What’s That About?: “The Airport”
Fri., Aug. 11 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT

Examine the inner working of three airports with a common mission – moving travellers to their destinations safely and without delays. It’s a delicate balance and a massive challenge filled with daily hurdles, from snow on the runway and too many flights vying for landing rights, to high security risks and fire on the runway. At Montreal’s Trudeau International, amidst the snow and ice, veteran air traffic controller Bill Smith is on a mission to get his flights on the ground safely and get those held up in the taxi queue to take-off with no further delays. Outside Pearson International, ground traffic maintenance manager, Paul Schenk, has declared that closing Pearson – even in the worst weather – is not an option, so Todd Browne and his 11-strong corps of snow removing machines face a dangerous storm head on. And outside Hartsfield International in Atlanta, engineers Franklin Rucker and Frank Hayes are striving to solve their traffic overflow problem – by building a new runway over top of a 10-lane highway! Also, see how an army of workers, toiling away in airport areas few ever see, are driven to keep millions of people and their luggage moving safely to their destinations.

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