B727 PRESSURIZATION PROB RESULTED IN RETURN LAND AT ORIGINATING ARPT.

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FLT FROM ATL - JFK. THE TKOF AND CLB WERE UNEVENTFUL WITH ALL CHKLISTS COMPLETED. JUST AS WE WERE REACHING FL290 WE HEARD AN INTERMITTENT WARNING HORN AND NOTICED THAT THE CABIN WAS AT 10000 FT. WE LEVELED OFF AND WHILE THE SO WAS GOING THROUGH THE CHKLIST WE GOT CLRNC TO DSND. DURING DSCNT; I TRANSFERRED ACFT CTL TO THE FO. THE SO; A LINE CHK AIRMAN; AND I WERE TROUBLE-SHOOTING THE PROB. WE WERE UNABLE TO CTL THE CABIN SO WE PERFORMED LOSS OF PRESSURIZATION AND EMER DSCNT CHKLIST. WE DSNDED TO 8000 FT AND THE CABIN DID NOT RISE ABOVE 12000 FT. WHILE DSNDING; I BRIEFED THE CUSTOMER SVC COORDINATOR ABOUT THE PROB. HE THEN INFORMED ME THAT ONE OF THE PAX WAS FEELING 'LIGHT HEADED' AND THAT THE OTHER FLT ATTENDANT ALSO FELT SOMEWHAT 'LIGHT HEADED.' I ELECTED TO MANUALLY DEPLOY THE OXYGEN MASKS. THE PAX WERE INFORMED BEFORE DEPLOYMENT. APPROX 8000 FT; I DECIDED TO DECLARE AN EMER IN ORDER TO GET PRIORITY HANDLING. WE RECEIVED CLRNC FOR A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 26R AT THE ORIGINATING ARPT. I FLEW A STABILIZED ILS APCH TO LAND WITH ALL CHKLISTS COMPLETED. THE LNDG WAS UNEVENTFUL.