Alistair Gordon

I can write a whole book about it, actually.

I can write a whole book about it, actually.

I can write a whole book about it, actually.

I was writing for the New York Times for about 20 years, and then I was with the Wall Street Journal and traveling a lot, in airports a lot. And I think it was in Singapore. It was four in the morning, some connecting flight back to L.A. or something was canceled. And I just had one of those airport freakouts completely melt down. Yeah.

I was writing for the New York Times for about 20 years, and then I was with the Wall Street Journal and traveling a lot, in airports a lot. And I think it was in Singapore. It was four in the morning, some connecting flight back to L.A. or something was canceled. And I just had one of those airport freakouts completely melt down. Yeah.

I was writing for the New York Times for about 20 years, and then I was with the Wall Street Journal and traveling a lot, in airports a lot. And I think it was in Singapore. It was four in the morning, some connecting flight back to L.A. or something was canceled. And I just had one of those airport freakouts completely melt down. Yeah.

I had to get to another plane and I missed it and it was four in the morning and my bag went into some, you know, labyrinth of doom. And I kind of went nuts and tried to go down, you know, the belt that brings the baggage up from below. Wait, you tried to go down the luggage conveyor belt? Yeah, this is pre-9-11, so they didn't shoot me. Nowadays, you'd be dead before you got near it.

I had to get to another plane and I missed it and it was four in the morning and my bag went into some, you know, labyrinth of doom. And I kind of went nuts and tried to go down, you know, the belt that brings the baggage up from below. Wait, you tried to go down the luggage conveyor belt? Yeah, this is pre-9-11, so they didn't shoot me. Nowadays, you'd be dead before you got near it.

I had to get to another plane and I missed it and it was four in the morning and my bag went into some, you know, labyrinth of doom. And I kind of went nuts and tried to go down, you know, the belt that brings the baggage up from below. Wait, you tried to go down the luggage conveyor belt? Yeah, this is pre-9-11, so they didn't shoot me. Nowadays, you'd be dead before you got near it.

You know, I'd been drinking 40 gallons of coffee and writing on a deadline and everything. So at that moment, I thought, well, who the fuck made this? How did this happen?

You know, I'd been drinking 40 gallons of coffee and writing on a deadline and everything. So at that moment, I thought, well, who the fuck made this? How did this happen?

You know, I'd been drinking 40 gallons of coffee and writing on a deadline and everything. So at that moment, I thought, well, who the fuck made this? How did this happen?

I'd gone to the New York Public Library and to the Air and Space Archives in Washington, just looking for sort of cultural background in airports. There was a ton of technical stuff, you know. There virtually was nothing that was just taking the airport as a cultural phenomenon or an artifact, whatever you want to call it.

I'd gone to the New York Public Library and to the Air and Space Archives in Washington, just looking for sort of cultural background in airports. There was a ton of technical stuff, you know. There virtually was nothing that was just taking the airport as a cultural phenomenon or an artifact, whatever you want to call it.

I'd gone to the New York Public Library and to the Air and Space Archives in Washington, just looking for sort of cultural background in airports. There was a ton of technical stuff, you know. There virtually was nothing that was just taking the airport as a cultural phenomenon or an artifact, whatever you want to call it.

So anyway, I started to just pull things together, did a bunch of articles, and then... an editor I was working with said, you know, there's a famous book on railroad stations, but I've never seen anything on airports. So that's kind of how it started. Then literally 10 years later, it took me that long to gather material. I interviewed hundreds of characters from around the world.

So anyway, I started to just pull things together, did a bunch of articles, and then... an editor I was working with said, you know, there's a famous book on railroad stations, but I've never seen anything on airports. So that's kind of how it started. Then literally 10 years later, it took me that long to gather material. I interviewed hundreds of characters from around the world.

So anyway, I started to just pull things together, did a bunch of articles, and then... an editor I was working with said, you know, there's a famous book on railroad stations, but I've never seen anything on airports. So that's kind of how it started. Then literally 10 years later, it took me that long to gather material. I interviewed hundreds of characters from around the world.

So it was sort of an attempt to humanize a place that seemed so inhuman to me.

So it was sort of an attempt to humanize a place that seemed so inhuman to me.