ABSTRACT
Flying is one of humankind’s oldest dreams. In the beginning of ‘the age of flying’ it fulfilled a dream so long held by scientists, philosophers, artists and poets. In the 1950s and 1960s flying was associated with glossiness and luxury (Blatner 2003: 87). But today flying is a fundamental element in economic and cultural globalization (Graham 1995). There are four million air passengers each day, 1.6 billion air journeys each year, and at any time there are 300,000 passengers in flight above the USA (Urry 2003a: 157). Within the EU alone, the total number of passengers transported by air rose to more than 700 million in 2005 (European Commission 2007). National statistics show that air traffic between Denmark and foreign countries increased markedly within the past decade in both flights and passengers. The number of passengers on international flights has increased by 76 per cent and international take-offs and landings by 98 per cent between 1990 and 2006 (Danmarks Statistik 2006).
