Alain de Botton writer in residence at Heathrow Terminal 5
Alain de Botton writer in residence at Heathrow Terminal 5
Alain de Botton is Heathrow's new writer in residence. The writer is nearing the end of his week at the airport's Terminal 5.
The popular philosophical commentator is spending a week at Heathrow and recording his observations in writing, reports The Times. The airport will then print the finished book and hand out 10,000 free copies to passengers.
The book will not omit negative experiences, with de Botton using what he terms "the cockroach test". "If I see a cockroach coming out of Gordon Ramsey [the chef's restaurant at Terminal 5] then I'm allowed to write about it," said de Botton. "No lawyers are allowed to vet it."
Heathrow is an "incredibly paranoid place", according to de Botton. "It's brave of them to have me, but it's better for them to have a book that tells the truth than a glossy brochure that people will just throw away."
British Airways (BA) staff are said to have visited him, offering behind the scenes gossip. He is also allowed to enter normally restricted areas: "They have agreed to let me go wherever I want. I've given them a whole list of unrealistic demands." Such requests include standing on the area of the runway where the planes actually land, which the airport has agreed to: "They are going to take me out there at night when the planes have stopped."
One of the subjects that most intrigues de Botton is people themselves. "If you want to people watch, no one notices you doing it here. You can sidle up to people and they're so distracted by their surroundings that they don't notice. You could take your clothes off and no one would care."
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