TSA was horrible, everything was crowded and the airline staff were nasty. Like a lot of industries, the airline business had been a race to the bottom. Back at busses I got to drive the GMC RTS during the 2010 winter Olympics. It was the best bus to drive. GMC actually made it a pleasure to drive.

[@ManxAndy]

Thanks Jeffrey…I’ve never heard of these,or even seen them…amazing , ive got to 55 yrs of age, and these machines have passed me by till now….👍👌🇮🇲😉

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Glad you found the subject interesting!!! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@jimcabezola3051]

I last rode one on of these at Dulles in May of 1966. Thank you for reviving an old memory!

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Glad you liked the video and thanks for watching!!

[@TheVoiceofTheProphetElizer]

I don't know why your channel was recommended to me, but I sure am glad that it was. Subscribed!

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Hello! I'm so glad my videos somehow found you! Thanks for the sub and for watching!!

[@christophercharles9645]

I've seen these at airports I've traveled through but never up close and have never ridden on one. Thanks for skinny on these wide conveyances from another (and, I guess the present) era!

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Glad you found the video interesting and thanks for watching!!

[@Normanx964]

I loved these buses as a kid and I still do!

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Good to hear that you like those buses!! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@jeffclark2725]

Thumbs up great video, I've heard of these busses, but never seen one in person, looks like an interesting ride depending on the driver,thanks for bringing us along

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Glad you liked the video! Yes, the driver would be very important - it's quite a big vehicle!! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@gronkabear]

nice one Jeffrey

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Glad you liked it! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@u686st7]

"Although the type is unknown" - Says right there "Detroit Diesel 6V53"

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

LOL, ok. Thanks very much for watching!!

[@Brandis13]

Zurich International Airport also has a few of those, solely to transport passengers who cannot climb stairs or sit in wheelchairs to planes parked on the tarmac where passengers need to climb stairs to get to the plane. Never seen them in use though and I always wondered how they are cost-effective with such little use. BTW, loved your video about the Zurich High-Steering busses. If you ever visit Switzerland, make sure to visit the Swiss Transport Museum in Lucerne. They have lots of old trains, busses and airplanes. Very interesting place.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Hello! Glad you liked my high-steering bus video! Maybe I'll eventually go and see the museum you mention! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@roycepatton1244]

Thank you so much for making this video. I've always wondered "what's the deal with those mobile buildings at Dulles". I rode one there once and can concur with what others have said: They are absolutely terrible. The passenger confusion, the excruciatingly slow time that it takes for them to load people, lower, drive, then raise and disembark. It's not immediately clear, if you've never seen one of these things, why you're even stepping into this "room", and you have to wait for it to fill up with passengers before it goes anywhere, which takes some time. The whole experience makes it feel like you're going to miss your flight. Any added stress in the already stressful process of air travel is unwelcome.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Thanks for sharing your experience, those things are definitely not ideal for air travel. Glad you found the video interesting, and thanks very much for watching!!

[@disphoto]

I must be in the picture (but too small to make out) of the two SSTs at 3:47 because I was standing in the area to the left (as viewed in the picture-you can just make out people standing there) when the two SSTs landed. Some friends and I drove out to see the first SSTs land. I also remember the first 747 flying low over the Washington, D.C., area, either going to or from the ceremony. I remember my dad liking the concept, but in practice, it was a pain. The idea was that you didn't have to walk as much, but it added a lot of time to allow the mobile lounges to go up and down and drive out to the planes (the lounges were controlled by ATC to maneuver around and/or wait on planes), particularly compared to jetbridges. As I remember it, if you compared flight times to and from Dulles versus National (now Regan) airport, the flight times were always longer by about 20 minutes to Dulles to allow for the extra time of the mobile lounge. Beyond jet bridges and moving sidewalks, the concept of Midfield terminals connected by trains (eventually what Dulles has more or less gone to) proved to be a better way to expand capacity for larger airports without extensive walking.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Hello! Thanks for the story of you very possibly being in the picture and your experience with the Dulles Lounges! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@tactikzzF1R3]

Fascinating video, Jeffrey!

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Thank you, glad you liked it! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@timbounds7190]

A total capacity of 102 might have been OK in the early 60s, but surely inadequate when 747s came along taking 400+ passengers! How many mobile lounges would you need to fill an Airbus A380???

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Oh yes, that's definitely an issue. In fact, someone else just commented how they had to wait for the mobile lounge to come back again to finally get them to the terminal! Oddly, it was apparently used a lot for the 747. Thanks very much for watching!!

[@MarkusHavemann]

the A380 has a capacity between 500 and 850 passenger, depending on the split between different classes. The most common interior layout seems to be the one for 545 passengers. So it would take 5 to 8 busses. The A380 has 16 doors, it's a speciality of that plane that all exits are fully operational doors (no exit hatches just for emergency). I guess some of these would not be usable by such busses due to the locations conflict with each other or with the wings. But theoretically you can board from these busses from both sides of the plane simultaneously (while airbridges are usually only provided on one side), so it should be possible to board from up to six busses at the same time. If people would be assigned correctly to the busses according to their seat location, you could have a highly parallelized and thus very speedy boarding process.

[@timbounds7190]

@@MarkusHavemann Interesting! Thanks! It would obviously require a lot of organisation - but I guess they must organise the boarding passengers in some fashion even with the airbridges, as it would be chaos to have anything up to 800 passengers wandering around the plane looking for their seats!

[@alexprocyk8805]

I had this idea several years ago. Not so much for regular service, but just a few around to pull up to some of those flights that are stranded in the tarmac for over an hour delay to give people a chance to get up and stretch their legs. Had no idea it wasn't as done.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Yes, sounds like these vehicles could be used for that purpose, but probably never will! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@johnathanstevens8436]

I was stuck in Dulles at 2am one night. Got in this "lounge" and was surprised when it started up and moved to another terminal. I guess it was something to do .. I also remember seeing the train as well only to see the next week it derailed and the platform where I was standing was crushed.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Thanks for that interesting account of being at Dulles! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@maxsmodels]

I used to ride on the Dulles mobile lounges frequently. I also had to dodge them when I worked the ramp there. I was told that one of them had run over and killed a ramper at KIAD. I rather enjoyed them as they could pull up and dock with planes on remote parking and take them to the terminal. Calling them a lounge was a bit presumptuous 😂.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Wow, what a tragic story - I've never heard that one before! I guess it had its good points and bad. Thanks very much for watching!!

[@mityace]

I have a memory of seeing something similar at BWI airport back in 1985. However, a quick search didn't bring up any evidence of anything like that ever being used at BWI.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Hello! You are right! BWI did have them. There's a facebook post on the BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport page that shows two of them in one shot - they are white with two blue stripes that says Friendship International Airport. It's shown with a Pan Am 747 in the background. Thanks very much for watching!!

[@MattMcIrvin]

I grew up around there in the years before the midfield concourses existed, flew out of Dulles on the rare occasions when I flew anywhere, and to me, this was normal. These things could be brutal to be penned up in on hot Virginia summer days--the A/C wasn't quite adequate. I can only imagine what they'd have been like if they'd had the all-glass walls in the Arthur Radebaugh cartoon.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Thanks for the memories of the Mobile Lounge! Thanks for watching!!

[@craignurseb]

You did your homework Brilliant

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Thank you for watching! Glad you enjoyed the video.

[@edwinwise6751]

I remember riding these out to the remote United concourse ….. I never remember boarding a plane directly from the tram

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Must have been interesting to ride those!! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@janickgoudeau6126]

I enjoyed my experiences on them in the 1980s, I believe Atlanta had quite a few of them.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Hello! Great to hear you liked riding on these lounges! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@bomguy999999]

We still have 2 of these at BWI in Maryland. They aren't used...ever but they are here.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Interesting! Thanks for the info!

[@PaulGodfrey]

Very interesting video. They would be ideal for passengers with mobility issues. Or a special business class version. See also the video by Tom Scott who featured them on his channel too.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Oh yes, I'm sure these are ADA-compliant! I've seen Tom's video when he visits the lounges in Montreal. Thanks very much for watching!!

[@Brandis13]

@@JeffreyOrnstein They are actually used for this purpose at some airports, especially if they have planes parked away from the terminal. Zurich has them and I believe have seen them at Paris CDG as well.

[@bfc3057]

Thanks for the video - i was on one of the big ones on big wheels in Dulles in 2022 - it was terrible

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

LOL, sounds like it wasn't a good experience at all, unfortunately. Glad you liked the video and thanks very much for watching!!

[@bfc3057]

@JeffreyOrnstein I was shocked when I saw it!

[@wayneeschbank2895]

Travelled on one of theses at J.F.K back in the 70"s

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Awesome, must have been interesting to ride! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@ralphbalfoort2909]

I rode one of the Dulles mobile lounges in January of 1969 after graduation from the US Army Transportation School at Fort Eustis, Virginia.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Awesome! Must have been interesting to ride it back then, when it was still sort of a 'new' thing! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@glenjones6980]

Funny that just an hour ago I was watching an upload about airline companies that stagger along despite losing money year after year, several didn't adapt in the late 70's when the free sky agreement came into being and continued with their bloated staff numbers manning fancy lounges in the terminal building but I wonder how many staff it takes to run one of these plus the maintenance personnel too. Planes cost a lot to run but these contraptions can't be cheap on a cost per mile basis either.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Oh yes, and I'm sure that Dulles is going to spend at least $50 million to rehab them! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@AtomicBuffalo]

It’s weird to think that there was a time between mobile stairs and Jet Ways, and even weirder to think that niche still exists.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Hello! Yes, it was like a stop-gap measure in a way, until something better came along. But a few airports won't let go of them.... Thanks very much for watching!!

[@ian_b]

These seem to strongly represent the optimism of the era.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Oh yes, they sure did....for a future that didn't turn out as expected! Thanks very much for watching!

[@NomicFin]

Wait, was Eero Saarinen's father Eliel Saarinen, the famous architect who designed the central railway station in Helsinki (I used to work in the Finnish national railways' office there) before moving to USA? That's an unexpected connection.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Hello! Yes, Gottleib Eliel Saarinen was Eero's father! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@danlowe8684]

I can't believe we have an airport named after either of the two brothers that caused so much damage to our country...and the world.

[@jimcat68]

As soon as I heard that it was designed for the Dullest International Airport, I knew that it was fated to be an enormous disappointment.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

LOL, I'm sure many would agree! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@matthewsmith9624]

Edmonton air port had these also

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Thanks for the info! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@WhitfieldProductionsTV]

and here I am wanting to own one to convert to a mobile home for my land.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

LOL, they only cost like $10 million each! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@marcman844]

George Lucas was known for getting inspiration from unusual sources; for example, the Throne Room scene in A new hope was lifted from a German progaganda firm; Lucas admitted this because he said "It was just so powerful."

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Awesome!! So it may be possible he got the sandcrawler idea from these strange lounges. Thanks very much for watching!!

[@VedaSay]

They are terrible filled with diesel fume. But yes for some reason have always ended up at Dulles in winter. Not sure if its the reduce ventilation during winter that could have been the problem. Hope they turn them electric. I always felt that is how Airplanes should be made. The body attaches to the terminal, pax board. The incoming flight leaves incoming pod to arrival bay and attaches the departure pod to its belly (think of the lift heli), takes off! Very high turn around time.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Yes, they are not the most pleasant mode of airport transportation! I believe they are going to be all-electric after the rebuild. Thanks very much for watching!!

[@btbucks]

I think I rode one of these to move between terminals.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Must have been an interesting ride! Thanks for watching!!

I wonder if they had restrooms?

[@whatever8282828]

definitely not. I'm amazed at the suggestion they once had a bar! They're not much bigger than a city bus! (probably considerably wider)

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Nope!! Guess you have to wait to get on the plane for that! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@tonymento7460]

Brookville Car Company is rebuilding them this company also rebuilds the PCC streetcars and older streetcars too

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Oh yes, that's what I thought, but the article I read just said it's being transported to Brookville, PA for refurbishment. Thanks very much for watching!!

[@rickespi31]

One of those mobile lounges killed my friend.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Oh my gosh, so sorry to hear that. Someone else who worked at Dulles mentioned in a comment an incidient like this - probably the same unfortunate event. Unbelievable how such a thing could happen. But thank you very much for watching!

[@SantaFe19484]

This video had me laughing.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Good to hear that! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@char1737]

I love to fly

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Great!!! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@jeffaulik3980]

After consuming enough alcohol on one of these things, they would look like a great idea.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

LOL, I'm sure many at Dulles have agreed! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@BobAbc0815]

American Air Bus

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

LOL! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@scrumpydrinker]

Interesting concept, but somehow a transport of delight it ain’t…

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

LOL, that's true! A lot of people really hate those things! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@craigryan3069]

If it was meant to be so marvellous - why call it Dulles? Not very inspiring! I did travel on one between terminals @ Dulles in the early 90s. A very odd vehicle!

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Oh yes, it should have been called something better than with the word "Dull" in it. But that's politics, I guess! Thanks very much for watching!

[@cameraman655]

They had these at JFK as well..

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Oh yes, they sure did. I have never seen them there, unfortunately. Thanks very much for watching!!

[@obroni]

I've also ridden Plane Mate-type lounges at Paris CDG and Jeddah... but this was 30 years ago. They're long gone from those airports now. Apart from Dulles and Montreal's two airports, has anyone ridden them anywhere else?

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

I think they still have them in Philly. Never had to go through that airport, but they may still be using them from what I read. Thanks very much for watching!!

[@kpdvw]

anything weird? must be American made....L o L....!

[@theodricaethelfrith]

Or Swiss, or French...

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

LOL, it's just....Different! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@cameraman655]

Gotta be moronic European comment…🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🫡🫡🫡🫡🫡

[@allenjones4168]

Ppl amaze me, seems like nothing you do can please ppl. They always find something to criticize. Personally I thought the concert was neat. I would rather use a mobile lounge than walking up air stairs. Even though jetways and travelators exist in airports, it's still a long traverse to gated. Seems that ppl will find fault with anything new and innovative.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Oh yes, that's so true. It seems people complain why is that airport still using something from the 60s. But it does have its good aspects. Thanks very much for watching!!

[@nb2008nc]

Saudeye Arabia?

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Yes, they had them there, too!

[@justgotohm4775]

Umm, you never blink? It’s kind of distracting. Love your content though.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

LOL, I' just so focused on saying what I have memorized. Thanks for watching!

[@thisiszaphod]

TBH - love the Mobile Lounges at Dulles. So corny that they are genius.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Good to hear that! Some people like them, some hate them. Thanks very much for watching!!

[@ROCKINGMAN]

These are mobile lounges, not a bus. Since a bus is a passenger conveyance for roads, on routes usually taking fares. Seems like this stretching the word bus for this vehicle. Although airport staff might refer to it as a bus. It's debatable. I suppose these mobile lounges get overlooked in respect of their uses and history. Interesting though.

[@hylje]

Most airports use regular buses to do the same thing for planes being loaded or unloaded outside jet bridges. This is a special bus, but substantially a bus.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Thanks for your opinion! If these are not buses, then they are certainly not "lounges" either, as they are officially called. Certainly not since all of their luxuries have been removed long ago! Thanks very much for watching!!

[@bluerizlagirl]

I can see how the idea might have made sense in the middle of the 20th Century, when air travel was still the preserve of the rich and famous. The larger the aircraft, the further away from buildings you can safely land it; and once that exceeds a minute or so of walking, especially given the demographics then involved, some sort of passenger transfer vehicle was essential. And in those days it made perfect sense for that to be somewhat opulent, so as to send a clear message to passengers: "This is where the luxury begins." So when a whole new kind of airport for a whole new era in aviation was conceived, literally from the ground up, "mobile lounges" would have seemed entirely reasonable. Deposit your bags, get in, sit down, relax, maybe sip a cocktail; and soon it will be time for another short walk to your seat on the plane, and you'll be airborne. It was all fine for small numbers of passengers starting or finishing a journey. But bigger airports and bigger planes meant air travel was also becoming more accessible to more people; and the case when passengers had to transfer from one plane to another inevitably became more common. All this just exposed the limitations of the mobile lounge system, and newer airports developed alternative solutions to the problem of getting passengers onto the aeroplanes so they could be in the air earning money rather than on the tarmac paying airport fees. Ground Support for aircraft had to develop in parallel with aviation as a whole new sub-field of logistics in its own right, and today is as well-choreographed, and as impressive to watch, as any ballet performance. And the direct descendant of the mobile lounge lives on, in the transfer vehicles still used to carry astronauts to spacecraft launch sites.

[@JeffreyOrnstein]

Hello! Thanks for all of this analysis! Very interesting! Oh yes, those mobile lounges were designed for a totally different era of air travel! I recall seeing smaller Tesla EVs taking the astronauts to the SpaceX rockets. They looked quite awesome. Thanks very much for watching again!!