ABSTRACT
Airports around the world move millions of people and tons of luggage and commodities a day, a stream of motion from to there, ’round-the-clock action that is powered by everyday men and women doing their jobs in an industry undergoing widespread and serious change. The introduction of electronic ticketing in the airports of industrialized countries, for example, is a change meant to virtually eliminate the need for check-in agents, other than the few required to help passengers who are unable to use the electronic apparatus. The media have focused on airport security workers’ and flight attendants’ potentiality for preventing disruptive or dangerous passengers from boarding airplanes. The airports that participated in the study were chosen for their size, location, and the degree of mechanization of their baggage-handling systems. The jobs performed by computer clerical workers, supermarket check-out workers, and airport check-in workers are similar to those of continuous flow on a meatpacking assembly line or an automobile assembly conveyor.
