A New York Times bestseller

For millions of people, travel by air is a confounding, uncomfortable, and even fearful experience. Patrick Smith, airline pilot and author of the web's popular Ask the Pilot feature, separates the fact from fallacy and tells you everything you need to know...

How planes fly, and a revealing look at the men and women who fly them

Straight talk on turbulence, pilot training, and safety

The real story on congestion, delays, and the dysfunction of the modern airport

The myths and misconceptions of cabin air and cockpit automation

Terrorism in perspective, and a provocative look at security

Airfares, seating woes, and the pitfalls of airline customer service

The colors and cultures of the airlines we love to hate

Cockpit Confidential covers not only the nuts and bolts of flying, but also the grand theater of air travel, from airport architecture to inflight service to the excitement of travel abroad. It's a thoughtful, funny, at times deeply personal look into the strange and misunderstood world of commercial flying.

It's the ideal book for frequent flyers, nervous passengers, and global travelers.

Refreshed and vastly expanded from the original Ask the Pilot, with approximately 75 percent new material.