Simon Calder was born in a house beside the A23 just south of Gatwick airport, almost within the sound of the public address announcements at Britain's biggest holiday airport. His career in aviation began at Gatwick, as a cleaner at British Airways' offices, and on Laker Airways' planes. He later worked in security at the airport. It was during the downtime between flights that he started writing his first travel guidebook, Hitch-hikers' Manual: Britain. Later, he worked on audio programming for British Airways and Cathay Pacific. Calder has been travel editor of the Independent since 1994, and in 1996 started working as a presenter for The Travel Show on BBC2. He currently reports for BBC Radio 4, BBC1's Heaven and Earth Show and the Travel Channel. His experience at the sharp end of travel helped him earn the plaudit of Britain's leading investigative travel journalist.

In this book, Simon Calder sets out to show that a delay can actually enhance your holiday. His respect within the aviation industry, and first-class contacts, have provided him with unprecedented access to the personalities behind the most exciting part of the world's most dynamic industry.