every second of every day an average of five airplanes are taking off or landing somewhere in the united states  every day our airlines fly only average a distance equal to bore round unfair cargo aircraft annually carry a half billion pounds of freight in and out of one large airport there are going to be continually more passengers the last injures are going to fly more miles and they are going to fly them faster for the airlines to set up fast schedules and then make them require is more than the wrong speed at the jet for you to have breakfast in new york and then be in los angeles in time for a second  involves a lot more than the flying time from coast to coast that is the reason for all the changes into syllabi equipment and techniques you are always seeing at airports and by the constant improvements being made behind the scenes that you don't see but from which you benefit as  the modern air terminal is designed for passenger convenience with services available that help make air travel an integral part of the life of a nation  this is a credit card call credit card number two three t early so i'll be home at five o'clock instead of seven thirty flight to japan at five o'clock your son would like to talk to you in this fast moving world we're living in the telephone is a part of the immediate direct and personal communications required in the  of these communications take place behind the scenes it starts with when you ask about reservations your call may be to a centralized reservations office which serves many cities or it goes to the first available agent in the order in which it is received for example in making a reservation you could dial a local airline reservations number in washington d c but telephone equipment would automatically switch your call to the airlines reservation center such as this one in charlotte north carolina here the agent has immediate access to all required information and can make your as a patients immediately or you may dial a local number in your city talk to an agent in a local takeout office and that agent will check with his airline's reservations center which may be from a few miles to the length of the continental way telephones and telephone lines play an important part in making airline reservations the airlines use high speed computers to keep a record of future reservations your call or somebody one of ten thousand to come into our reservation center that date but the combination of computers and high speed communications with give you an immediate answer another message if you were to stop in to a ticket office for flight information say to chicago or new york or even around the world the agent would put your request for a reservation into a console which transmits it over the telephone lines to a centralized office within a second the answer comes back if you booked the flight the agent puts that data into the console for transmission to the reservation center for relay to the computer other reservation agents across the country now have this information available passengers board the plane only a few minutes before takeoff but long before the preparations for the flight  operations equipment scheduling maintenance crew scheduling ground operations and reservations are directed need information to schedule fuel on for a flight to tend to los angeles what's the payload look good for the flight the passenger manifest comes in from reservation then immediately after takeoff the passenger total will be teletype to all downline airports the number of meals that are put on board is determined from the  flight captain has checked with the dispatcher and now looks over the weather reports and tried on route he is now preparing his flight plan which will be forwarded by teletype to the federal aviation agency air room traffic control cent direct communications are used for last minute changes we will need for extra meals one of those be a salt free diet the takeoff is being monitored in the tower by radar departure traffic control of the federal aviation agency which are united flight to one's ear or off the ground at three zero five roger united to ten great our contact traffic at three o'clock two miles east bound traffic ten o'clock southbound four months over radar departure traffic control now give united flight one zero current provision heading to take altitude assignment and reporting instructions continue on course prime to flight level three nine thousand reports having to read what airlines could not operate as they do without the many means of communications much of which are supplied by the telephone company large airport requires its own communications center to handle the behind the scenes activity this central office is large enough to serve a community of thirty five thousand here it handles a communications mix up teletype writer's high speed data lines radio lines television direct lines and of course thousands of regular telephone switching equipment provides the instant communications needed by airlines and airport direct communications continue while the plane is in flight air route traffic control centers continually follow the aircraft on radar scopes throughout its entire flight passing control from one sector to another in this way all traffic is kept under surveillance at all times like two tame contact denver summer frequency one three three point five or roger united two one zero changing at denver center one three three point five the f a a controller keeps aircraft separated by time distance and altitude in addition to direct and continuous contact with the controllers by radio a pilot receives reports at regular intervals from the weather bureau and also can talk directly to pilots about other aircraft in the area each flight also maintains voice contact through airing an airline's own communications organizations for an operator receives the message by radio and then puts it on a teletype connected with the airline dispatcher office information is entered on a flight progress chart then put into a computer where it is available for reservations and information agency throughout the airline system a connection can be made for direct communication between the aircraft and the communications are the result of specific requirements by air travel communications air traffic is increasing airports keep right on building and adding runways as well as l may hold on the ground in miami for conditions to clear at its destination in houston this is possible because of the speed of the jets and because communications are immediate and when you fly there's a lot of songs by a lot of people about your trip when you make a reservation you are provided with immediate information as to the status of your flight as a passenger it's just a matter of  pie and enjoying the trip while in the air your aircraft is in constant touch with many sources of information this is all because along with your reservation you also reserve the benefits of modern ins and i love it have a date for dinner tonight was fine for you but my wife is going to pick me up and i told her this plane wouldn't be here for almost thirty minutes yet she may surprise you would be the first time