The age of cheaper air travel might be defined as breakfast in London, lunch in New York, dinner in Tokyo...and your baggage in Dusseldorf.
Cynicism aside, the amount of flights criss-crossing the Earth each day is astonishing.
This ultimate in-flight movie (above) claims to represent a typical 24-hours in the skies with each little yellow light representing one flight.
Be guided also by the night shadow passing across the globe.
It's a fascinating attempt, apparently from the University of Zurich's School of Engineering, to depict daily patterns of air travel...and a reminder that, if you ask an air traffic controller about what kind of day they've had, it's reasonable to worry if they reply, "I'm so tired. I've far too much on my plate these days."
It's a timely film too. Air travel is rarely out of the news, whether it's about aircraft emissions, airport expansions, striking British Airways flight crews or the Boeing 787 Dreamliner's maiden flight.
However, forget the headlines for a moment.
Just click on the play arrow and enjoy setting in motion a world in flight.
Thanks to Dave for kindly forwarding the movie.
Paul Coleman, London, December 2009
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