Holiday Travel
Photos and Writing by Katherine Barner
Traveling during the holidays is always seen as stressful. Millions of people trying to get from one place to the other. Flying especially has the connotation of being hectic. Missed flights, cancelations, and lost luggage are all events that can ruin a day of travel. While that is true, not many people look at the benefits of flying. We tend to look over the architecture and aesthetic of airports. They are full of modern, clean lines and crisp colors. They give people the opportunity to think about life, finish a project, and even meet someone new. Airports not only offer an array of coffee, food, and magazines, but also offer millions of stories. We all talk to the person we sit next to on the plane, but how many of us ask what their name is?
Three hours before flight 54582 takes off. Only ten people are at the gate. One man was a UCLA Football alum who was visiting friends in Spokane and traveling back home to the rest of his family.
The best part about flying is the bird�s eye view. Watching the San Francisco city lights from above is tranquil and reminds people just how large cities are, but also just how small they are.
The Oakland airport is extensive. It takes 15 minutes to walk from gate 30 to gate 6. Multiple people ran by, suggesting they were going to miss their next flight. To make the holiday travel season even better the moving walk way in one direction was broken.
A few dozen people who you shared the last hour with in the sky stand in the Ontario airport waiting for their bags.
One women was particularly nervous her bag did not make it from her previous flight.
After the holiday is over, everyone must head back to where they came from. Thousands of cars sit at the airport waiting for their owners to come back from holiday.
At 6 a.m. in the morning the parking lot is calm and relaxing.
From the outside the airport looked calm, but the line for TSA was almost out the door.
Planes sit waiting to carry the people and stories back to their respected homes.
Off and away everyone goes.