The cast of characters in Airport has been assembled to facilitate a multilayered examination of how an airport functions and to appeal to a broad audience. The characters thus include representatives of various levels of airport personnel and management and come from several social classes. In typical Hailey fashion, these characters are seen primarily from the outside with little space given over to their introspection and, for the most part, they are locked into stereotypical roles.

The heroes are the airport manager Mel Bakersfeld and the senior pilot Vernon Demerest who during the course of the novel prove their moral, ethical, and physical superiority. The role of villain is played by D. O. Guer rero, a born loser turned psychotic who intends to blow up a plane bound for Rome. Tanya Livingston and Gwen Meighen, respectively the girlfriends of the manager and the pilot, provide sentimental interest and...