Airport
Arthur Hailey
15 min
7 Key Points
5 RateWhat's inside?
Dive into the intricate operations of a major airport, experiencing the drama, suspense, and unexpected challenges faced by its staff during a severe snowstorm.
Key points
01The Gathering Storm
The tempestuous winter storm was a relentless beast, its icy claws tearing into the heart of Lincoln International Airport. At the helm of this besieged fortress was Mel Bakersfeld, the general manager, a man as weathered as the storm itself. His eyes, hardened by years of crisis management, were now fixed on the runway where an airliner lay stuck, a stubborn mule refusing to budge. The blocked runway was a ticking time bomb, threatening to explode the airport's operations, its reputation, and its financial stability into a million irretrievable pieces. While the storm outside raged, another storm brewed within the confines of the airport. A local homeowner, a thorn in Mel's side, was waging a war against the airport's noise pollution. His protests were as relentless as the winter storm, his legal threats a constant buzzing in Mel's ear, distracting him from the crisis at hand. Parallel to the professional chaos, Mel's personal life was a battlefield. His marriage to Cindy, a woman whose status-conscious nature was as sharp as her tongue, was teetering on the edge of a precipice. Cindy's frustration with Mel's unwavering dedication to his job, which left her in a perpetual state of loneliness, had strained their relationship to its breaking point. Her extramarital affairs were the final nails in the coffin, each one driving a deeper wedge between them. In the eye of this storm stood another Bakersfeld. Keith, Mel's brother, was an air traffic controller, a man haunted by the ghosts of a past air crash. The incident, a black mark on his conscience, had resulted in numerous fatalities, the weight of which bore heavily on his shoulders. His guilt was a constant companion, a specter that loomed over him as he navigated the labyrinth of air traffic during the storm. Each decision was a battle against his own demons, a test of his resolve. As the storm continued its relentless assault on the airport, the Bakersfeld brothers found themselves in the crucible. The future of the airport and their own lives hung precariously in the balance, creating a tension that was as palpable as the storm outside. The brothers, each battling their own tempests, had to confront their challenges head-on, their resilience tested against the backdrop of the raging storm.
02Turbulence Ahead
As the tempest outside the aircraft swelled, so too did the internal tempests within the hearts of those aboard Flight Two, bound for Rome. At the helm was Vernon Demerest, a man whose arrogance was as vast as the skies he commanded. His domineering nature often sparked friction with his crew and passengers, casting a palpable tension throughout the cabin. His personal life was a mirror of his professional one, fraught with turbulence and clandestine affairs. His current entanglement was with Gwen Meighen, a stewardess whose beauty was only surpassed by her resilience. Their relationship, once shrouded in secrecy, was now a ticking time bomb. Gwen, with a trembling voice and a brave heart, had revealed her pregnancy. This revelation added a new layer of complexity to their already strained relationship. The implications of their actions hung heavily between them, a silent conversation that neither was ready to have. In the midst of this unfolding drama, an unexpected ray of sunshine emerged in the form of Ada Quonsett. Ada, an elderly woman with a twinkle in her eye and a sharp wit, had managed to stow away on the flight. Her presence, initially a thorn in the side of the crew, gradually became a beacon of hope and humanity. Her humorous antics and sage observations about life served as a welcome distraction from the mounting tension. Ada, with her infectious laughter and zest for life, was the silver lining in the stormy clouds that surrounded them. As the flight continued its journey, the storm outside grew fiercer, mirroring the escalating personal crises within the aircraft. The storm, much like their personal issues, was a formidable adversary that they had to face and conquer. The characters found themselves navigating through their personal turbulence, even as they battled the literal turbulence caused by the storm. The storm, in many ways, was a metaphor for the personal storms brewing within their lives. Each character, in their own way, was battling their own storm. Vernon, with his arrogance and domineering nature, was grappling with the consequences of his actions. Gwen, with her unexpected pregnancy, was facing the reality of her situation. And Ada, with her sharp wit and zest for life, was a beacon of hope in the midst of the storm. As the storm outside raged on, so too did the storms within their hearts. But in the end, they would have to confront their storms, both literal and metaphorical, and find a way to navigate through the turbulence.
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03The Bomb Threat
04Mid-Air Crisis
05The Final Descent
06Aftermath
07Conclusion
About Arthur Hailey
Arthur Hailey was a British-Canadian novelist known for his suspenseful, meticulously researched novels about various industries, such as aviation, medicine, and politics. His best-known works include "Airport," "Hotel," and "The Moneychangers." He was born in 1920 and died in 2004.