Maps of Movies

Up in the Air (2009)

Where Up in the Air says it takes place, and where it was really shot.

Shot in five cities, set in twenty: the airport that is not the airport, and the office that is a set

Scenes and places

Ryan meets Alex at an airport hotel bar

Ryan, who lives out of airports and hotels, meets Alex Goran, a businesswoman as devoted to elite status as he is. They trade card upgrades and boast about their numbers, and end up agreeing to meet in whatever city their schedules cross.

Set in Airport hotel bar, Dallas — A hotel bar where two frequent flyers compare loyalty cards.

A hotel bar in an airport district, the kind of place the film treats as home.

Ryan is recalled to the Omaha office

Ryan is called back to headquarters, where new hire Natalie pitches firing people by video link to save travel costs. Ryan, whose whole life is the road, sees his job under threat and is told to take her along to learn it.

Set in Company office, Omaha — The Omaha office of the firm that lends Ryan out to fire people.

A mid-size city that stands in the film for the American office park.

Filmed at Old Market, Omaha (visitor's bureau and a condo) — Some Omaha scenes were shot in the Visitor's Bureau and a condo in the Old Market area; the office itself is reported as a set in an empty St. Louis building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Ryan teaches Natalie to beat airport security

Ryan shows Natalie how he moves through an airport: pack light, pick the line by who is in it, wear slip-on shoes. She thinks his shortcuts are stereotypes, and the first crack in their teacher-student act appears.

Set in Eppley Airfield, Omaha — The security line where Ryan coaches Natalie on how to travel light. Google Maps · Apple Maps

The main passenger airport of Nebraska's largest city.

Filmed at Eppley Airfield, south end of the main terminal — Filmed at the south end of the main terminal, with about 250 Omaha extras. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

The cardboard-cutout photos at the airport

Ryan takes a series of photos of cardboard faces of his sister and her fiance in front of airports, placing them where they have never been. The scene shows how he treats family as another stop on the route.

Set in St. Louis Lambert Airport — Ryan photographs a cardboard picture of his sister and her fiance in front of an airport. Google Maps · Apple Maps

A historic airport whose domed main terminal was an early model for airport design.

Filmed at St. Louis Lambert International Airport, Concourses C and D — The film shot here for five days, twenty hours each day, and used the airport to stand in for several US airports. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Julie's wedding

Ryan brings Alex to the wedding of his estranged family. When the groom Jim gets cold feet, Ryan's older sister asks him to step in, and he uses his own motivational skills to persuade Jim to go ahead.

Set in Wedding, Wisconsin — Ryan's sister Julie marries and the groom gets cold feet.

A small-town church wedding in the Midwest.

Ryan shows up at Alex's door

After walking off a stage in Las Vegas, Ryan flies to Chicago to surprise Alex. At her front door he learns she has a family at home, and his idea of a relationship without ties is overturned.

Set in Alex's house, Chicago — Ryan arrives unannounced at Alex's home.

A large Midwestern city and the home of Alex in the story.

Filmed at Detroit Metro Airport, Berry and McNamara Terminals — Airport scenes (which scene is not stated) Google Maps · Apple Maps

Filmed at Renaissance Grand Hotel (now Marriott St. Louis Grand), St. Louis — Hotel scenes (which scene is not stated) Google Maps · Apple Maps

Filmed at Affton High School, St. Louis — Scene not stated Google Maps · Apple Maps

Characters

• Ryan Bingham — A corporate downsizing consultant who lives on planes and chases ten million frequent-flyer miles.
• Alex Goran — A fellow frequent flyer whose casual relationship with Ryan starts in an airport hotel bar.
• Natalie Keener — An ambitious new hire who wants to fire people by video link.

Questions answered on the map

• Where did Ryan teach Natalie to beat airport security in Up in the Air?