Go to Hell thru [what city?] first

[RonButters at AOL.COM]

I tried this and found six hits for Atlanta and two for Dallas. I found 
nothing about Eastern Airlines at all. Current use, then, would seem to be divided 
between Delta (Atlanta) and American (Dallas). 

According to <http://www.aerosite.net/logos32.htm>, Atlanta and Miami were 
Eastern Hubs, from the 1950s until they went out of business (in the 1980s?). 
Thus it is totrally reasonable that the saying began with Eastern and then 
swtiched to Delta when Eastern collapsed. It makes sense, too, that Dallas would 
fill in the blank for American users.

It is interesting, though, that this seems to be mostly a Southern 
expression. After all, Delta and American both have hubs other than Atlanta. But I don't 
find any record of Los Angeles or Chicago or St. Louis or New York (all 
American hubs) filling the blank. Or even Miami (American's gateway to South 
America).

I wonder why?

In a message dated 3/15/04 3:55:46 PM, JJJRLandau at AOL.COM writes:


> In a message dated  Sun, 14 Mar 2004 21:39:33 EST,   RonButters at AOL.COM 
> wrote:
> 
> >  I couldn't get any hits for "you will change planes in Atlanta."
> >
> >  I have heard this said about Delta, which has a major hub in Atlanta. Did
> >  Eastern really have a hub there? I thought their big hub was Chicago. It
> has
> >   been  so long since they went out of business, I can't remember.
> 
> I Googled on +"go to Hell"+"change planes" and +"go to Hell"+Hartsfield.
> 
> According to its Web site,
> http://www.atlanta-airport.com/Default.asp?url=sublevels/airport_info/gmp
> age.h
> tm,
> the airport has been in operation since 1926, with several name changes 
> along
> the way.
> <quote>
> 1942
> In July, because of a dispute with the Post Office, the City reaffirmed the
> name as Atlanta Municipal Airport because they could not find the original
> paperwork. Hartsfield later was quoted as saying that he very clearly 
> remembered
> that the City had officially changed the name in 1929.
> </quote>
> 
> Aside to Barry Popik:  "dirty shirts" is what the British Redcoats called
> American soldiers.
> 
>          - James A. Landau
> 
>