Bookshelf - Air Travel 1

No Frills: The Truth Behind The Low-Cost Revolution In The Skies
Simon Calder
2002
Virgin Books, London
ISBN 1 85227 932 X (hb)
£16.99 (hb)
Paperbook edition available

Despite the specific title, this is one of the most useful books about air travel over the last few decades. Simon Calder is the Travel Editor of the Independent newspaper in the UK, making a point in his travelling as a journalist never to accept freebies from operators. His style is crisp and readable, though sometimes so concise that it takes a couple of re-readings to get his exact meaning clearly. This is not an academic text book but has solid information built up from years observing the industry, and is essential reading for anyone wanting to understand just what is happening in the industry - and why - and where it is going.



Naked Airport: A Cultural History Of The World's Most Revolutionary Structure
Alastair Gordon
2004
Metropolitan Books, New York
ISBN 0 8050 6518 0 (hb)
$27.50 (hb)

You might want to quibble with Gordon's referring to the airport as a single structure and the claim that it is the most revolutionary. It demands cries of 'what about railway stations - religious buildings - what about the wheel?'. Leaving that to one side, this is a fascinating and revealing book about the evolution of airports. The examples of very largely American, but it is undeniable how influential those have been. Understanding the lure, acceptance and growth of air travel is made much clearer by following how thinking about airport designs has changed. New York's La Guardia was originally to be a combined flying boat and land aircraft base: there were designs for virtually assembly-line style servicing. If you want to know the future, read about the past, said someone. Then we know where we're going - by plane.