Flight Attendants for your Coffee Table

Flying the friendly skies, Brian Finke began photographing flight attendants as he crisscrossed the country on Delta, JetBlue, Hawaiian, Hooters Air, Southwest, and Song airlines, before going abroad on Air France, Qantas, and British Airways. In London, he visited a flight attendant school, complete with emergency rafts and billowing smoke. Continuing east, Finke traveled Air Asia, Thai, Tiger, ANA, Japan, and Cathay Pacific. For the grand finale of his two-year trip, Finke traveled the illustrious Icelandair.

The result is Flight Attendants, a vibrant document of those adventurous souls who choose to work at 40,000 feet. Shot before, during, and after trips, at school and at home, Finke’s photographs capture the allure of this high-flying profession alongside the more quiet moments of the attendants’ daily lives. As in his previous collection of cheerleaders and football players, 2-4-6-8, Finke is drawn to the distinctive dynamics of team formation, focusing on uniformed individuals executing practiced actions—whether on the playing field or in the air. With an eye for the iconic as well as the absurd, Finke seamlessly blends the glamorous with the casual, offering a memorable look at the men and women of air travel. Available from Amazon

An Invitation to 'Step Back From The Baggage Claim'

How about starting off the New Year with a wonderfully inspiring book titled, Step Back From The Baggage Claim? In this book, author Jason Barger uses different points in a journey, including the dreaded baggage claim, to highlight the inconsiderate behaviors and actions of passengers in airports throughout the country. He then uses these situations as reflection points to achieve greater self-awareness and then ultimately challenges readers to step back from the "metaphorical baggage claim in life."

In one example, Barger humorously writes about the human wall surrounding baggage claim; "Their knees are bent in an athletic stance, ready to pounce on the first bag that dares to look even slightly similar to their own. They do not budge an inch until they get their bags from the spot they earned." Meanwhile others resort to peeking through cracks in the "human wall of entitlement" in a frantic search for their bags lying on the conveyor belt.

What can we learn from this?

Even while the collective conscious around baggage claim may be anxious, frustrated and tired, there is an opportunity to step back and recognize the needs of others. Maybe it's the Mom with two kids running around who needs a bit of help pulling her bag off the conveyor belt. Or a couple just arriving on their honeymoon who just want to get away. Yield to others, help others, be the person in the crowd who takes a step back from baggage claim. It might even become contagious and inspire others to do the same.

Although the airport is a playground of opportunity to carry out these acts of kindness, it is just a starting point. Throughout the book, Barger provides examples on how people, in their everyday lives, have the capacity to step back from the baggage claim and change the world; it all starts at the airport.

Two thumbs up to this enjoyable read!

Visit www.stepbackfromthebaggageclaim.com for more information or to order a copy of this book. While there, read how the author spent seven straight days in airports throughout the United States and conducting roughly 10,000 minutes of observations of people's behaviors.

(Special thanks to Jason Barger for providing a copy of this book for review)