Directed and written by George Seaton in 1970 based on Arthur Hailey's 1968 novel of the same name, this American aviation disaster drama delves into the operations at an airport in Chicago.
Burt Lancaster plays the airport manager who tries to keep his airport open during a snowstorm while a suicidal bomber plots to blow up a Boeing 707 airliner in flight.
Although the first half seems slow-paced, the second half becomes quite intense.
Intertwined with personal stories while decisions are made minute-by-minute by the airport and airline staffs, the action-and-suspense-packed drama would make you sit on the edge of your seat from the middle to the end.
It originated the 1970s disaster film genre.

If nothing else - 1970's "Airport" is the one and only film that can proudly boast as being the original "disaster movie" trend-setter which (believe it, or not) spawned several sequels and a literal host of copy-cat productions, as well.

Filmed on a sizable budget of $10 million - "Airport" actually earned back more than $100 million within its first year of release, making it one of the highest grossing films of all time.

At a running time of 2 hours & 20 minutes - I have to say that this film (featuring a big-name cast) really did lay it on a bit too thick when it came to all of the personal dramas that were being so recklessly juggled about in its soap opera storyline.

Anyway - When seriously considering Airport's expensive budget costs - I did find this film to be a decidedly cheap thrill-ride, in the long run.

Part of the wave of 70s disaster movies: "The Towering Inferno," "The Poseidon Adventure," "Earthquake," "Meteor." Famously parodied in "Airplane!"

One of the first of the great disaster movies, and stands up reasonably well over time.