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  • Looking down from above, we see one lone queuing traveller at Charles de Gaulle, gazes up towards the large Departures board. Fellow-passengers wait by baggage trolleys in a civilised line beneath the information. Charles de Gaulle/Roissy is a hub airport for Air France north of the French capital. The departures information has schedule times, destinations, flight, satellite and gate numbers plus   remarks. Air travellers experience such misery every day and shows of how global air travel has become a routine, mundane and stressful for the everyday airline passenger - a far cry from when commercial flight was purely for the elite. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903.
    aviation_corbis29-27-07-2000_1.jpg
  • A lone passenger gazes out from the departure lounge at Charles de Gaulle/Roissy airport terminal to where airliners are parked. It is late evening and blue light outside makes the orange interior look warm. Designed by Paul Andreu, Charles de Gaulle became a symbol for airport modernity - a Le Corbusier concept of rail stations and ‘autodromes.’ Charles de Gaulle’s role as airport and rail station fuses into one, thus becoming an ‘Aérogare’ where trains and planes whisk the new world traveller of the late ‘60s, away beyond an ever-extending horizon. From here, the Air France Concorde crashed on the aviation employment town of Gonesse on July 25th 2000. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903.
    aviation_corbis30-27-07-2000_1.jpg
  • In the terminal at Charles de Gaulle/Roissy airport, Paris France, the peace of the airport chapel looks like a Star Trek-style place of worship, typical of the new airport experience pushed upon in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. Short stools and padded benches line the intimate space in the satellite building. Designed by Paul Andreu, Charles de Gaulle became a symbol for airport modernity becoming an ‘Aérogare’ where trains and planes whisk the new world traveller of the late ‘60s, away beyond an ever-extending horizon. From here, the Air France Concorde crashed on the aviation employment town of Gonesse on July 25th 2000. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903.
    aviation_corbis31-24-07-2001_1.jpg
  • One a hot November night, a Sri Lankan Airlines A340-300 series Airbus - registration number 4R-ADE - is bathed in high-intensity floodlights on the apron at Malé international airport in the Republic of the Maldives. Surrounded by passenger steps, servicing vehicles for catering and the loading of baggage and air freight in the below-floor holds, the aircraft is readied for its next flight to Colombo, another journey for this aircraft as it travels across the world's air routes.
    maldives434-15-11-2007.jpg
  • Air passengers exit and enter a transit train at Chicago O'Hare airport, Illinois USA. They pull suitcases behind them as they negotiate the airport terminal transport system that takes them across the sprawling complex of terminals and tunnels. A large central yellow traffic arrow saying OUT is most prominent telling arriving people to keep in the middle, allowing those departing to enter the carriage from the sides. There is a slight blur to the picture showing the hurrying nature of modern air travel, vastly different from the pioneering days of flight for only the socially elite. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903.
    aviation_corbis49-10-11-2000_1.jpg
  • An accumulation of badges show where a passenger on board a Heathrow Express train to Heathrow Airport has travelled to. Sewn onto the traveller's rucksack, the countries represented by these patches show a much-travelled young person who has amassed a collection of world air miles and travel experiences, with their national flags and emblems on display in a way that adventurers show their routes and wanderlust to others, perhaps as proof of a lifetime wandering the world's borders and airports. As each badge is added, it accounts for new travel companions and the hazards and joys of modern air travel. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport714-22-07-2009_1.jpg
  • In mid-flight between Hamburg in Germany and London Heathrow, we see a passenger’s view of a climbing airliner's port wing and the hazy German landscape below at a high altitude. The sky above reflects its soft blue hue on the upper surface of the left wing but the air below is a soft pink, a rural patchwork of fields and villages. As an example of aerodynamic design, the flying machine is a perfect gesture towards the conquest of flight, copied from the characteristics of a bird’s anatomy. As art, the mere beauty of taking to the air and maintaining level, organised speed is so routine, we rarely look our from our window to marvel at how and why. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903.
    aviation_corbis34-21-05-2002_1.jpg
  • Baggage belonging to a British Airways Concorde crew is lined up beneath their aircraft after arriving at Oshkosh Air Venture, the world’s largest air show in Wisconsin USA. Twelve cases match 12 of Concorde's tiny windows and some of the crowd either take shelter from the sun or walk around the supersonic jet in awe of this engineering marvel. Their baggage is lined up beneath the aircraft during its visit to this huge show in Wisconsin, USA. Close to a million populate the mass fly-in over the week, a pilgrimage worshipping all aspects of flight. The event annually generates $85 million in revenue over a 25 mile radius from Oshkosh. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903.
    aviation_corbis44-27-08-1998_1.jpg
  • Posing in the open doorway of an Airbus A319CJ Business jet, four female cabin crew members wear the uniforms of Qatar Airways whose airline has made a public relations stop at the Farnborough Air Show to publicise this new model of executive service. Airline stewards and stewardesses are nowadays more commonly referred to as cabin crew or flight attendants. They stand close together with broad grins showing their varied ethnicity. Middle-Eastern airlines generally recruit men and women from western Europe, Asia, Australasia and the Indian sub-continent dependent on routes and aircraft type. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903.
    aviation_corbis24-23-07-2002_1.jpg
  • On a hot night at Bahrain International Airport, a Boeing airliner is about to be pushed backwards and start its engines. Two airport agents wearing traditional Arab dress stand patiently high up on the air bridge (that joins the aircraft fuselage during its turnaround time), several metres above ground level, ensuring no last-minute problems occur before departure. This Gulf State is, a key hub airport in the region, providing a gateway to the Northern Gulf. The airport is the major hub for Gulf Air which provides 52% of overall movements. It is also the half-way point between Western Europe and Asian destinations such as Hong Kong and Beijing. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903.
    aviation_corbis08-21-04-2001_1.jpg
  • Parked on the apron at Paris Orly Airport, a lone pilot of the French national airline Air France, leans out of his right-hand seat's cockpit window of his Boeing 777-328/ER aircraft (F-GSQT). It is a bright morning at this international hub for Air France and without help from ground staff, the silver-haired gentleman who may be the captain and commander of the aircraft (because of age and seat position) has decided to get on with the job of cleaning his window himself much like a driver wiping away flies from his car windscreen. Here however, this chore being performed approximately six meters off the ground so safety is vital - just as a clear front view for the flight-deck crew before their flight. Attached to the plane is the mobile walkway, the air bridge, that awaits boarding passengers but no 'ramp agent' is below.
    esa_guiana02513-08-2007_1.jpg
  • In mid-flight over Greater London, we see a passenger’s view of a turning airliner's wing and the capital's dusk landscape below at a low altitude. As the starboard (right) wing dips, the Virgin Atlantic Airbus banks and a long exposure blurs the city lights below. A small curved portion of the passenger window, red engines and the Union Jack colours are seen. As aerodynamic design, the flying machine is a perfect gesture towards the conquest of flight, copied from the characteristics of a bird’s anatomy. As art, the mere beauty of taking to the air and maintaining level, organised speed is so routine, we rarely look our from our window to marvel at how and why. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903.
    aviation_corbis50-10-11-2000_1.jpg
  • Seen through a glass screen, we see a crowd of passengers - a mixture of business and holiday travellers - awaiting the departure of their commercial flight from Frankfurt am Main international airport, Germany. Reflected lights and other windows merge into this scene of European air travel where the everyday misery of delays and disruption affect millions on a daily basis. Some people are still seated while the more enthusiastic wait in line, queuing for the imminent departure. Frankfurt is also a sprawling hub for the German state airline Lufthansa. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903.
    aviation_corbis33-19-10-2000_1.jpg
  • Waiting in line for a departing flight, an airline captain patiently queues with his flight baggage along with passengers. Rather than being on duty and flying the aircraft himself, he is travelling home as a passenger. On many commercial flights, off-duty air crew position as passengers. Airlines plan complicated logistics with cabin and cockpit crew members' duty rosters. This man's four stripes denotes his seniority as a captain who flies right-hand seat, in command of a airliner. In the US, pilots might also have National Guard careers flying jet fighters in times of conflict while off-duty in airline shifts. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903.
    aviation_corbis53-10-11-2000_1.jpg
  • The nose detail of a de Havilland Comet in the colours of the long-defunct airline Dan Air is seen in profile at the Imperial War Museum's Duxford airfield, Cambridgeshire, England. The British de Havilland Comet first flew in July 1949 and is noted as the world's first commercial jet airliner as well as one of the first pressurized commercial aircraft. Early models suffered from catastrophic metal fatigue and the aircraft was redesigned. Here, the nose structure is held together with rivets that sit askew of the aircraft skin making it aerodynamically unfit to fly. It remains however, one of the classic and iconic designs in the history of commercial aviation. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903.
    aviation_corbis15-12-12-1997_1.jpg
  • Empty chairs and open Bibles, all bathed in yellow artificial light make this airport chapel in Frankfurt am Main, Germany a European modernist haven from the chaos of global air travel; an escape from delays, terrorism and overall fears of flying. Predominately Christian with small corners for Muslim believers, the new modernism at Frankfurt/Main reflects a strong European tradition of functional design – far removed from the drab, dourness of many similar American facilities. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903.
    aviation_corbis32-19-10-2000_1.jpg
  • The main nose wheel of an Airbus is parked on a stand at Bahrain International Airport. The names of other Airbuses and Boeing 737 types are also written on the concrete to allow exact distances for expandable air bridges and other airfield vehicles to connect and service these similarly-sized commercial airliners. A key hub airport in this region, providing a gateway to the Northern Gulf, Bahrain is the major hub for Gulf Air which provides 52% of overall movements. It is also the half-way point between Western Europe and Asian destinations such as Hong Kong and Beijing. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903.
    aviation_corbis05-21-04-2001_1.jpg
  • Ten jets of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, fly over the Victoria Memorial opposite Buckingham Palace in London, on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother's 100th birthday. Tourists watch as the ten aircraft leave a trail of patriotic red, white and blue smoke in honour of the monarch's elderly mother whose centenary was celebrated  in lavish style with cultural events and church services. The memorial to Queen Victoria was built by the sculptor Sir Thomas Brock, in 1911. The surround was constructed by the architect Sir Aston Webb, from 2,300 tons of white marble and is a Grade I listed building. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903.
    aviation_corbis17-19-07-2000_1.jpg
  • A Bahrani baggage-handler employed by SABTCO pauses during his shift at Bahrain International airport. Having loaded luggage and cargo into the hold of an Egyptair Airbus, he sits looking hot and tired on the company’s conveyor belt awaiting last-minute additions to the manifest before its imminent departure for Cairo, across the Mediterranean. It is another hot day in this Gulf State, a key hub airport in the region, providing a gateway to the Northern Gulf. The airport is the home for Gulf Air which provides 52% of overall movements and is also the half-way point between Western Europe and Asian destinations such as Hong Kong and Beijing. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903
    aviation_corbis03-21-04-2001_1.jpg
  • Stacks of cigarette cartons are piled up in a display of duty free goods at Bahrain International airport . Camel Filters are featured more prominently here to suggest the importance of desert Gulf States like Bahrain in the global market. Bahrain is a key hub airport in the region, providing a gateway to the Northern Gulf. The airport is the major hub for Gulf Air which provides 52% of overall movements. It is also the half-way point between Western Europe and Asian destinations such as Hong Kong and Beijing. Duty free merchandise such as tobacco, jewellery, perfumes and electronics are big business here, favouring cheaper import duties and currency rates. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903.
    aviation_corbis09-21-04-2001_1.jpg
  • A Bahrani aircraft mechanic stands beneath the giant nose wheel assembly of a Being airliner at Bahrain International Airport. Wearing a red headset, he can communicate by cable with the pilots high up in the aircraft's cockpit as a vehicle pushes-back the flying machine onto the taxi-way before starting its engines and departure. It is another hot day in this Gulf State, a key hub airport in the region, providing a gateway to the Northern Gulf. The airport is the major hub for Gulf Air which provides 52% of overall movements. It is also the half-way point between Western Europe and Asian destinations such as Hong Kong and Beijing. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903.
    aviation_corbis06-21-04-2001_1.jpg
  • An airport worker employed by SABTCO guides an arriving Airbus onto its stand at Bahrain International Airport. The man carefully encourages the slow-moving flying machine using his illuminated sticks alerting the pilot in control of this commercial airliner to an exact stopping place after its taxiing from the runway. It is another hot day in this Gulf State, a key hub airport in the region, providing a gateway to the Northern Gulf. The airport is the major hub for Gulf Air which provides 52% of overall movements. It is also the half-way point between Western Europe and Asian destinations such as Hong Kong and Beijing. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903.
    aviation_corbis07-21-04-2001_1.jpg
  • An aircraft cleaner from Kathmandu, Nepal, stands in white overalls with his bucket and mop on the tarmac at Bahrain International airport. It is another hot day in this key hub airport in this Gulf region, providing a gateway to the Northern Gulf. The airport is the major hub for Gulf Air which provides 52% of overall movements and is also the half-way point between Western Europe and Asian destinations such as Hong Kong and Beijing. Gulf states also rely on the workforces from south-Asia such as India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh whose wages are often low and harsh living conditions compared to local nationals and tourists who enjoy superior accommodation. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903.
    aviation_corbis04-21-04-2001_1.jpg
  • An elderly lady receives a consultation from a professional beautician in the Clinique Bar at World Duty Free in Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5. In a quiet corner of peace and tranquility, the woman's face is examined in detail using a magnifying lens that allows the assistant to see every hair follicle and pore. Amid the busy departures terminal of this international aviation hub, this is a corner of quiet and tranquillity before the woman traveller boards her flight after this few minutes of pampering. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport160-13-07-2009_1.jpg
  • Lying horizontal in a busy salon, a lady passenger receives eyebrow threading treatment during a beauty session at the Blink Eyebrow Bar in World Duty Free, Heathrow Airport's terminal 5. The beautician holds the thread that squeezes the woman's eyebrow follicles, removing the tiniest and finest hair right from the root. Threading is a technique that China has been using for centuries but has recently become popular in western countries. Amid the busy departures terminal of this international aviation hub, this is a corner of quiet and tranquillity before the woman traveller boards her business flight after this few minutes of pampering. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport194-13-07-2009_1.jpg
  • A man tucks in to his in-flight meal on-board an Air France Boeing 777 flight from Paris Orly to Cayenne, French Guiana. Putting more food into his mouth while watching an in-flight movie, the male passenger has an aisle seat on this airliner. We also see on another seat back, the progress of this journey across the Atlantic Ocean towards the mainland of South America, seen on the moving map system screen which reveals statistics such as altitude, airspeed, distance to destination, distance from origination and local time. Using GPS avionics, the capital Cayenne is seen as the destination as well as Caracas, Georgetown, Kingstown and San Juan in the Caribbean. On the viewer's lowered tray is a light lunch of fruit, natural yoghurt, bread roll, orange juice and empty up. This is the best of Economy class.
    esa_guiana02813-08-2007_1.jpg
  • A departures information board at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5 is viewed by passengers who stands motionless to read the details of flight departure times to echo that of a Vodafone advertisement containing a tourist on a beach, a generic scene of a person on holiday taking advantage of low mobile phone charges in mainland Europe.  A finger from an unseen traveller points to a flight time and to ladies stand gazing up at the check-in guide that helps tell which is the check-in zone of this 400 metre-long terminal that has the capacity to serve around 30 million passengers a year. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport1649-24-08-2009_1.jpg
  • Virgin Chairman Sir Richard Branson performs in front of the media during a publicity launch of Virgin Atlantic's new Airbus A340-600 which is parked behind the business tycoon during the Farnborough Air Show in Hampshire, England. He stands on one leg in a typically eccentric aviation-owner balancing trick. Behind him near the aircraft's nose a Virgin 'babe' echoes his outstretched arms while flying the British Union Jack flag. Farnborough centres its presence on big aerospace business to the tune of $40bn in orders and industry leaders like Branson, Boeing and Airbus parade their brands and announce new orders throughout the week-long display. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903.
    aviation_corbis26-23-07-2002_1.jpg
  • A gentleman Sky Cap stands in front of the terminal building at Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, California, USA. Wearing his red waste-coat, ID badge and cap he holds the handle of the baggage trolley with which he assists passengers to offload their belongings and guides them to the check-in counters inside. The man has a greying beard and sunglasses against the glare and is an eager helper to those struggling with heavy travel possessions. On the ground are stencilled the words 'Passenger Loading Only' referring to where departing travellers might seek help with baggage. There are armies of workers across the world keeping airlines and airports running 24/7. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903.
    aviation_corbis47-10-11-2000_1.jpg
  • Sheryl is an Airport Ambassador Volunteer at Dallas Fort Worth, Texas and stands for a portrait at the foot of some escalators in the main terminal. She sports a straw hat saying 'Ask Me' in red and a name badge with her job title although she comes to the airport to assist strangers at her city's airport, hoping her good nature and charitable efforts will help uncertain travellers find their way. Also on her jacket is a the phrase 'Proud to be Drug Free .. Airport Narcotics Task Force.' 'Fort Worth is the sixth busiest airport in the world transporting 59,064,360 passengers in 2005. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903.
    aviation_corbis56-10-11-2000_1.jpg
  • A female member of the Thomas Cook staff issues foreign currency to an unseen airline passenger in the departures concourse at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5. This Bureau de Change is one of two companies trading in foreign exchange, travel insurance and travellers cheques for passengers passing through this aviation hub is west London. We see on the wall behind the assistant, a beach paradise scene of palm trees, calm seas and beach chalets, the idea of tranquillity and prosperity. On the left are the exchange rates for the world's currencies for purchase at this kiosk. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport1135-12-08-2009_1.jpg
  • A young brother and sister look on in awe while a British Airways check-in lady asks security questions of the pair's parents who are taking her children on a long-haul flight from London Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5. The family baggage has been tagged and is about to disappear down the belt to join up to 70,000 other items in this average day at T5. The siblings stare as the young woman checks the travel details of the mother and father who have booked Business Class seats for them all. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport1396-18-08-2009_1.jpg
  • A close-up detail of a male passenger's hand that holds on to his family's travel documents before proceeding to his British Airways check-in zone at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5. With a Silver company Executive 'One World' loyalty card, his ticket and British passport to hand, he waits in line after registering at a self-service kiosk where his seat has been designated. A BA employee then only needs to take his luggage. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009)
    heathrow_airport1395-18-08-2009_1.jpg
  • A market researcher working for the Heathrow Aiport operator BAA, conducts her surveys in the departures concourses of this aviation hub's terminal 5. Asking very detailed but brief questions of this young mother and her rather suspicious daughter, both travelling to the US, the unseen woman employee samples opinion on the airport's performance and the passengers overall experience of using this airport. Terminal 5 has the capacity to serve around 30 million passengers a year and by analysing the data from these surveys helps the operator discover room for improvement. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport345-13-07-2009_1.jpg
  • A resting passenger sleeps on a specially-designed circular couch near airport gates during his layover transit period at Heathrow airport's Terminal 5. The man has jet lag after a long-haul flight across continents and now needs to re-adjust to British Summer time (BST). Vast sheets of window glass lets in natural daylight in this tranquil area where travellers can remain largely undisturbed from the otherwise hectic airport terminal created by the Richard Rogers Partnership (now Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners). From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport40-10-07-2009_1.jpg
  • A female passenger leans forward with head in hands amid the busy terminal at Chicago O'Hare Airport, Illinois, USA. Fellow-travellers in the background appear unworried, waiting for their respective flights in a calm manner. The lady in the foreground's body language however, suggests fatigue and distress and perhaps a fear of flying. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903.
    aviation_corbis52-10-11-2000_1.jpg
  • The flight-deck crew of a Sri Lankan Airlines A340-300 series Airbus - registration number 4R-ADE - perform a series of pre-flight checks before a scheduled departure, while on the apron at Malé international airport in the Republic of the Maldives. Featuring electronic instruments it is known as a 'glass cockpit' and using a printed checklist manual, they methodically work through dozens of complex systems that require accurate input before the aircraft is ready for take off. Flight navigation computers, fuel and engine settings and radio frequencies all need programming by the two pilots, the captain on the left and the First Officer on the right. These modern airliners have only two pilots in a modern flight-deck as technology superceeded the need for a third member, the flight-engineers of a previous era of aviation.
    maldives452-15-11-2007.jpg
  • Looking up to the Fast Bag Drop facility Heathrow airport's Terminal 5. Designed by architects Richard Rogers Partnership the controversial building opened with chaotic scenes on 27/3/08. British Airways passengers faced baggage disruption after a 6 year construction project that has seen the British public divided over the role of commercial aviation. At a cost of £4.3bn, the project was Britain's longest planning inquiry which lasted four years but finally employing a total of 60,000 workers. 30,000 square metres of glass in walls; 80,000 tonnes of steel were used - 17,000 in the roof alone; 5,000 doors, 800 toilets, 20,000 power sockets and 1,700 miles of cable; 60 new aircraft stands, including 14 for the Airbus A380; 13km of tunnels were bored for the state-of-the-art baggage handling to handle 12,000 bags per hour.
    heathrow_terminal_five-05-17-03-2008...jpg
  • Looking at International Arrivals of Heathrow airport's Terminal 5. Designed by architects Richard Rogers Partnership the controversial building opened with chaotic scenes on 27/3/08. British Airways passengers faced baggage disruption after a 6 year construction project that has seen the British public divided over the role of commercial aviation. At a cost of £4.3bn, the project was Britain's longest planning inquiry which lasted four years but finally employing a total of 60,000 workers. 30,000 square metres of glass in walls; 80,000 tonnes of steel were used - 17,000 in the roof alone; 5,000 doors, 800 toilets, 20,000 power sockets and 1,700 miles of cable; 60 new aircraft stands, including 14 for the Airbus A380; 13km of tunnels were bored for the state-of-the-art baggage handling to handle 12,000 bags per hour.
    heathrow_terminal_five-20-17-03-2008...jpg
  • Looking up to the Nokia information screen and 40m high roof of Heathrow airport's Terminal 5. Designed by architects Richard Rogers Partnership the controversial building opened with chaotic scenes on 27/3/08. British Airways passengers faced baggage disruption after a 6 year construction project that has seen the British public divided over the role of commercial aviation. At a cost of £4.3bn, the project was Britain's longest planning inquiry which lasted four years but finally employing a total of 60,000 workers. 30,000 square metres of glass in walls; 80,000 tonnes of steel were used - 17,000 in the roof alone; 5,000 doors, 800 toilets, 20,000 power sockets and 1,700 miles of cable; 60 new aircraft stands, including 14 for the Airbus A380; 13km of tunnels were bored for the state-of-the-art baggage handling to handle 12,000 bags per hour.
    heathrow_terminal_five-04-17-03-2008...jpg
  • Looking at practice baggage of Heathrow airport's Terminal 5. Designed by architects Richard Rogers Partnership the controversial building opened with chaotic scenes on 27/3/08. British Airways passengers faced baggage disruption after a 6 year construction project that has seen the British public divided over the role of commercial aviation. At a cost of £4.3bn, the project was Britain's longest planning inquiry which lasted four years but finally employing a total of 60,000 workers. 30,000 square metres of glass in walls; 80,000 tonnes of steel were used - 17,000 in the roof alone; 5,000 doors, 800 toilets, 20,000 power sockets and 1,700 miles of cable; 60 new aircraft stands, including 14 for the Airbus A380; 13km of tunnels were bored for the state-of-the-art baggage handling to handle 12,000 bags per hour.
    heathrow_terminal_five-07-17-03-2008...jpg
  • Looking up to the Nokia information screen and 40m high roof of Heathrow airport's Terminal 5. Designed by architects Richard Rogers Partnership the controversial building opened with chaotic scenes on 27/3/08. British Airways passengers faced baggage disruption after a 6 year construction project that has seen the British public divided over the role of commercial aviation. At a cost of £4.3bn, the project was Britain's longest planning inquiry which lasted four years but finally employing a total of 60,000 workers. 30,000 square metres of glass in walls; 80,000 tonnes of steel were used - 17,000 in the roof alone; 5,000 doors, 800 toilets, 20,000 power sockets and 1,700 miles of cable; 60 new aircraft stands, including 14 for the Airbus A380; 13km of tunnels were bored for the state-of-the-art baggage handling to handle 12,000 bags per hour.
    heathrow_terminal_five-01-17-03-2008...jpg
  • Late at night, in a gloomy arrivals gate at Chicago O'Hare airport, a young man sits patiently on his own awaiting the arrival of his girlfriend after a holiday in Asia. It is the last flight to land and a helium balloon floats on a string bearing the words 'Welcome Home', a popular gesture for relatives in airports around the world, each having their own cultural way of showing affection for arriving family members after long absences. The balloon stands still, the only colour amid the drab interior of this sprawling airport hub. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903.
    aviation_corbis54-10-11-2000_1.jpg
  • We see a male passenger from the waste down with a laptop computer in one hand and a Retriever puppy peering out from his owner's bag in the other, both human and pet are about to board a domestic flight from Chicago O'Hare airport. According to the American Transport Security Administration, taking pets into the aircraft cabin is permissable but the animal is required to be presented to the Security Officers at the checkpoint. it may also walk with its owner through the metal detector but not through the x-ray scanner. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903.
    aviation_corbis51-10-11-2000_1.jpg
  • About to board their Sri Lankan airlines flight to the Maldives, crowds of economy class passengers stand and make an orderly queue when their flight has been called by ground staff at London Heathrow airport England. Lines of people from all nations can be seen reflected in a large window that also overlooks the airport apron where their front-facing Airbus A340-300 aircraft awaits them, its flight-deck crew is seen in the cockpit readying their plane for the long night journey ahead. Catering service trucks are parked alongside the aircraft, loading supplies and all is on schedule from this large intercontinental airport hub to the much smaller island airfield in the middle of the Indian Ocean, the idyllic destination for holidaying Europeans.
    maldives01-10-11-2007.jpg
  • A competitor in the annual Birdman of Bognor event attempts to fly at Bognor Regis, East Sussex, England. English eccentrics gather annually at the southern seaside town to jump from the pier into the chilly waters of the English Channel. Fun jumpers ‘wearing’ their aeroplane suits compete for a £25,000 prize for the one to fly 100 metres from the pier platform – a record not yet achieved. Entrants (who often jump for charity rather than any aeronautical pretensions) include sugar plum fairies, condoms, Ninja Turtles and vampires. The winner was a hang-glider pilot reaching 26 metres but here, a Spitfire sponsored by a milk company drops vertically. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903.
    aviation_corbis22-27-05-2001_1.jpg
  • A father supports his son on his shoulders as a giant four-engined airliner passes directly overhead, about to land at London's Heathrow airport, England. Seen from a low angle, we see the graphic cruciform shape of the aircraft as it screams past two powerful airfield landing lights that help guide arriving aircraft to the runway. The backlit scene is largely monochrome apart from the boys red t-shirt and yellow-faced watch which are lit by flash, underexposing the overcast sky. Prior to 9/11, British airport authorities and police tolerated plane spotters near runway fences but with heightened terrorist alerts, these enthusiasts are told to move on or face arrest. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903.
    aviation_corbis13-17-08-1997_1.jpg
  • A father supports his son on his shoulders as a giant four-engined airliner passes directly overhead, about to land at London's Heathrow airport, England. Seen from a low angle, we see the graphic cruciform shape of the aircraft as it screams past two powerful airfield landing lights that help guide arriving aircraft to the runway. The backlit scene is largely monochrome apart from the boys red t-shirt and yellow-faced watch which are lit by flash, underexposing the overcast sky. Prior to 9/11, British airport authorities and police tolerated plane spotters near runway fences but with heightened terrorist alerts, these enthusiasts are told to move on or face arrest. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903.
    aviation_corbis13-17-08-1997_1.jpg
  • A United Airlines ramp agent stands in the terminal building of Chicago O'Hare airport before continuing his airside shift, dispatching and communicating with his operational airline colleagues. The man stands with hands in pockets wearing his company issue fluorescent safety jacket with reflective materials important on the ramp, in the company of dangerous vehicles and running aircraft engines. Ensuring the smooth arrival and departures of flights across America and the rest of the world, he is a key member of the airline at its O'Hare hub. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903.
    aviation_corbis55-10-11-2000_1.jpg
  • A competitor in the annual Birdman of Bognor event stands on the pier floor boards at Bognor Regis, East Sussex, England. English eccentrics gather annually at the southern seaside town to jump from the pier into the chilly waters of the English Channel. Fun jumpers ‘wearing’ their aeroplane suits compete for a £25,000 prize for the one to fly 100 metres from the pier platform – a record not yet achieved. Entrants (who often jump for charity rather than any aeronautical pretensions) include sugar plum fairies, condoms, Ninja Turtles and vampires. The winner was a hang-glider pilot reaching 26 metres but here, a Spitfire pilot sponsored by a milk company eventually dropped vertically. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903.
    aviation_corbis23-27-05-2001_1.jpg
  • An American Airlines male flight attendant stands with his crew baggage against a window at Dallas Fort Worth airport, Texas. Dressed in the corporate airline uniform he stands erect with a hand in his pocket, his ID badge clipped to his jacket and a pin conveying his command of the Japanese language. A mesh screen partially obscures drab concrete buildings outside which can be seen through the glass. Dallas Fort Worth is the sixth busiest airport in the world transporting 59,064,360 passengers in 2005. Picture from the 'Plane Pictures' project, a celebration of aviation aesthetics and flying culture, 100 years after the Wright brothers first 12 seconds/120 feet powered flight at Kitty Hawk,1903.
    aviation_corbis48-10-11-2000_1.jpg
  • We look down behind an airline passenger who is alone on seating in the departures concourse of Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5. Mourning the death of a mother, the lady sits with a floral tribute to the recently-deceased relative whose name 'Mum' is laid out next to her in pink flowers. On her lap is the organic Soil Association's magazine Living Earth. Perhaps the woman is on her way to a family funeral and is flying from T5 on this sad flight. Amid the otherwise bustling international airport, the woman seeks solace and tries to sleep before her check-in zone opens. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport1122-12-08-2009_1.jpg
  • A close-up detail of teenage words, written in marker pen on a young person's arm in the departures concourse of Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5. Holding the handles of her baggage trolley that has an open bag in which we see some possessions, the girl displays the words 'I (heart) love you' and the name of Kentin Bisou. It may be a declaration of true love or just a teenage prank before an adventure starts from this aviation hub. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport619-15-07-2009_1.jpg
  • A young girl in transit between India and the US, entertains herself by throwing her pet toy tiger as far as the ceiling in a departure window of Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5. In front of a Boeing 777 jet airliner's nose and cockpit, the girl is a silhouette against the large windows that allow in the natural light. Behind the parked aircraft, another British Airways passenger jet taxies past, its tail at right-angles to the stationary airplane although they both look like the same plane. With her family baggage next to her, the child is enjoying some hours of freedom before another long-haul flight westwards. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport443-14-07-2009_1.jpg
  • A No Sharp objects warning is plain to see as a British Airways check-in employee attaches a luggage tag to the suitcase of a Business Class passenger about to take a long-haul flight from London Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5. The bag is about to disappear down the conveyor belt to join up to 70,000 other items during this average day at T5. With a bar code to identify both the bag and its owner's destination as well as the three letter IATA code, the bag enters 11 miles of underground conveyor belts beneath the 400m (a quarter of a mile) length of Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport. T5 alone has the capacity to serve around 30 million passengers a year and was completed in 2008 at a cost of £4.3bn. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport1414-18-08-2009_1.jpg
  • A lone departing female passenger descends one of the 105 escalators in Terminal 5 of London's Heathrow Airport. Surrounded by the grand architecture created by the Richard Rogers Partnership (now Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners), we look upwards at this vast atrium that takes passengers through 5A in departures to the outlying gates into Terminal 5B.Terminal 5 has the capacity to serve around 30 million passengers a year, taking £4.3bn to build. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport10-10-07-2009_1.jpg
  • A disabled airline passenger makes her own way through the Departures concourse of Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5. Pushing her racing wheelchair, possibly for a race in another country, the lady heads for a British Airways check-in zone before a long-haul flight to compete as a paraplegic. Pushing her possessions on an airport trolley, she speeds through the terminal showing tanned, muscular arms and a bottle of Evian mineral water. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport1487-19-08-2009_1.jpg
  • An upright picture of a departures information board at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5. A lady passenger stands motionless to read the details of flight departure times to echo that of a Vodafone advertisement containing a figure of a man standing erect on a beach, a generic scene of a person on holiday taking advantage of low mobile phone charges in mainland Europe.  Both the man and the woman are on opposite sides of the picture and we see a large letter C that denotes the check-in zone of this 400 metre-long terminal that has the capacity to serve around 30 million passengers a year. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport625-15-07-2009_1.jpg
  • NHS Paramedic Janet Greenhead attends to a lady passenger in Heathrow airport's terminal 3 who has tripped on escalators and badly gashed her leg. Janet applies a dressing and cleans the deep wound before advising the lady to visit a local hospital. Paramedics 'Responders' are with the cycle response unit (CRU), part of the London Ambulance Service whose job is to attend injuries within Heathrow, cycling through the terminals on mountain bikes. She answers radio calls from those with a cut finger, a baggage handler who’s injured an arm, a child who’s fallen over with cuts and bruises or a much more serious incident like a cardiac arrest which are common in an airport where passengers feel under stress or who forget to take their medicines while jet lagged. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport1207-13-08-2009_1.jpg
  • Below the flooring of economy class, a cargo handler manhandles a container of air freight into position in the hold of a Sri Lankan Airlines Airbus A340 that is about to depart from Male, the capital of the Republic of the Maldives  to Colombo. Inside the aluminium box is fresh tuna fish, freshly caught in the Indian Ocean and bound for the supermarkets of the EU and in particular, the UK whose insatiable appetite for fresh, perishable and sustainable foodstuffs make this fast and efficient form of transport important to speedy delivery. Every square inch is accounted for but as well as passengers' baggage, the cramped spaces beneath this modern airliner store loaded revenue-rich cargo though specially-pressurised and heated compartments accommodate live animals.
    maldives436-15-11-2007.jpg
  • Space-suited frequent flyer astronaut Alan Watts plays moon-walker at his north London home, England. Alan, 51, runs an electrical company and qualified for a free space space flight after being contacted by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic space company, having accumulated 2 million air miles on the Virgin Atlantic flight network. Aboard the re-usable space vehicle will be 6 passengers, each of whom will have paid $200,000 for the 40 minute flight to 360,000 feet (109.73km, or 68.18 miles) and to experience just 6 minutes of weighlessness.   Flights start around 2009/10 from a Mojave desert test facility but therafter, at the new Philippe Starck-designed SpacePort America, New Mexico, USA. a 27 square mile, $225 million headquarters and mission control facility near Las Cruces.
    baker_virgin04_1.jpg
  • Frequent flyer astronaut Alan Watts is presented to the media and space industry commentators by Sir Richard Branson during the Wired NextFest science fair, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York City in his north London home, England. Alan, 51, runs an electrical company and qualified for a free space space flight after being contacted by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic space company, having accumulated 2 million air miles on the Virgin Atlantic flight network. Aboard the re-usable space vehicle will be 6 passengers, each of whom will have paid $200,000 for the 40 minute flight to 360,000 feet (109.73km, or 68.18 miles) and to experience just 6 minutes of weighlessness. Flights start around 2009/10 at the new Philippe Starck-designed SpacePort America, New Mexico, USA. a 27 square mile, $225 million facility near Las Cruces.
    baker_virgin05_1.jpg
  • In the kitchen on a Sunday morning, space-suited frequent flyer astronaut Alan Watts reads the Sunday newspaper while his wife empties the dishwasher in his north London home, England. Alan, 51, runs an electrical company and qualified for a free space space flight after being contacted by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic space company, having accumulated 2 million air miles on the Virgin Atlantic flight network. Aboard the re-usable space vehicle will be 6 passengers, each of whom will have paid $200,000 for the 40 minute flight to 360,000 feet (109.73km, or 68.18 miles) and to experience just 6 minutes of weighlessness. Flights start around 2009/10 from a Mojave desert test facility but therafter, at the new Philippe Starck-designed SpacePort America, New Mexico, USA. a 27 square mile, $225 million headquarters facility near Las Cruces.
    baker_virgin03_1.jpg
  • A portrait of space-suited frequent flyer astronaut Alan Watts in his north London home, England. Alan, 51, runs an electrical company and qualified for a free space space flight after being contacted by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic space company, having accumulated 2 million air miles on the Virgin Atlantic flight network. Aboard the re-usable space vehicle will be 6 passengers, each of whom will have paid $200,000 for the 40 minute flight to 360,000 feet (109.73km, or 68.18 miles) and to experience just 6 minutes of weighlessness. Flights start around 2009/10 from a Mojave desert test facility but therafter, at the new Philippe Starck-designed SpacePort America, New Mexico, USA. a 27 square mile, $225 million headquarters and mission control facility near Las Cruces.
    baker_virgin02_1.jpg
  • A portrait of space-suited frequent flyer astronaut Alan Watts in his north London home, England. Alan, 51, runs an electrical company and qualified for a free space space flight after being contacted by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic space company, having accumulated 2 million air miles on the Virgin Atlantic flight network. Aboard the re-usable space vehicle will be 6 passengers, each of whom will have paid $200,000 for the 40 minute flight to 360,000 feet (109.73km, or 68.18 miles) and to experience just 6 minutes of weighlessness. Flights start around 2009/10 from a Mojave desert test facility but therafter, at the new Philippe Starck-designed SpacePort America, New Mexico, USA. a 27 square mile, $225 million headquarters and mission control facility near Las Cruces.
    baker_virgin01_1.jpg
  • Some of the 529 (correct at July 2012) signed up Virgin Galactic astronauts gather by SpaceShipTwo model for another announcement by company executives at a PR event during the Farnborough Air Show. Virgin Galactic is one of the leading potential space tourism groups, is planning to begin passenger service aboard the VSS Enterprise, a Scaled Composites SpaceShipTwo type spacecraft. The initial seat price is $200,000, with a required down payment of $20,000. Headed by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group, Virgin Galactic hopes to be the first private space tourism company to regularly send civilians into space. A citizen astronaut will only require three days of training before spaceflight.
    virgin_galactic19-11-07-2012_1_1.jpg
  • Some of the 529 (correct at July 2012) signed up Virgin Galactic astronauts gather by SpaceShipTwo model for another announcement by company executives at a PR event during the Farnborough Air Show. Virgin Galactic is one of the leading potential space tourism groups, is planning to begin passenger service aboard the VSS Enterprise, a Scaled Composites SpaceShipTwo type spacecraft. The initial seat price is $200,000, with a required down payment of $20,000. Headed by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group, Virgin Galactic hopes to be the first private space tourism company to regularly send civilians into space. A citizen astronaut will only require three days of training before spaceflight.
    virgin_galactic21-11-07-2012_1_1.jpg
  • Some of the 529 (correct at July 2012) signed up Virgin Galactic astronauts gather by SpaceShipTwo model for another announcement by company executives at a PR event during the Farnborough Air Show. Virgin Galactic is one of the leading potential space tourism groups, is planning to begin passenger service aboard the VSS Enterprise, a Scaled Composites SpaceShipTwo type spacecraft. The initial seat price is $200,000, with a required down payment of $20,000. Headed by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group, Virgin Galactic hopes to be the first private space tourism company to regularly send civilians into space. A citizen astronaut will only require three days of training before spaceflight.
    virgin_galactic20-11-07-2012_1_1.jpg
  • Rolls of turf are rolled up by exhibition workers at the end of a long day at the Paris Air Show, Le Bourget France. Removing the real grass from at the CFM stand (a company formed from SNECMA and General Electric jet engines) that manufactures a family of 7,200 commercial and military jet engines for Airbus and Boeing airliners. The men bend over to make a tight roll of organic lawn to keep it fresh and watered overnight before another hot day in this hall. Alongside them, a giant turbofan engine is seen, its huge turbine blades lit by artificial lights. The Paris Air Show is a commercial air show, organised by the French aerospace industry whose purpose is to demonstrate military and civilian aircraft to potential customers.
    paris_air_show224-20-06-2007.jpg
  • Mothers and sons hug emotionally in the international arrivals hall of Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5 airport. Three families have gathered to meet their respective sons who have been travelling around the world during their university gap year sabbatical trip of a lifetime. With balloons and banners amid the hectic concourse where other relatives greet their loved-ones after months away from home on their adventures. This is a tradition practised across the world's airports where families are separated by the need to travel or work in other countries and the emotion of meeting again after long absences is always hard. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport83-13-07-2009_1.jpg
  • A ladys face is obscured as she walks past a Qatar Airways travel agencys video loop, seen through its window in Mayfair, on 15th July 2019, in London, England.
    qatar_airways-01-14-07-2019.jpg
  • A helium-filled Welcome Home balloon floats in the air and a home-made banner stretches across Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5 arrivals hall. Three families have gathered to meet their respective sons who have been travelling around the world during their university gap year sabbatical trip of a lifetime. With balloon and banner amid the hectic concourse where other relatives greet their loved-ones after months away from home on their adventures. This is a tradition practised across the world's airports where families are separated by the need to travel or work in other countries and the emotion of meeting again after long absences is always hard. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport63-13-07-2009_1.jpg
  • A helium-filled Welcome Home balloon floats in the air in Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5 arrivals hall. Three families have gathered to meet their respective sons who have been travelling around the world during their university gap year sabbatical trip of a lifetime. Floating upwards, the balloon is brightly coloured amid the hectic concourse where other relatives greet their loved-ones after months away from home on their adventures. This is a tradition practised across the world's airports where families are separated by the need to travel or work in other countries and the emotion of meeting again after long absences is always hard. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport50-13-07-2009_1.jpg
  • A family just arrived from Chennai (India) drags heavy suitcases from the carousel in the arrivals of Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5. 50-70,000 pieces of British Airways baggage a day travel through 11 miles of conveyor belts which were installed in a 5-storey underground hall beneath the 400m (a quarter of a mile) length of Terminal 5. T5 alone has the capacity to serve around 30 million passengers a year and was completed in 2008 at a cost of £4.3bn. The system was designed by an integrated team from the airport operator BAA, BA and Vanderlande Industries of the Netherlands, and handles both intra-terminal and inter-terminal luggage. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport1533-19-08-2009_1.jpg
  • High up in the picture, two employees (one in traditional Arab clothes, the other in western dress) of Bahrain International Airport stand on the edge of a passenger 'air bridge' to oversee the departure of an airliner at Bahrain International Airport as it is pushed back by an unseen airport vehicle. It is night time and the ramp (or aircraft parking tarmac) is illuminated by yellow artificial light with the bridge itself, lit my overhead fluorescent tubes that give a blue-green tint above the mens' heads who watch the nose of a departing airliner. It is slowly taken backwards on its way to the runway take-off  position with its passengers on-board. We see only the fuselage, wings and part of its engine cowlings but not the undercarriage wheels, nor the ground itself. The men look as if they are floating in mid-air, being disembodied from the rest of the airfield's equipment.
    RB-0052.jpg
  • Seen from an aerial walkway, we look down on airline passengers awaiting the arrival of their baggage in the baggage reclaim hall in the arrivals of Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5. 50-70,000 pieces of British Airways baggage a day travel through 11 miles of conveyor belts which were installed in a 5-storey underground hall beneath the 400m (a quarter of a mile) length of Terminal 5. T5 alone has the capacity to serve around 30 million passengers a year and was completed in 2008 at a cost of £4.3bn. The system was designed by an integrated team from the airport operator BAA, BA and Vanderlande Industries of the Netherlands, and handles both intra-terminal and inter-terminal luggage. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport1527-19-08-2009_1.jpg
  • A slightly comical scene of modern air travel as two lady passengers haul matching suitcases at the British Airways self-check-in kiosk at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5. The self-service kiosks that have been developed to allow customers to process their own ticketing on arrival at this aviation hub for British Airways. Once they've chosen their seat and printed a boarding pass, they can go straight to the Fast Bag Drop desk at the airport. There, baggage will be tagged by an agent and sent to the aircraft. At a cost of £4.3 billion, Terminal 5 has the capacity to serve around 30 million passengers a year. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport1434-18-08-2009_1.jpg
  • A British Airways baggage handler scans the bar code of his airline passenger's item of luggage before loading it into the aircraft hold container bins. 50-70,000 pieces of BA baggage a day travel through 11 miles of conveyor belts which were installed in a 5-storey underground hall beneath the 400m (a quarter of a mile) length of Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport. T5 alone has the capacity to serve around 30 million passengers a year and was completed in 2008 at a cost of £4.3bn. The system was designed by an integrated team from the airport operator BAA, BA and Vanderlande Industries of the Netherlands, and handles both intra-terminal and inter-terminal luggage. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport1200-13-08-2009_1.jpg
  • 50-70,000 pieces of British Airways baggage a day travel through 11 miles of conveyor belts which were installed in a 5-storey underground hall beneath the 400m (a quarter of a mile) length of Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport. Here we see items of luggage spending 4 hours in transit, held in a fully-automated parking lot for bags. Computers decide when to fish the item out and re-introduce it into the system and load it on to the appropriate aircraft. T5 alone has the capacity to serve around 30 million passengers a year and was completed in 2008 at a cost of £4.3bn. The system was designed by an integrated team from the airport operator BAA, BA and Vanderlande Industries of the Netherlands, and handles both intra-terminal and inter-terminal luggage. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport1187-13-08-2009_1.jpg
  • 50-70,000 pieces of British Airways baggage a day travel through 11 miles of conveyor belts which were installed in a 5-storey underground hall beneath the 400m (a quarter of a mile) length of Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport. Here we see items of luggage spending 4 hours in transit, held in a fully-automated parking lot for bags. Computers decide when to fish the item out and re-introduce it into the system and load it on to the appropriate aircraft. T5 alone has the capacity to serve around 30 million passengers a year and was completed in 2008 at a cost of £4.3bn. The system was designed by an integrated team from the airport operator BAA, BA and Vanderlande Industries of the Netherlands, and handles both intra-terminal and inter-terminal luggage. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport1184-13-08-2009_1.jpg
  • 50-70,000 pieces of British Airways baggage a day travel through these 11 miles of conveyor belts which were installed in a 5-storey underground hall beneath the 400m (a quarter of a mile) length of Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport. T5 alone has the capacity to serve around 30 million passengers a year and was completed in 2008 at a cost of £4.3bn. The system was designed by an integrated team from the airport operator BAA, BA and Vanderlande Industries of the Netherlands, and handles both intra-terminal and inter-terminal luggage. There are four colour codes: Yellow for out-of-gauge (oversized, like golf clubs); dark blue for not x-rayed; light blue for transfer and red, meaning the item has been subjected to 12 seconds of x-ray scanning. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport1177-13-08-2009_1.jpg
  • A scene of busy modern air travel as international passengers check-in at the British Airways Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5. Under the gaze of a giant eye that seems to be peering from out of a massive TV screen, the self-service kiosks that have been developed to allow customers to process their own ticketing on arrival at this aviation hub for British Airways. Once they've chosen their seat and printed a boarding pass, they can go straight to the Fast Bag Drop desk at the airport. There, baggage will be tagged by an agent and sent to the aircraft. At a cost of £4.3 billion, Terminal 5 has the capacity to serve around 30 million passengers a year. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport626-15-07-2009_1.jpg
  • Seen from an aerial walkway, we look down on a lady airline passengers struggling to separate two trolleys in the baggage reclaim hall in the arrivals of Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5. 50-70,000 pieces of British Airways baggage a day travel through 11 miles of conveyor belts which were installed in a 5-storey underground hall beneath the 400m (a quarter of a mile) length of Terminal 5. T5 alone has the capacity to serve around 30 million passengers a year and was completed in 2008 at a cost of £4.3bn. The system was designed by an integrated team from the airport operator BAA, BA and Vanderlande Industries of the Netherlands, and handles both intra-terminal and inter-terminal luggage. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport464-14-07-2009_1.jpg
  • Seen from an aerial walkway, we look down on a lady airline passenger being helped to pull her heavy suitacse from the carousel in the baggage reclaim hall in the arrivals of Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5. 50-70,000 pieces of British Airways baggage a day travel through 11 miles of conveyor belts which were installed in a 5-storey underground hall beneath the 400m (a quarter of a mile) length of Terminal 5. T5 alone has the capacity to serve around 30 million passengers a year and was completed in 2008 at a cost of £4.3bn. The system was designed by an integrated team from the airport operator BAA, BA and Vanderlande Industries of the Netherlands, and handles both intra-terminal and inter-terminal luggage. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport459-14-07-2009_1.jpg
  • Two elderly passengers have stopped by in a retail space called World of Duty Free to taste Scottish Malt Whiskey in Terminal 5 at heathrow Airport. The two South-Africans travel widely across the world to visit their extended family and like to stop by this shop to try the various blends of Scotch with the help of a sales person who helps them decide which bottles to buy. Together they swallow the fine alcohol and taste its delicate and subtle differences. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport132-13-07-2009_1.jpg
  • British Airways flights from London City Airport in London, England, United Kingdom. London City Airport is an international airport located in the Royal Docks in the London Borough of Newham, east of the City of London in the Docklands area. It is an incredibly convenient airport for business travel.
    20180125_city airport_007.jpg
  • Silhouette view of passengers waiting in the terminal building for their British Airways flights from London City Airport in London, England, United Kingdom. London City Airport is an international airport located in the Royal Docks in the London Borough of Newham, east of the City of London in the Docklands area. It is an incredibly convenient airport for business travel.
    20180125_city airport_006.jpg
  • Silhouette view of passengers waiting in the terminal building for their British Airways flights from London City Airport in London, England, United Kingdom. London City Airport is an international airport located in the Royal Docks in the London Borough of Newham, east of the City of London in the Docklands area. It is an incredibly convenient airport for business travel.
    20180125_city airport_004.jpg
  • Silhouette view of passengers waiting in the terminal building for their British Airways flights from London City Airport in London, England, United Kingdom. London City Airport is an international airport located in the Royal Docks in the London Borough of Newham, east of the City of London in the Docklands area. It is an incredibly convenient airport for business travel.
    20180125_city airport_005.jpg
  • Silhouette view of passengers waiting in the terminal building for their British Airways flights from London City Airport in London, England, United Kingdom. London City Airport is an international airport located in the Royal Docks in the London Borough of Newham, east of the City of London in the Docklands area. It is an incredibly convenient airport for business travel.
    20180125_city airport_001.jpg
  • Silhouette view of passengers waiting in the terminal building for their British Airways flights from London City Airport in London, England, United Kingdom. London City Airport is an international airport located in the Royal Docks in the London Borough of Newham, east of the City of London in the Docklands area. It is an incredibly convenient airport for business travel.
    20180125_city airport_002.jpg
  • Silhouette view of passengers waiting in the terminal building for their Swiss Air flights from London City Airport in London, England, United Kingdom. London City Airport is an international airport located in the Royal Docks in the London Borough of Newham, east of the City of London in the Docklands area. It is an incredibly convenient airport for business travel.
    20180125_city airport_003.jpg
  • Using ladders and ropes during a rescue operation, Fire Brigade crews enter the floodlit broken air frame of a British Midland Airways Boeing 737-400 series jet airliner which lies on an embankment of the M1 motorway at Kegworth, near East Midlands Airport in Leicestershire, England. On the night of 8th January 1989, flight 92 crashed due to the shutting down of the wrong, malfunctioning engine. Attempting an emergency landing, 47 people died and 74 people, including seven members of the flight crew, sustained serious injuries. We see the aircraft's tail snapped upright at ninety degrees. Here perished most of the passenger fatalities. The devastation was hampered by woodland and the fire fighters are attempting to rescue survivors or extract those killed in this air disaster that proved one of Btitain's worst.
    RB_022-30-04-2008.jpg
  • Two seats, three tape-recorders, a panic strip and a telephone are seen in the UK Border Agency's immigration detention room at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5. Officers deal with members of the public whose passports, demeanour or travel habits have drawn attention to possible criminal activity while seeking entry into the United Kingdom. On average, 10 a day are refused entry here and between 2008 and 2009, 33,100 people were detained at the airport for mainly passport irregularities. The UK Border Agency is responsible for securing the United Kingdom borders and controlling migration in the UK. They manage border control enforcing immigration and customs regulations and consider applications for permission to enter the UK for citizenship and asylum. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport1167-12-08-2009_1.jpg
  • Airline passengers recently arrived from India wait in line at Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5 transit concourse. The middle-aged travellers queue patiently after their long-haul flight and two believe that masks will protect themselves from airborne diseases and infections, not wishing to be exposed to Swine Flu or perhaps SARS, in a hectic public place where such bacteria can be transmitted from one human being to another. But a lady at the front of the queue has lowered her mask while the man at the back keeps his covering the mouth and nose. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport1015-11-08-2009_1.jpg
  • The silhouettes of departing passengers are seen against the strong natural light from the vast windows that face outwards of this aviation hub. Some travellers await their flights sitting down in comfortable seating - one with his hands behind his head - while others pace about Terminal 5 at London's Heathrow Airport. The scene is fairly monochrome without colour other than a grey background on this overcast day. Terminal 5 has the capacity to serve around 30 million passengers a year. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport240-13-07-2009_1.jpg
  • A visitor to the General Electric (GE) exhibition stand at Britain's Farnborough Air Show, points to a feature on a massive, GE90-115B turbofan jet engine. Powering Boeing 777 airliners with up to 115,000 Pounds of thrust, this is a state-of-the-art engine that entered service in April 2004 with Air France. Its giant blades are lit with blue stage lighting to make it look iconic and imposing, dominating this picture of technology and innovation. Such mechanical excellence attached to the world's aircraft are helping to make them quieter and more energy and fuel efficient at a time when oil prices are making air travel an expensive mode of transport.
    farnborough_air_show14-14-07-2008_1.jpg
  • A traveler waits on a bench in front of a window overlooking parked China Eastern passenger jets at the Shanghai Hongqio Airport in Shanghai, China, on Nov. 21 2011. A mixture of pollution and foggy weather are frequently causing low visibility that delays air travel.
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  • Honeymooners cuddle in front of other passengers before their round-the-world adventure, leaving from Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5B. The couple are seen embracing at the departure gate as the remaining air travellers filter through the last security checks and board their long-haul flight. The young lady has a look of contentment on her face, the look of happiness and comfort in the arms of her new husband and they hug with all the affection of young love and trust. Another passenger grins in their direction during this show of devotion. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport1524-19-08-2009_1.jpg
  • Honeymooners cuddle in front of their Boeing 747-400 that will soon take them on a round-the-world adventure, leaving from Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5B. The couple are seen as silhouettes against the natural light of the large plate glass windows. As the aircraft is readied and before the flight's air travellers are called to the departure gate, the young man and woman put their heads imagining what new things they will see as their airliner is about to transport them to experience new cultures and possibly a new life. In the background, we see other jets that are parked in their respective jetties across the main movement area, the apron. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).
    heathrow_airport1521-19-08-2009_1.jpg
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