England - London - Airline staff smoke behind a screen at Heathrow Airport

The legs of anonymous airline employees are seen from below a smoking screen that obscures their faces outside Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5 building. In afternoon sunshine, the women wear their airline uniforms and are sharing an off-duty puff on their cigarettes as part of their working shift at this international aviation hub. Without seeing their upper-bodies, we imagine their conversation and gossip. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).

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Filename: heathrow_airport1058-11-08-2009.jpg
Copyright: © Richard Baker. No copying, screen grabbing, transmission or publication without permission.
Image Size: 5315x3543 / 2.5MB; www.photoshelter.com/support/license; https://www.bakerpictures.com/contact; Heathrow airport GB British English Europe EU Great Britain England UK London aviation crew terminal 5 five T5 smoking social outdoors outside screen gossip staff habit obscured hidden unrecognisable unseen generic anonymous females ladies women standing cigarettes landside air travel airline shift duty travel people LHR conversation heels footwear uniform off-duty smoke smoker smoking choice inhale indulgence gratification dedicated public like bliss pleasure
Contained in galleries: Street Pictures (large edit), A Week at the Airport (book images), Urban

The legs of anonymous airline employees are seen from below a smoking screen that obscures their faces outside Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5 building. In afternoon sunshine, the women wear their airline uniforms and are sharing an off-duty puff on their cigarettes as part of their working shift at this international aviation hub. Without seeing their upper-bodies, we imagine their conversation and gossip. From writer Alain de Botton's book project "A Week at the Airport: A Heathrow Diary" (2009).