When San Francisco law firm operations director Jeffrey Lais was due for a well-earned vacation, he booked himself a first-class ticket to Munich on Lufthansa. Once aboard the German carrier’s A346, he was led to his first-class suite, where a spacious leather seat and ottoman ran the length of four airplane windows and various compartments overflowed with noise-canceling headphones, menus, pajamas and slippers.

Slideshow: See the high-flying luxury of first-class

After a dinner of caviar, prawn confit, duck breast and an assortment of French cheeses, a flight attendant converted Lais’s seat into a mattress-topped flatbed — complete with duvet and giant pillows — and showed him how to seal his seat from view with a privacy screen for the rest of the 12-hour flight.

There’s no doubt about it, first class makes travel better.

As airlines stave off bankruptcy by cutting amenities and services to their economy classes, there seems to be a shield around the almighty first class. According to the International Air Transport Association, this is because upper-class passengers, although a small minority among international air travelers, account for almost a third of airline revenues. It’s not surprising, then, that recent reports show that cabin modifications, especially those that favor upper-class travelers, are the fastest-growing segment of the airline MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) industry.

“In order to stay competitive, airlines need to keep pace with the rapidly changing demands of corporate travelers,” says Nigel Page, Emirates’ vice president of commercial operations. “That’s why we consistently invest in refining and enhancing our first-class product.” The Dubai-based carrier delivers on its promise — thus far, it’s the only airline to offer showers for first-class passengers aboard its fleet of 21 A380 jets.

And in-flight showers aren’t the only perks offered to today’s first-class travelers. Swiss’ new first class, launched in 2009, offers a spacious executive desk for one that converts to a comfortable dining table for two (for those who want dinner company); Lufthansa added cabin humidifiers, and trumped the seat-to-flatbed race by adding both a flatbed and a chair to each first-class suite on their 747s.

Of course, no matter how opulent the cabins get, the best part of first-class flying may be off the plane. Says Lais, whose personal Lufthansa escort expedited his passage through airport security and passport control, “As much as the free-flowing caviar and throne-like seat add to the exclusivity of first class, it’s the level of on-the-ground attention that makes all the difference.”

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The world's busiest passenger airport is getting bigger.

On Wednesday, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport opens the new $1.4 billion Maynard H. Jackson Jr. International Terminal, named in honor of the city’s first black mayor.

“The opening of the international terminal is huge for Atlanta,” said the airport's Aviation General Manager Louis Miller. “It gives international passengers their own terminal with its own entrance, it ends the baggage recheck process for Atlanta–bound passengers, and it enhances the airport’s overall capacity now and for the future.”

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The opening of Atlanta airport’s new terminal comes on the heels of some other high-profile — and pricey — terminal openings in 2011, most notably San Francisco International Airport’s $388 million renovated Terminal 2 in April and Sacramento International Airport’s $1 billion new terminal in October.

 

The airport upgrades don’t stop there. Here are six more projects you may spy next time you fly:

Las Vegas
On June 27, McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas will open “T3,” a new high-tech, $2.4 billion terminal that will serve both international and domestic flights.

“Our plans for T3 include self-boarding podiums at all 14 gates, self-service kiosks equipped for customers to print and affix their own baggage tags, and a robust [free] wireless Internet system that will extend out to the ramp and allow customers to log on whether they’re inside the terminal or aboard an aircraft parked at the gate,” said Randall H. Walker, director for the Clark County Department of Aviation.

Miami
This summer, Miami International Airport will open a $180 million federal inspection area at the North Terminal that is twice the size of the existing Concourse E facility. In early 2013, the airport hopes to have the entire multibillion dollar North Terminal project completed. “What remains to be opened are three passenger gates and five of the 10 baggage claim carousels in the international arrivals area,” said Greg Chin, communications director for the Miami-Dade County Aviation Department.

A new AirportLink Metrorail extension that will speed connections to downtown Miami is being built for $506 million.

San Diego
San Diego International Airport is halfway through a $1 billion sustainable “Green Build” expansion of its Terminal 2 that is scheduled to be completed in August 2013.

“When complete, Terminal 2 will have 10 new gates, a dual-level roadway to separate arriving and departing passengers, a large, bright concessions core and the largest airport USO in the world,” said Katie Jones, spokesperson for the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority.

Los Angeles
Los Angeles International Airport is building a $1.5 billion Tom Bradley International Terminal, which will include new concourse areas and gates that will be able to accommodate the superjumbo Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner airplanes. Renovations and upgrades are also underway throughout the rest of the airport.

New York
And in New York, Delta Air Lines is spending more than $160 million to renovate Terminals C and D at LaGuardia Airport and more than $1.2 billion on John F. Kennedy International Airport's Terminal 4. The LaGuardia project may be completed by the end of 2013; the JFK project, by spring 2013.

That's a lot of airport-upgrade activity at a time when the economy remains skittish, fuel prices are still sky-high and airlines continue to scale back schedules.

“Airports are investing in modern infrastructure to ensure that their communities, and the companies in them, can successfully compete in an increasingly global economy,” said Greg Principato, president of Airports Council International -North America, an airport membership organization. “These facilities are an investment in our economic future.” 

What's your favorite airport? Your least favorite? Tell us about it on Facebook.

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If you're not lucky enough to fly on one of the few domestic carriers with seat–back entertainment (I'm looking at you, JetBlue!), in–flight entertainment can be a bummer.

Look for a Digiboo kiosk in an airport near you.

You've probably heard of Redbox, the service that allows you to rent DVDs from a kiosk and pay by the day. The system has become a hit among savvy travelers for its rent -- and -- return anywhere policy: simply rent a DVD from one location, watch the movie on the plane, and return it to any kiosk wherever you land with no additional fee. But what if you forget to stop by a Redbox on the way to the airport? Or what if your destination has no kiosks? Or what if you forget your DVD in the bottom of your carry–on and accumulate $100 in late fees? (Hey, it could happen!)

Digiboo, which launched in March, has come up with a solution: what if you didn't have to worry about disks at all? Instead, the service allows you to download a film file to a USB flash drive at airport kiosks and then put it directly on your laptop's hard drive.

The touchscreen kiosks are currently available in three domestic airports (Minneapolis–St. Paul, Portland and Seattle–Tacoma) with plans to expand. Digiboo features 700 titles, which you can rent for $3.99 for 48 hours (after that, the file no longer works) or buy for $14.99. And unlike iTunes movie downloads, which can often take surprisingly long to finish, especially on slow airport Wi-Fi, the download speed should be manageable for even the most in–a–rush traveler — 30 seconds for newer flash drives and up to five minutes on older ones.

The service is not without its kinks. Currently, the downloads are not compatible with Apple products, and videos are not HD. In addition, USB devices must be registered on their website before you can use them. But the company has stated there will be many updates in the coming months.

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New technology and an old debate over whether to allow air travelers to make cell phone calls on flights prompted some mid-air tension on a recent Delta Air Lines flight.

It ended with Talmon Marco -- the founder and CEO of Viber, a smartphone app that allows customers to make calls using voice over IP (VoIP) – being escorted off a jet late Tuesday.

Marco, 39, was en route from New Orleans to New York when he decided to call an associate using the airline’s in-flight Wi-Fi and the very app offered by his company.

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He was approached by a flight attendant and told he needed to turn off his phone, Marco recalled in a phone conversation with msnbc.com. He ended the call right away and then explained that his phone was in fact switched to in-flight mode. He told the flight attendant he made the call using the Wi-Fi service with the VoIP application.

The flight attendant told Marco that the FAA forbids the use of these applications, he said.

“She said this was a flight safety issue. That makes absolutely no sense because there’s no difference between using Skype, Viber or watching a movie on YouTube,” Marco said.

Indeed, FAA notes that airlines block the use of in-flight calling using Skype and similar applications not because of an FAA restriction, but because the carriers are “simply responding to the overwhelming majority of their customers, who prefer silent communications to the public nature of Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) calls.”

In other words, many passengers don’t want to be trapped next to someone talking on a cell phone.

Back on the Delta flight, another crew member joined the discussion and acknowledged it was not an FAA issue but rather a violation of the terms of service with Gogo, the provider of the in-flight Wi-Fi, Marco told msnbc.com. When he continued to engage the flight attendants on the issue, they told him he was being difficult.

“They handed me a brochure by Delta that says you are being disobedient or something like that and when I took a picture of this, they said, OK, now we’re going to call the cops on you,” Marco said.

“I wasn’t rude, I wasn’t loud, I wasn’t combative or noisy. I wasn’t hitting anybody. I was just your average passenger.”

When the plane landed at LaGuardia, two Port Authority police officers escorted Marco off the plane, he said. But when he explained what happened, they told him they didn’t have an issue with what he did and released him, Marco recalled.

He now wants an apology from Delta. He says that if carriers don’t want passengers talking on the phone – even if it doesn’t pose a danger to the flight -- they should make that clear and explain the reasons. Marco personally doesn’t have an issue with somebody talking next to him on a cell phone if they’re not loud, he said.

In response to the incident, Delta said that the use of any voice application, such as a Web-based VoIP service, is prohibited by Gogo’s terms of service.

“Delta fully supports a ban on cell phone voice transmissions. We are not, however, opponents of in-flight data transmissions (i.e. text and e-mail messages) provided they do not interfere with flight deck navigational equipment,” Delta spokeswoman Leslie Parker wrote in an e-mail.

Meanwhile, you can bet some passengers will always ignore the rules regarding gadgets on flights.

A new Airfarewatchdog.com poll of more than 1,200 people found almost a quarter, or 24 percent, of air travelers don’t always comply when asked to turn off their electronic devices before take off.

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US Airways has joined other major U.S. carriers by offering non-elite frequent flyers access to priority travel services for a fee.

The "PreferredAccess" option is now available for purchase when customers check in online. The access upgrade offers fast-track check-in, security lanes and boarding, where available.

Elite members of Dividend Miles, US Airways' frequent flyer program, receive the same benefits for free.

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"We know that our customers' time is important to them and are happy to offer a service that helps them get on their flight more quickly," said Andrew Nocella, US Airways' senior vice president of marketing and planning in a news release. "PreferredAccess allows customers to experience a more convenient airport experience, be seated on the plane faster and have greater access to overhead bin space, similar to our Preferred members."

Prices for PreferredAccess start at $10 per passenger, per one-way direction of travel. Similar programs at American, Delta and United start at $9 per passenger.

Specifically, customers who purchase the option will receive:

• Priority Check-in — Dedicated lanes at airport ticket counters for service and checked bags.
• Priority Security Lane Access — Dedicated airport security checkpoint lanes, where available.  
• Priority Boarding — Zone 1 boarding, after Envoy, first class and Dividend Miles Preferred members, at all airports and dedicated boarding lanes, where available. Currently, US Airways offers PreferredAccess boarding lanes at most gates in 21 cities. Cities that currently offer separate boarding lanes for elites and customers who purchase PreferredAccess are: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Frankfurt (Germany), Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York (LaGuardia), Newark, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico), Tampa and Washington, D.C. (Reagan National Airport).

US Airways plans to expand dual-lane boarding to an additional 39 cities by the end of summer.

This article, "US Airways Offers Option to Buy Priority Airport Access," first appeared on CNBC.com. 

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At home, American kids often balk at any dish beyond chicken nuggets and PB&J, only to surprise parents by diving mouth-first into exotic cuisine while traveling. Surrounded by new sights, sounds, smells and tastes, children’s ideas of “normal” are challenged and they are often more willing to try new foods on the road.

With limited options, children are sometimes willing to eat a new dish out of sheer hunger. Other times, they see local kids gobbling up escargot or sushi, and therefore take a bite, too. Or they get so swept up in the thrill of eating something outlandish, they chomp right into a fried cricket and then giggle with delight when Mom and Dad recoil.

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Theodora Sutcliffe, author of TravelswithaNineYearOld.com, has been on a round-the-world tour with her now 11-year-old son, Zac, for more than two years. During their travels, Sutcliffe says, Zac has sampled such unusual eats as camel, dragonflies, grubs, snake, raw oysters, foie gras, eel and, “lots of different types of innardy things.”

Not all children would be as adventurous as Zac, of course. Sutcliffe suggests parents open the door to adventurous eating in a foreign locale by starting with the sweet stuff. She recommends loading up on unusual fruits at the local market or heading to the gelato shop to taste crazy flavors.

Fun-looking and colorful foods also appeal to traveling children. Keryn Means, who blogs at WalkingOnTravels.com, says, “On a trip to Kyoto last spring, my then 20-month-old son sat with us at a sushi bar watching the conveyor belt go round and round. Suddenly he perked up and pointed at a plate. It was a roll filled with nothing but salmon roe (large fish eggs). We shrugged and grabbed the plate for him. He demolished it in no time, making happy sounds and even saying ‘yummy, yummy’ as he let each salty bubble burst in his mouth.”

Family doctor turned childhood feeding specialist Dr. Katja Rowell advises parents to model tasting something new in front of children. Sharlene Earnshaw, mom of 5-year-old twins and editor-in-chief of the family travel site Trekaroo.com, did just that when traveling through the Sonoran Desert. “I decided to order cactus to accompany my entree," she says. "My kids were worried that I would have a tongue full of thorns, but once the waiter brought out my meal and my children saw it looked like squash, they were eager to try cactus for themselves.”

Tara Kennedy-Kline, a blogger and family coach at MultilevelMom.com, has had great success getting her boys (ages 11 and 13) to taste new foods on vacation by holding crazy food-eating contests. Whichever family member eats the most outrageous item at each meal earns bragging rights and a few bucks to spend on souvenirs.

Kennedy-Kline has encouraged her sons to further expand their gastronomic horizons by creating wacky food reports. They take photos of the unfamiliar foods tasted during their travels and paste them to a poster board to share with classmates after returning home. Their mom says this has been particularly effective, “because they are so excited about grossing out their friends.”

Whatever you do, Rowell says parents should avoid a food stand-off, which could take away from the fun of vacation. It is tempting to insist children take at least one bite of new foods, but she warns this may have the opposite effect. “Abundant research shows that pressuring kids to try new foods backfires,” she says. This is especially true of extremely picky eaters. These children, Rowell says, tend to be, “stubborn, cautious and don’t like to be told what to do.”

For more tips for getting picky eaters to try new foods on the go or at home, check out Rowell’s site TheFeedingDoctor.com.

How do you get your kids to try new foods? Tell us about it on Facebook.

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While flat-screen TVs, wireless Internet and iPod stations have become standard amenities at many hotels, some innovators are hoping to attract guests with high-tech gadgets like Moodpads and automated espresso machines. With features that include electronic room privacy settings and spa reservations at the touch of a button, technology may be the latest secret to getting a more relaxing stay. 

Citizen M, Amsterdam
Each room at this boutique budget hotel comes equipped with a Moodpad, a tablet that lets guests control music, blinds and even the color of the lights. Doubles from $77; citizenm.com.

Eccleston Square, London
This 39-room hotel has 3-D TVs in every suite, plus iPads that can be used to book spa treatments and order room service. Doubles from $292; ecclestonsquarehotel.com.

Peninsula, Tokyo
Japanese hotels are famously tech-savvy; rooms in this luxury tower feature Internet radio, digital panels showing the weather forecast and automated espresso machines. Doubles from $784; peninsula.com.

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Aria Resort & Casino City Center, Las Vegas
Rooms feature bedside touchscreens for controlling shades, lighting, temperature and TV, as well as an electronic do-not-disturb sign. Doubles from $129; arialasvegas.com.

Montage Deer Valley, Park City, Utah
At this LEED certified ski resort, TVs with Control 4 technology operate lighting, temperature, privacy settings, energy-efficiency and the cozy fireplace that’s in every room. Doubles from $295; montagedeervalley.com.

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It probably happens more often than we’d like to admit. The plane lands, everybody jumps up and, in the mad dash to deplane, you leave something behind.

If it’s a book or a magazine, it’s probably no big deal, but these days, it seems more of those items are iPads, e-readers and other pricey personal electronics.

“People are busy and many of them now carry two or three devices,” said Sean Glynn, vice president of marketing for Credant Technologies, a data-protection company. “They use them to do some work, they stash them in the seatback pocket and forget them when their plane lands.”

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Joseph Folz knows the feeling all too well, having left his iPad on a Delta flight to Atlanta late last year. “Usually, I gather up all my things and put them in my briefcase before I deplane but I totally forgot it,” said the general counsel for Porsche Cars North America. “As soon as I got home and opened my briefcase, you can imagine the first word out of my mouth.”

And it’s not just airplanes, says Glynn, whose company has conducted surveys on lost devices at airports, shopping malls, ballparks and other venues. Last June, for example, the company surveyed five airports — Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas and Phoenix — and found that travelers left a total of 979 laptops, tablets, smartphones and USB sticks behind during the previous month alone.

Of those, more than one-third (365) were tablets and smartphones. “You’d be surprised how many people will walk off to the bathroom and leave them unattended,” said Glynn.

Airplanes present a different problem. Even if they’re not left unattended, newer mobile devices are so small, they’re easily hidden behind papers or trash and forgotten in the rush to deplane. According to The Wall Street Journal, airlines are now warehousing hundreds of tablets, as many as half of which are never reclaimed.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to improve your odds if your device goes missing. Taping a business card to its case and registering it with the manufacturer are easy ways to provide contact information, while apps, such as “Find My iPhone” or “Find my iPad” allow you to track the location of your device, lock it or send a message in the hopes someone has it.

And the odds may be even better for air travelers, says Tony Anscombe, senior security evangelist for AVG Technologies, a security-software provider. “If you leave something in the seat pocket of an airplane, you’re more likely to get it back because it’s in a fixed location,” he told msnbc.com. “If you leave it in the back of a taxi and it drives off, you have no contact with it.”

Of course, those odds are predicated on the premise that whoever has your device is honest and interested in reuniting it with its rightful owner. Cynics will scoff but, as Joseph Folz will attest, it happens.

As Folz tells it, he’d been home for about six hours when Latrice Hall, a Delta gate agent, called and said, ‘I have a very strange question — did you happen to lose anything today?’ After he told her about his iPad experience, she said a passenger had found it on a subsequent flight, turned it in to a flight attendant, who gave it to Hall upon returning to Atlanta.

“Latrice called every passenger who had sat in seat 6C on that aircraft that day until she found me,” said Folz. “I was blown away that three people who didn’t have to do anything all went to some trouble to do the right thing.”

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The major American airport that delivers the most seamless experience isn’t on any coast. It wins over fliers with shopping and dining options, the ease of check-in and security, and the friendliness typical of its city hub.

Slideshow: See where the best and worst airports are

So breathe a sigh of relief if you’ve booked a flight through Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport; Travel + Leisure readers have crowned it America’s best airport.

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In our first-ever airport survey, we asked readers to rate America’s 22 major airports in seven categories: flight delays; design; amenities; food and drink; check-in and security; service; and transportation and location. The best-scoring airports have tackled these issues head-on, refurbishing terminals and adding amenities that make the worst airports look evermore outdated by comparison.

Case in point: Travel + Leisure readers affirmed that if you’re looking to avoid the worst flying experiences in the United States, bypass airports in Philadelphia and Los Angeles, which are hobbled by outdated infrastructure, overcrowding, chronic delays and demoralized staff.

You’d also be wise to time your flight as early in the day as possible and seek out alternate airports or regional airports when possible. Baltimore (BWI), for instance, ranked much higher than Washington Dulles airport, with Travel + Leisure readers considering it the best airport for on-time departures. Another highly rated airport, Charlotte (CLT), got high marks for everything from Wi-Fi access to its convenient location.

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Travel + Leisure readers penalized certain airports for locations that appear chosen without the advice of urban planners. Availability of public transportation could help offset a bad location; San Francisco, for instance, was acknowledged for the transit options. And if it was easy to grab a taxi, or the terminals had large and easy-to-read flight boards, that airport got points as well.

When it came time to complain, readers went beyond the issues of check-in process and baggage handling to single out the lack of play facilities for children at many airports as well as lackluster spa facilities. Travel can be stressful enough, and based on reader responses, there’s a demand for more drop-in airport spas where you can get a quick neck, back or foot massage while waiting out that flight delay.

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Tired of flipping through the pages of that dog-eared guidebook? The folks at Frommer’s suggest you tap, click or flick instead.

On Tuesday, the longtime guidebook publisher unveiled a new line of digital travel guides that take advantage of the touchscreen capabilities of the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Based on the company’s Day by Day print series, the initial launch covers seven destinations and is designed to serve as a combination pre-trip planner, daily guide and post-trip journal and photo album.

“There are many, many different ways of interacting with the content,” said Ensley Eikenburg, associate publisher. “It can take you from thinking about a destination to giving you real, on-the-ground information to providing a place to store the memories of your trip.”

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Unlike the company’s traditional guidebooks, the series takes an itinerary-based approach — one or two days in Los Angeles, one or two weeks in Spain, etc. — and augments it with interactive maps, slideshows of destination highlights and even five-day weather forecasts.

You can also bookmark pages, make journal entries and tap on approximately 1,000 links, both internal and external, to explore hotels, restaurants and other items of interest. And for those who have both an iPad and an iPhone (or iPod touch), the purchase price ($9.99–$14.99) includes access to the guide on both devices.

“The iPad is great for hanging out in your hotel room and planning your day,” said Eikenburg, “but when you’re out exploring, you can whip out your phone and follow your itinerary.”

Impressive features aside, the Day by Day series is not the first interactive, tablet-friendly travel guide out there. In 2010, Lonely Planet unveiled five iPad-based guides; today, the company offers more than 150 iPad-compatible titles, including destination guides, translation apps and travel-related games. 

Related: Travel by touch screen takes off

Together, the competing products are indicative of how well suited tablets are to travel. “People want to be dynamic when they travel,” said Jeff Orr, group director, consumer research, for ABI Research. “Not just in plotting their course but also in interacting with what’s around them. And with the on-screen real estate, you can display a lot more information than you can on a smartphone.”

They’re not, however, without their caveats, says Orr: “The catch today is that media tablets are not truly mobile devices; they tend to be used in and around the home.”

As evidence, he said consumers opt for devices capable of Wi-Fi connectivity much more than those with 3G and 4G capabilities. In fact, Orr said, in 2011, 73 percent of tablets shipped were Wi-Fi exclusive, up from 60 percent in 2010. Wi-Fi devices are generally less expensive, of course, but the numbers also suggest that people are willing to forgo Internet access during their daily rounds. 

Either way, “You can’t assume users are always going to be in a 3G or 4G or always-on [Wi-Fi] environment,” he told msnbc.com.

Fortunately, Frommer’s and Inkling, the company’s platform developer, have addressed that issue by making much of the Day by Day content available offline, meaning travelers can still access most of its features without Internet access. That’s not a problem for those with iPhones, although as anyone who has fired up an iPhone overseas will attest, roaming charges can add up blazingly fast.

Which, of course, raises the contrarian point: You can flip through that old, printed travel guide anytime, anywhere and for however long you want and you’ll never get dinged for it.

Available through iTunes and the Inkling website, current Day by Day guides cover Alaska, California, Costa Rica, France, Great Britain, Japan and Spain.

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The Brown is a Kentucky institution: the Georgian Revival–style hotel in Louisville wows guests with marble flooring, ornate ceilings, feather beds — and the Hot Brown, a decadent, open-faced turkey sandwich. Even more impressive, the rates start as low as $129.

Slideshow: See the hotels and where they're at

This irresistible combination of character and value makes The Brown one of America’s top affordable city hotels, as selected among high-scoring properties in Travel + Leisure's annual World’s Best reader survey. All these favorite hotels offer room rates between $90 and $250 a night — meaning there’s bound to be a hotel that’s right for you.

That’s especially good news considering that finding a good deal may get a little tougher for travelers in 2012. Business data firm TravelClick predicts that, after a long slump in hotel prices, rates will rise almost 4 percent in 2012, thanks to increased demand as the economy recovers.

At least there’s no need to compromise on quality. The Waldorf Astoria Orlando, for instance, has outposts of celebrated dining venues from the flagship property in New York. Not to mention two pools and a spa with 21 treatment rooms. But at $159 a night, its rate is less than half that in Manhattan — and you get a free shuttle to Disney World. Besides, visiting a city that’s not on the West Coast or in the Northeast practically guarantees that other costs, such as dining and entertainment, will be more affordable, too.

Top affordable hotels such as the Waldorf Astoria Orlando also defy the conventional wisdom that you should look to a city’s outlying neighborhoods for a good deal. In Santa Fe, N.M., the pueblo-style Inn of Anasazi wins over guests with its tasteful, luxurious décor — handwoven rugs, paintings by acclaimed local artists, kiva-shaped gas fireplaces, and four-poster beds — placed in the heart of the action.

Although plenty of celebrities have been spotted checking into the fashionable Inn of Anasazi, you don’t need to star in a hit movie to be able to afford its nightly rates.

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I have a long, transcontinental flight coming up. I dread being cramped in a coach seat, but I can't afford first class. What are my chances of getting bumped up for free?

They're actually better now than ever. To cut costs, some U.S. airlines have been offering fewer flights in recent years, and coach can be overbooked. If a carrier bumps passengers, it's frequently required to provide either a substitute flight or a refund or both, per government regulations. The airline may not want to bump people if first-class seats are available.

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Read the original story on Budget Travel 

So how do carriers select the lucky few who get ferried to first class? It's all about the miles. Computers track frequent-flier and program miles and upgrade passengers automatically, based on who has earned the most. About 95 percent of those in first class on domestic flights last year were upgraded or used frequent-flier miles (sometimes with an additional fee), according to Joel Widzer, author of "The Penny Pincher's Passport to Luxury Travel."

But you need a lot of miles to qualify: Delta requires you to fly at least 25,000 a year to qualify for its entry-level Silver Medallion level. On the other hand, you can sometimes find upgrade certificates for sale online, courtesy of frequent fliers who can't use them before their expiration date. For instance, some United/Continental vouchers on eBay start with bids as low as $1.

But even if you don't travel often, simply being a member of the airline's frequent-flier program helps your chances. It indicates some level of brand loyalty. Having an airline-sponsored credit card in your name helps, too, though those may come with hefty annual fees.

Does dressing up so that you look like you'd belong in first class improve your chances of getting upgraded?

Looking polished helps, but not as much as it once did. There's one outfit that seems to work better than even the finest couture: a military uniform. In the past few years, it's not unusual to see a first-class passenger give up his or her seat for military personnel.

Any other tips for flights?

Remember that gate agents deal with a lot of demanding, obnoxious passengers, and offering a few kind words and a smile goes a long way. John E. DiScala, founder of travel-advice site johnnyjet.com, reveals that chocolate helps him get upgraded -- or at least moved to a better coach seat-about half the time. DiScala says he brings one-pound chocolate bars for the gate agents and flight crew, who have discretion on seating after the cabin door closes.

Some people swear by the sob- or celebration-story strategy. Personally, I wouldn't go this route unless you really are a newlywed, on your way to a funeral, etc. Karma, you know.

Showing up late might work, but it's risky. A man sitting next to me once in business class on Air New Zealand was huffing and puffing -- he confessed to being intentionally late for every international flight, because then they rush you on the plane and into any available seat. Of course, the downside is you'll be turned away if the flight is already full.

One big  upgrade advantage is flying solo. Airlines try to put families together, and they may need your coach seat to do that. Chances are there's only one empty seat in first or business class.

Finally, before you book the flight, you may want to consider trading in your frequent-flier miles for an upgrade, though the numbers may be steep: On Delta, it takes 10,000 miles for an upgrade on domestic round-trip tickets and 30,000 miles for flights from the U.S. to Europe -- but that's not applicable on certain discount fares. That said, there are more opportunities now than ever to earn frequent-flier miles, not only by traveling but also through credit cards, hotel stays, car rentals, and online shopping sites.

"When you consider that one can earn three points per $1 spent on a credit card, 10,000 miles seems less daunting," Widzer points out.

A friend of mine ended up getting upgraded to a suite at a hotel in Vegas. She's not a high roller, so how did she land that freebie?

Just as with airlines, brand loyalty really helps. If you're visiting a chain hotel, sign up for its frequent-traveler program.

Also, according to Widzer, you're more likely to get upgraded if you book directly with the property, on the hotel's website or by phone, rather than with a third party, such as hotels.com. "Booking direct is by far the biggest thing you can do to get an upgrade," Widzer advises. If you see a lower price online, call the hotel and ask them to match it.

Unlike with the airlines, however, you are most likely to get a hotel upgrade if you travel during a low-occupancy time, such as weekends at business-oriented hotels. When vacant suites are available, the hotel may bump you up, hoping to impress you and gain future business. You also may have better luck at a new property that's angling to create good word of mouth.

The time of day matters, too. It helps to check in later, once the hotel has a better handle on its occupancy for the night. If you arrive at 8 p.m. and their suites still aren't full, they may upgrade you for free or for very little, since few new guests are likely to come and pay for them.

Another strategy DiScala says has worked for him: Befriend the bellman. "I visited Vegas at a not-busy time once and tipped the bellman well," he says, "so he gave me a free upgrade." The same tactic may work with the concierge.

What about rental cars? Is it true you're most likely to get upgraded if you book the cheapest car at first?

Yes, and here's why: The cheapest rental cars tend to sell out first, leaving the company no choice but to upgrade you. That said, the check-in clerk may try to sell you an upgrade for a discounted fee. Say no. If they don't have the car you reserved, they usually give you a better model at no extra charge. Arrive early in the day, before most people return their cars, for the best shot.

Loyalty also counts. Join a car-rental company's membership program, and you may get special offers for upgrades. You should also search online for coupons. The site carrentalupgrade.com is worth bookmarking, in particular. Some car-rental firms also run their own promotions for upgrades through organizations such as AARP and AAA. And always remember to ask: Politely requesting an upgrade is often the best, easiest bet.

Readers' best upgrade strategies

What's it take to get out of the cheap seats? We asked BT readers to share their favorite upgrade strategies.

Volunteer to get bumped: My flight from JFK to Amsterdam was over-booked and someone was in my seat. He was adamant: He wouldn't move. I was so embarrassed by his behavior that I told the flight attendant if I could catch my plane from Amsterdam to Glasgow I'd be OK getting bumped. After 15 minutes she said "follow me" and turned up a flight of stairs. I had never even seen first class before!
— Cyndi Armstrong, South St. Paul, Minn.

Speak in Romance language: My hubby and I got upgraded to business class to Ireland for our honeymoon. We just mentioned the purpose of the trip during check-in and the flight attendant did it, no questions asked. Another time, we got upgraded to a suite at a Crowne Plaza because we mentioned we were there for Valentine's Day. It was a nice surprise, since we'd scored the hotel on Priceline for a song.
— Caroline Dover Wilson, Greer, S.C.

Rent at the end of the week: Most compact and midsize cars are rented out early in the week to business travelers, so if you try to rent closer to the weekend, you have a good chance of getting upgraded because they are out of "business" cars by then.
— Megan Cushman Dezendegui, Miami

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"Insurance is for pessimists" seems to be the attitude of many people planning a vacation overseas. No one wants to dwell on the mishaps that might land you in a foreign hospital or, worse, require an emergency air evacuation from your dream vacation.

Travel insurance is worth considering, however. For a relatively modest outlay, you can buy coverage that protects you if you have to cancel before or during your trip because you, your traveling companions or even a family member not traveling with you becomes ill and requires care. (These policies also cover cancellations for non-health-related reasons, such as a weather-caused flight delay that makes you miss a cruise launch.)

The policies cover prepaid, nonrefundable trip expenses that an airline, hotel, cruise line or other travel vendor doesn't refund if you must cancel. They typically also provide emergency medical/evacuation coverage in case you get seriously ill while traveling, and a hotline to English-speaking physicians and facilities that can best handle your medical problem.

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Coverage is usually available either for a set annual fee or on a per-trip basis, generally about 5 to 7 percent of the price of a trip.

Travelers can also buy stripped-down policies that provide only medical coverage and medical evacuation services.

"The driving force of a [comprehensive] plan is the cancellation coverage," says Damian Tysdal, a travel insurance agent in Hingham, Mass. "You can get a good travel medical plan for $2 to $4 per day."

Although it's highly unlikely that you'll need to be airlifted out of a country and returned home, it can be a devastating expense, often running $50,000 or more, say experts.

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Less-dramatic emergencies that don't require evacuation can still send you to the hospital and ruin your trip. In 2009 Robert Brucato took one misstep in the ancient town of Egmort, in southern France, and ended up in a local hospital with a broken thigh bone.

Following surgery and five days in the hospital, he and his wife, Margaret, were flown home to Tucson first class by way of Montpellier, Paris and Dallas. Their travel insurance company, HTH Worldwide, oversaw all the medical and travel details. When Margaret, now 60, had questions, she called the customer service representative assigned to their case.

"They knew more about Robert's status than I did," she says.

Robert, 71, needed a wheelchair to get through the airports. A company representative met them at each stop and escorted them to the gate.

The Brucatos, who are retired, take two or three overseas trips a year. Their comprehensive travel insurance policy costs $350 annually for the two of them.

Is it worth it? Robert can't say how much they might have had to pay out of pocket for his medical care and their flights home if they hadn't had travel insurance because, he says, "we never got a bill for any of this."

Many people think that their regular health insurance policy will cover them if they get into medical trouble overseas. Don't bet on it.

Some plans, such as those under the Blue Cross Blue Shield umbrella, give their members access to networks of hospitals and physicians around the world, but a domestic health insurance plan generally covers only emergency care overseas, say experts. In addition, members often have to pay upfront if the local medical provider doesn't recognize their plan.

Traditional Medicare doesn't cover care overseas, either, though some Medicare supplemental plans do. People in private Medicare Advantage plans may have access to some services outside the United States; it depends on the plan.

Before you travel or buy travel insurance, find out what you can expect from your existing plan if you need medical care on a trip.

Although travel insurance can fill many of the gaps in coverage left by domestic health plans, there's one big problem area that is the source of many complaints: preexisting medical conditions.

Travel insurance plans typically don't cover care or reimburse expenses for a canceled trip if the problem is related to a medical condition you or your family members already suffer from. However, you can sidestep this problem, if you're on your toes.

"Most policies, if you purchase them within a set amount of time after booking your trip, will cover preexisting conditions, provided they're under control," says Linda Kundell, a spokeswoman for the US Travel Insurance Association.

The time frame varies. Travelers who buy one of Travel Guard's core retail plans, for example, are eligible for coverage of preexisting conditions if they buy insurance within 15 days of making their initial trip deposit, says Carol Mueller, a vice president at the company.

The preexisting condition coverage applies not only to the traveler but also to family members at home who might become ill and need care.

For example, let's say a traveler's mother has heart trouble and suffers a heart attack while her son is on vacation: A travel insurance policy would cover trip cancellation costs so he could go home and care for her if he had purchased the preexisting condition coverage in the designated time frame. If not, the traveler would have to absorb any lost deposits and additional airfare charges.

When in doubt, call the insurer or a broker before you buy a plan and discuss your concerns.

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Please send questions or ideas for future topics for the Insuring Your Health column to questions@kaiserhealthnews.org.

 

Solo travelers have two new, and two very different, tools to help cut costs and find companionship — and possibly more — while out on the road.

Miss Travel, which launched this week, is advertised as a travel dating website to connect the broke and beautiful with wealthy benefactors willing to fund dreams of travel.

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The site invites “Attractive" travelers who are “open minded people who loves [sic] to travel, but lacks the budget to do so,” to sign up for free. “Generous" travelers willing to pay the travel expenses of attractive travelers may also sign up for free, but must pay a fee if they want to communicate with any of the beautiful-but-broke travelers profiled on the site.

Miss Travel was founded by Brandon Wade, CEO of the controversial “sugar daddy” sites SeekingArrangement.com and SeekingMillionaire.com, as well as one called WhatsYourPrice.com. 

The site states that "escorts are not allowed," but one relationship expert cautions that it might not be the best way for women to find a travel buddy.

“Relationships steeped in equality, mutual respect and intimacy do not begin with ‘Fund my travel experience because I'm hot.’ Some relationships are transactional, and this is no different; slapping a fancy name on it doesn't change what it really is,” said sexologist and relationship expert Logan Levkoff. 

A completely different alternative for women traveling solo is Invite for a Bite, a new online social network for women who don’t like to eat out alone. 

Cressida Howard, the site's founder, created Invite for a Bite after hearing a group of women on a BBC radio program agree that eating alone was one of the major downsides of traveling solo.

“It's a problem I've had myself in the past,” Cressida explains on the Invite for a Bite site. “Most women aren't comfortable going into a bar or restaurant on their own, especially in the evenings when they're surrounded by romantic couples, or drunk men with not very romantic intentions.” 

Her solution: a website where solo women travelers can make plans to meet other women for a shared meal.

Once signed up on the site, a woman can create a profile and post a “definite” or “maybe” meal invite that includes a specific date or date range and other details such as what’s brought them to town. The site has only been live since early March, but there are already more than eight pages of invites for shared meals in cities such as Boston, Paris and London.

Find more by Harriet Baskas on StuckatTheAirport.com and follow her on Twitter. 

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By Cari Nierenberg

Body scans, missed connections, fighting for overhead bin space, annoying passengers in flight -- there are many things about flying that can make your head pound. But some researchers are documenting yet another kind of pain from air travel, which they call the "airplane headache."

In a paper published online in the journal Cephalalgia, Italian neurologists report on 75 people who suffer from what they describe as a "peculiar headache." It's peculiar because it tends to occur while on a plane and usually lasts less than 30 minutes. It also seems to mostly affect men, and it typically flares up during the flight's landing.

 

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To gather up information about airplane headache, researchers gave people affected by them a written questionnaire. (They were only able to examine three of the participants in person.) From these completed surveys they found that everyone described the pain as severe. The headache causes a stabbing or jabbing pain that starts suddenly usually on one side of the head. It mainly affects the area of the forehead above the eye. Within minutes of the plane touching the ground, the headache usually goes away. 

 

As for why airplane headaches occur, scientists think "it's due to an imbalance between the air pressure in the cabin and those in the frontal sinuses," says lead author Dr. Federico Mainardi.

In some people, their sinuses may have difficulty equalizing the increase in barometric pressure that occurs when a plane is landing and this may cause pain, suggests Mainardi, a neurologist at SS Giovanni e Paolo Hospital in Venice, Italy.

The exact cause of airplane headaches remain unclear, but it's likely due to several factors such as the shape of the sinuses, as well as the speed of the aircraft, cabin pressure, and even the maximum altitude reached.

While most of the sufferers in this study had their first airplane headache while they were in their 30s, the attacks don't appear to happen every time people fly.

Airplane headache was first described in the medical literature in 2004, and it was viewed as a rare occurrence. But now experts aren't so sure. "We suppose it's a common condition," says Mainardi, but they've yet to collect the data to back that up.

There can be other reasons for flight-related headaches: Air travelers may get a migraine or tension-type headache from a lack of sleep, stress, or holding their neck in an awkward position during a long flight.

And more than half the participants in this study also appeared to suffer from another type of headache. This raises the possibility that being prone to other kinds of headaches helps activate the pain pathways linked with airplane headache.

Mainardi hopes that airplane headache will become recognized as a new form of headache and included in the International Headache Society Classification, which currently includes more than 200 different types of headaches.

In the meantime, he says that in some cases, taking a non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, such as ibuprofen or naproxen, along with using a nasal decongestant spray about 30 to 60 minutes before landing, may help relieve or prevent pain.

If you have airplane headaches, Dr. Mainardi is collecting more case studies and would like to hear from you. You can share your symptoms with him at federico.mainardi@ulss12.ve.it

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Most people head to the national parks to gaze at the scenery. This summer, though, don’t be surprised if more of your fellow visitors are staring at their smartphone screens.

Chalk it up to a proliferation of new apps that offer insights on trails, points of interest and park programs — even as they raise concerns about whether technology enhances or detracts from the experience.

“My concern is that they can distance people from the parks because they’ll be glued to their phones and won’t notice what’s going on around them,” said Kurt Repanshek, editor in chief of National Parks Traveler. “A smartphone app cannot duplicate a ranger tour.”

But it can enhance it, counters National Park Service (NPS) spokesman Jeffrey Olson: “We find people are coming to the national parks today with a lot more information so it allows us to get deeper into a particular story that someone’s interested in. Rangers love it when people engage with them on a deeper level.”

Of course, that assumes people are using their phones to access park information and not to play Angry Birds at the scenic overlook. If you’re among the former, here are three new apps that can help you enjoy the national parks and other outdoor spaces this summer:

Passport to Your National Parks
Considering children are among the most tech-savvy of citizens, it’s only fitting that the 26-year-old Passport to Your National Parks program enter the digital age. The free iPhone app is designed to be a complement to the longstanding passport-booklet program in which visitors collect passport-cancellation stamps in the parks that they visit.

Related: NPS touts green themes and waives fees

Developed by Eastern National, a longtime non-profit partner of the NPS, the app (free, iOS-only) lets users search for parks by name, state, region or GPS within a 50-, 100- or 250-mile radius. Choose a park and you’re connected to a one-page summary with links to the official NPS site and buttons that let you bring up a map of cancellation stations, record your travels with photos and journal entries and highlight the parks that you still hope to visit.

Fairly intuitive and fun to use, here’s hoping version 2.0 has a QR code reader so you can forgo the accompanying booklet altogether and get digital “stamps” directly on your phone.

Sierra Club Trail Explorer
Up for a hike but not sure where to go? The newly updated Trail Explorer app from the Sierra Club (free, iOS-only) lets users browse more than 40,000 trails from local day hikes to backcountry treks in the national parks. Users can filter searches by nearly a dozen filters (proximity, difficulty, accessibility, etc.) with the results appearing in list or map form.

Tapping on a specific trail brings up a brief description, along with trail statistics, driving directions (via Google Maps) and, for share-happy hikers, user reviews and photos, links to Facebook and Twitter and a tracking feature that will record your journey. It’s impressively comprehensive with one odd omission for a trail-focused app: In a surprising number of searches, it shows the trailhead — but no trail!

National Parks by National Geographic
Just in time for National Park Week, when parks that typically charge admission waive those fees, this iPhone app from National Geographic offers guides to 20 of the country’s most visited national parks. From Acadia to Zion, the app compiles park statistics, weather reports and maps with points of interest, along with social media features, tips from the magazine’s editors and appropriately awe-inspiring images.

Related: Confessions of a national park ranger

And, in true NatGeo fashion, it’s the photos — professional, archival and user-generated — that make the app. The only catch is that the overview app and one more in-depth, park-specific guide are free; once the dazzling images draw you in, additional guides will run you $0.99–$1.99 each.

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Airports can be confusing places, especially large ones that travelers are experiencing for the first time, so knowing where to find that great cup of coffee or figuring out if there is a place near your departure gate to fit in a quick massage before boarding can often be a daunting task.

And that’s the logic behind Airport Chatter, a new website launched several weeks ago designed to take the hassle out of getting around airports.

The idea is the brain child of Mark Wagner and Izzy Kirsh, two 20-somethings working in the technology field and currently living in Toronto and Miami respectively.

“I’m a real aviation fan,” said Wagner. “I love travel and I love airports.” But every time he travels, he said, the same problems and challenges persist. “The more we talked, the more we saw the need to make air travel easier to navigate and to be more social,” Wagner said.

The average airport has three terminals, 18 airlines, 40 eateries, 30 shops, 25 services, three lounges, public transportation, taxis, limos, shuttles, long-term parking, short-term parking and an array of hotels nearby, according to Airport Chatter, which hopes to help travelers quickly locate what they are looking for and display where the venue is located.

The site currently features detailed profiles for some of the busiest airports in the United States and includes every eatery, shop, service and lounge at those airports — more than 6,000 venues in total at 53 airports — helping travelers learn about which restaurants there are after security is cleared or what the costs are for long-term parking.

The site also has a community platform where venues and services can be rated, reviewed and shared with fellow travelers.

The site is available to search at no cost, but to post reviews, users must either log in through Facebook or Twitter, or register with Airport Chatter directly. Reviews are monitored in real time, Wagner said.

Here's a recent one posted by Nephro31 about Cibo Express, a food venue at John F. Kennedy International Airport:

“Has Kosher food but very expensive and not fresh. Good to know though if your in rush.”

The venue also bears a 4.2 star rating, based on a possible five stars, which is an average of the ratings posted. Users can also give a thumbs up or a thumbs down to denote how useful the rating is, Wagner said.

Wagner said individual airports typically have much of the same information on their websites as Airport Chatter, but travelers typically have to visit more than one site and it takes time to sort through everything; other commercial sites are frequently not updated with any regularity. Airport Chatter aims to create one site that allows travelers to access detailed airport information all in one place, easily and quickly, he said.

“The goal is really turning Airport Chatter into a global airport platform for travelers,” Wagner said, that will include everything they need — before, during and when departing the airport.

Expansion plans include adding the larger airports of Latin America and Asia next. Eventually all international and domestic airports will be included, he said. In addition, he and colleagues plan to roll in more robust features in coming months, like social profiles and gaming mechanics, similar to Four Square offerings. And based on research that touts their success, he said, the site plans to eventually include rewards, both real and virtual.

Henry H. Harteveldt, co-founder of the Atmosphere Research Group, a market research company, said there are a number of commercial sites currently offering services similar to what Airport Chatter provides.

“There is definitely no clear winner in this space yet,” he said. It’s early in the game, but Airport Chatter will need to create a site different enough to draw in more users, he said. “The challenge will be to make it so useful, people go to it first.”

And that won’t be easy, he said. “People don’t think about airports all that much” unless on the way to or already at them. Also critical to Airport Chatter's ultimate success will be to eventually offer the service on a smartphone or a tablet.

But even then it will be tough, he said. A recent study done by the Atmosphere Research Group found that few of the 5,058 adults surveyed even used airport apps. Of survey participants who owned smartphones, 63 percent had no airport app at all, and only eight percent of those surveyed had and regularly used them, he said.

And for the social media piece to be successful, the capability to easily find other travelers similar to the users will be very important.

“But the good news is, I think there is an opportunity for someone to come in to really help travelers,” Harteveldt said.

Wagner is quick to say Airport Chatter is still in its infancy, and would not say how much traffic it has received, though it is beginning to get some traction. Overall, he and colleagues have been pleased with the initial response, noting most users have searched the site, and less have posted reviews, which he expects will change as it takes hold.

“Obviously, the site still really needs tweaking,” Wagner said, noting that technological issues have been particularly challenging. “This is not it. It’s all about the future,” Wagner said, adding that he and co-workers are hard at work on version 2.0.

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A long-planned adventure can quickly turn to mush if a pickpocket makes off with your passport, cash, credit cards or keys.  

“We get reports fairly regularly about wallets going missing and things being taken from purses,” said Mike Kelly, president and CEO of On Call International, a company that provides travel assistance and emergency medical evacuation services. “It seems to happen a lot in heavy tourist zones in London, Italy and even some Asian countries. One expert believes that in Rome more than 300 tourists get their pockets picked each day.”

To protect yourself, Kelly and others suggest being extra vigilant in touristy areas, leaving valuables at home or in a hotel safe and making sure purses and wallets are secure and out of sight. Many experienced travelers and former pickpocket victims also swear by a variety of thief-thwarting travel gear.

In addition to a line of widely available anti-theft and safety-savvy wallets, backpacks, shoulder bags, purses, pouches and other items made by Pacsafe, we found these potentially pickpocket-proof products.

Travel bands
Beth Whitman, founder of the travel website Wanderlust and Lipstick and WanderTours, likes the body bands for women offered by Dovetail Travel in Peace.

The collection includes two products: The Travel Band, which is a waistband that wraps around your hips, and the Travel Wing, which is a pocket worn against your back and over your bra. “These aren’t meant to replace a money pouch that you’d want to have easy access to,” said Whitman, “but both are great options for times when you want to keep your valuables safe and don’t need to access them.”

The Dovetail set (Travel Band, Travel Wing, portfolio and carry-case) is $48 and available at Dovetail Travel in Peace.

Pickpocket-proof pants
After a run-in with a team of pickpockets in Xian, China, Adam Rapp decided he wanted travel pants that provided the security of a money-belt. His answer: pickpocket-proof shorts and long pants called P^cubed. “All our hip pockets have the ability to be single or double secured and our rear left cargo pocket has an internal passport-sized pocket which would give you triple security,” said Rapp. “In order for a pickpocket to get into that pocket, they would have to undo two zippers and two buttons.”

Currently available only in men’s sizes (a women’s line should be available by September 2012), P^cubed pants are available from Clothing Arts, in many outerwear stores and in major travel catalogs. Price: $79.95-$109.95.

Pickpocket-proof skivvies
After having her pockets picked repeatedly during several years of travel, Johanna Denize created a line of underwear with hidden pockets. “I had tried money belts, neck pouches and even hiding my money in my socks, but wasn’t happy with those solutions,” she said. Panties with hidden pockets work because “no one but the person wearing our clothes will ever know where the valuables are hidden.”

Denize’s products includes a boy short for women and a boxer brief for men, both with two pockets with secure zippers on the front, as well as T-shirts, tank tops and long johns with pockets. There are available on Clever Travel Companion or Amazon. Price: about $25-$36.

Pocket-enhanced panties and briefs are also offered by Stash It Wear. “They come with a huge dedicated pocket that is easily accessible for placement of items or retrieval of items,” said company owner Philip Scott. “When properly worn and used they are pickpocket proof.”

Scott said his instructional video, which shows everything from cash, cigarettes, condoms, cell phones and lighters being hidden away, “does prove the holding capacity and ease of access of the pocket underwear.”

Styles include men’s boxers, women’s briefs, bikinis and thongs (Price: $5.50 to $12) and are available on the company's website.

Find more by Harriet Baskas on StuckatTheAirport.com and follow her on Twitter. 

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It was on a trip abroad to Israel with their 18-month-old son that Yen Ha and her husband realized they might need a new approach to travel.

After arriving at the hotel in Jerusalem and putting her baby to sleep for the night, the New York City architect and her spouse were wide awake but without options in their small, unlit room. “At eight o’clock, we sat there in the dark with our iPhones,” she said.

That’s why on a trip to Berlin last year, Ha booked a one-bedroom apartment with a kitchen and a common area through the website Airbnb. Ha is hardly alone in making the switch from traditional hotels to private residences, as budget-minded travelers are increasingly seeking to improve convenience on the road and cultivate more authentic travel experiences.

Airbnb reported 10,000 family bookings in January of this year, up from 2,000 in January 2011. Emily Joffrion, an Airbnb spokesperson, attributes the growth to the fact that vacation rentals offer amenities not available in hotels, such as barbecue areas and places where kids can play.

HomeAway, which owns VRBO and other vacation rental sites, said it has seen a 30 percent increase in traffic from 2010 to 2011, with approximately two-thirds of its travelers reporting that they travel as a family or group. HomeAway offers listing services for homeowners; bookings are not transacted directly on the site. 

Travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt of Atmosphere Research Group said he expects this trend to continue, with the estimated 12 percent of U.S. leisure travelers who rented a vacation home, condo or villa in 2011 growing to a still-modest 14 percent in 2013. “A portion of that will come at the expense of hotels, motels, and B&Bs,” Harteveldt told msnbc.com.

Kristin Schell of Austin, Texas, said cramped hotel accommodations essentially forced her to find alternative lodging since the average hotel room maxes out at four guests, a number her family of six surpassed two children ago. “It just became cost-prohibitive to rent two hotel rooms,” Schell said. She said she has used HomeAway to rent vacation homes five times in the past five years.

HomeAway North America vice president Jon Gray said the average vacation rental in the company’s portfolio of 640,000 properties worldwide has 2-3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and costs $1,750 per week. Three hotel rooms at the average price of $98.07 in 2010, the most recent year for which the American Hotel & Lodging Association has data, would cost $2,059 for seven nights, and that does not include fees for WiFi, laundry facilities and other amenities typical of many vacation rentals.

In addition to being larger and more budget-friendly than hotels as well as offering common areas that can be used when little ones head to bed, the ability to cook is an enormous draw for family travelers. Schell said she only had to order an expensive hotel breakfast once to realize it would be better to save on food by having access to her own kitchen while on vacation.

“We have had those breakfasts where we look at each other and go, 'I can't believe I paid that much for an egg,' ” she said, adding that she prefers to splurge instead on attractions and experiences.

For some, staying in a cozy home with books, quirky furniture and other familiar trappings can make a vacation rental a destination in itself. Ha said she likes that vacation rentals are often in offbeat neighborhoods instead of in “tourist commercial areas.”

One thing sites such as Airbnb can’t yet offer travelers is the promise of consistency that can come with staying in a more established global chain. Anonymous property owners can falsely advertise, doctor photos, or post fraudulent reviews of their own places, despite the best efforts of rental sites to quell these practices.

Airbnb has been criticized by travelers who discovered the photos posted by property owners on the site did not match up with reality. The service now offers free third-party photography services for property owners, verifying that the image accurately reflects the rental.

Gray suggested the best evaluation of a HomeAway property is generally found in third-party reviews, which can only be posted by people who have actually stayed in the property they're reviewing.

Still, vacationers like Ha and Schell remain undeterred. Ha said asking a lot of questions helped her weed out some questionable rentals — how fast and with how much detail owners respond can be enlightening. 

As vacation rental sites roll out more security measures and start offering reassuring guarantees on trips to consumers, more deal-seeking travelers are likely to take advantage of these services. That is, if they’re even aware they exist.

“Staying in a rented apartment or even just a guest room is very new, not many people think of it,” Harteveldt said. “These companies need to raise consumer awareness that this may even be an option.”

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If you’ve put off a trip to Europe for a few years, consider 2012. The U.S. dollar is stronger against the Euro, making prices more affordable for Americans, and we’ve got six tips to help you find the value across Europe this summer.
 
Tip 1: Head to an off-the-beaten path location
Ditch the crowds in major Italian cities and set out for the Puglia region, about a five-hour drive south from Rome and 3 ½ hours from Naples. Mary Rossi gives a warm welcome to guests at Suite 68, a chic B&B in a private palazzo in the town of Lecce. You can lounge on the terrace overlooking rooftops and church spires, or hop on a bike to explore the narrow winding streets. From $120 per night.
 
Related: See more money-saving tips for Europe

Tip 2: Try a European chain hotel
The Hotel Du Vin chain includes 14 boutique hotels in U.K. cities. In Edinburgh, the hotel occupies an 18th-century stone building in the historic center and has 47 rooms with tartan throw pillows, freestanding tubs, and purple fleur-de-lis wall coverings. True to its name, the local Hotel Du Vin hosts wine tastings and serves up inventive Scottish dishes such as smoked haddock cassoulet. From $234 per night.
 
Tip 3: Stay in a small, boutique hotel
The Rue de Penthièvre in Paris is unexpectedly quiet for being just a few blocks from both the Champs-Élysées and President Sarkozy’s official pad. Among several hotels on this attractive street, Hotel D’Albion delivers by far the best value. The 26 rooms, though small, feel up-to-date and chic, aided by brightly patterned wallpaper. A charming breakfast garden is filled with potted plants, marigolds, and a chestnut tree. From $155 per night.
 
Tip 4: Go where airfares are lower
Iceland continues to be an affordable entry point thanks primarily to Icelandair, which flies from the U.S. to Continental Europe with stops in Reykjavik (recent round-trip fares were $600 including taxes). Make the Radisson Blu Saga Hotel your local base. Perks include free Wi-Fi and free room service for breakfast, and the spa offers a Lava Massage that incorporates hot volcanic rocks and herbal oils. From $160 per night with a 28-day advance purchase.
 
Tip 5: Visit a less expensive city
Americans were the second biggest growth market to Portugal in 2011, and rightly so: Eating out in Lisbon, for instance, costs a fraction of what it does in other European capitals. The 171-room Sofitel Lisbon Liberdade has a prime location for checking out the monuments in Belem or visiting the botanical gardens. At the end of the day, retire to the hotel’s Intra-Muros bar, complete with a library of art books and a drink list ranging from vintage port to absinthe. From $222 per night.
 
Tip 6: Rent a flat (or home or room)
Use a website like wimdu.com or 9flats.com that specializes in affordable peer-to-peer rentals in Europe. Both sites have lots of inventory throughout London, such as a chic, modern apartment that is just five minutes from Portobello Road in Notting Hill. While prices will be higher during the Olympics weeks, rentals are still a great option for that time period. From as low as $30 per night for a room or $44 per night for an entire flat.

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Airports may not be your idea of a place you'd prefer to spend time, but delays and cancellations can cause extended wait. Fortunately, if you're stuck at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, the country's second busiest, you can at least take advantage of restaurants, exhibits and other features where you can while away time.

Besides the Chicago Department of Aviation’s website listing of food and beverage outlets in each terminal, also consider downloading one of the many mobile apps available that provide detailed airport information. My favorite is GateGuru as it provides not only lists of food, shopping and services found in each terminal with customer reviews, but also provides security wait time information, updated throughout the day.

Terminals 1, 2 and 3 are interconnected, so if you’ve passed through security and have a lot of time to kill, you can easily get from one end of the airport to the other. Terminal 5, the international terminal, can be accessed by using the Airport Transit System (ATS), a free, 24-hour rail system linking all three domestic terminals with the international terminal, and continuing to long-term parking and the Metra & PACE stations.

Here are some of the top locations based on user reviews in each terminal.

Terminal 1:

• Garrett’s Popcorn near gate B8 — A Chicago favorite with just about everyone recommending the Chicago Mix (cheese and caramel).
• Eli’s Cheesecake near gate B10.
• Vienna Beef near gates C8, C17 and C22 — Enjoy a Chicago-style hot dog.

Terminal 2:

• Kids On The Fly – A 2,000-square-foot children’s play area, featuring a play helicopter, airplane and check-in counter along with an assortment of giant Legos for making towers.
• La Tapenade Mediterranean near gate F12.
• Wicker Park Seafood near the main lobby.

Terminal 3:

• Argo Tea near gate H1 — Serves all natural teas and blended drinks.
• Cibo Express near gate H1 — Gourmet, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free selections.
• Macaroni Grill near gate H3 — The only one of the chain's found at O’Hare.

Terminal 5: (Note: There are extremely limited options beyond security)

• Gold Coast Dogs upper level, pre-security.
• Haagen-Dazs upper level, pre-security.
• Windy City Yogurt arrivals level, pre-security

If you want to stay put at your departure gate, consider downloading the “B4 You Board” app and have food delivered to you right at your gate. Currently, only Chili’s and Stefani’s Tuscany Café offer the service in Terminal 1. Stanley’s Kitchen & Top in Terminal 2, and Chili’s and Wolfgang Puck in Terminal 3. Delivery is free.

Finally, consider purchasing a day pass to one of the many airline lounges in each terminal. Visit your airline’s website for current pricing, or simply enter the lounge to inquire about rates. All lounges at O’Hare include free Wi-Fi, unlike the main terminal, and offer an oasis away from crowded gates with free snacks, comfortable seating and complimentary bar drinks. Also, should you require re-booking assistance, the lines inside the lounge for customer service are far shorter than those found on the concourses — often making the price of admission pay for itself.

This article, "Delayed: Chicago O’Hare International Airport," first appeared on CNBC.com.

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Been having trouble redeeming your frequent-flier miles or points lately? If you’re a member of Southwest’s Rapid Rewards program, help may be at hand.

For a mere 213,750 points, you can not only snag a seat on an SIAI Marchetti fighter plane but fly it and engage in multiple dogfights. Try doing that with your typical award seat or upgrade and the only fight you’ll be having is with the police when you land.

The above experience is just one of 40 offbeat awards compiled in a new report from IdeaWorks, a market research company in Shorewood, Wis. From onboard treats to out-of-this-world adventures, airlines are offering unique rewards that add new value to travelers’ frequent-flier accounts.

Consider some of the options:

• Get slathered: For a mere 8,250 miles, members of AviancaTaca’s LifeMiles program can get a hot lather shave at a premier spa in New York City.
• Belly up to the bar(s): For 14,700 miles, members of American Airlines’ AAdvantage program can sip their way around the beer halls of Brussels.
• Morocco by locomotive: How about a 5-night/6-day private train tour of Morocco? It’s just 286,000 miles for members of Air Canada’s Aeroplan program.
• Fly in style: Take six of your closest friends on a private jet charter from Rimini, Italy, to Nice, France. Cost: 2.345 million miles through Lufthansa. (Sorry, that’s just one-way.)
• Fly in space: Got 25 million points sitting in your Virgin Australia account? Congratulations, that’s enough to get you a seat on a Virgin Galactic sub-orbital flight. (Presumably, this one’s a roundtrip deal.)

According to Jay Sorensen, president of IdeaWorks, airlines offer such offbeat rewards for a number of reasons.

“I think they’ve felt enough negative feedback regarding [regular] award availability that they’re trying to offer more options,” he told msnbc.com. “Secondly, they’re feeling more competition from bank-issued rebate cards that they feel compelled to spruce up their offerings.”

At the same time, says Tim Winship, publisher of FrequentFlier.com, such offerings speak to the aspirational nature of frequent-flier programs: “These sorts of rewards transcend basic economics and cast a warm, fuzzy glow around the programs.”

In fact, anyone considering cashing in points or miles for an offbeat award should be aware that under the usual calculus — each point or mile is worth about one cent — paying cash is sometimes the better way to go.

For example, members of Air France KLM’s Flying Blue program interested in a heritage flight on a DC3 would be better off paying the $167 fee than using the 50,000 miles (equivalent to $500) the program requires.

On the other hand, considering a 7-night stay on Necker Island, Sir Richard Branson’s private island, retails for $28,895, the 1 million miles ($10,000) Virgin Atlantic requires is a relative steal.

Either way, the real value of these rewards is ultimately in the eye of the beholder, especially for those with large program balances earned through more flights than they care to count.

“The magic of these rewards is that if you’re an elite member, oftentimes the last thing you want to do is take another flight, even if it’s free,” said Sorensen. “They’re almost like impulse buys.”

Of course, such impulse buys do require some advance planning. Consider Etihad Airways’ Guest program, which offers members the opportunity to purchase a 68-foot yacht valued at $3.5 million.

The bad news? It’ll set you back 385 million miles. The good news? The price includes delivery.

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Rob Lovitt is a longtime travel writer who still believes the journey is as important as the destination. Follow him at Twitter.

 

Not that long ago Budget Travel asked readers if it would be worth flying six hours to a destination if you only had four nights to spend there. And we were surprised when the majority of you said yes! So the next question is: how do you make the most of a short break? We consulted travel experts and real travelers to get their tips for making a long weekend holiday just as much fun — and just as satisfying — as a weeklong vacation. The surprising thing? Our go-to advice for saving on hotels and airfare when on vacation could actually ruin your short trip.

Mistake No. 1: Booking a hotel too far from the action

"I think this is the biggest mistake [that travelers make when planning short getaways]," says travel expert John E. DiScala of JohnnyJet.com, "It generally takes time to get to and from a city when you stay farther out, and you're going to have to pay more for transport, too."

If you're going to Disneyland for a short visit for example, he says, it's worth paying extra to stay at a hotel right near the attractions. The same goes for short city visits, too. "You could possibly save money by staying in Hoboken [New Jersey] if you go to New York and public transport into the city is not expensive," he says, "But it will take more time — you have to factor that in and figure out if it's worth it." So while, yes, saving money by staying a bit outside of town is usually smart advice, on short trips it's a bad idea. After you do the math, chances are that even paying $50 more per night for a more centrally located hotel can end up being worth it for the time you'll save.

Mistake No. 2: Checking a bag

Nothing is worse than arriving in Manchester, N.H., and finding out that your bag is on its way to Manchester, England. It could take four days to get it back-meaning you'll have it just in time to check it for your flight home. With all the savvy packing tips out there, there's usually no reason why you should check a suitcase for a short break.

"If it's a warmer climate, it's fairly easy to pack light," says Mike Cooney of the Florida-based travel agency Cooney World Adventures. "But for colder climates you have the option of dressing in layers so you don't have to pack as much in the actual bag itself." If you have sports equipment that must be checked (skis, a surfboard), consider shipping it ahead of time or, better yet, opt for rental gear instead. And checking a bag usually requires more time at the airport -- instead you can spend more time seeing the sights and then head straight to security on the way home.

Mistake No. 3: Trying to make the most of every second

Instead of rushing between Chelsea and Midtown — two neighborhoods in opposite parts of town — to see five different art exhibitions during a short trip to New York City, your time might better be spent really delving into just one or two spots during your stay. Figure out your goals for the trip ahead of time, says DiScala, and then schedule your activities accordingly. "Some people want to see it all, and others will go to Paris for a weekend and just want to hang at one café and soak in the culture," he says.

And be realistic about what you can actually see in just a couple days. In the end it all comes down to personal preference — think about what you're looking to get out of your getaway and what you and your travel partners can sanely handle. After all, the last thing you want is to come back from your vacation feeling like you need a vacation.

Mistake No. 4: Booking a flight with multiple connections

The flights that float to the top when you're looking for cheap airfare on sites like Orbitz or Expedia are usually the ones that involve switching planes at an airline's hub. It's a fine way to save some dollars — until you find yourself spending extra hours on layovers and facing potential delays.

"It's worth it to pay extra to get the nonstop option, especially when you have a short amount of time in a place," says DiScala, who logs more than 150,000 air miles per year, "If there's a cancellation or weather delays in a hub city, there goes your vacation." It's also worth avoiding destinations that require various forms of transportation to reach, such as islands only accessible by an infrequent ferry or resorts that require a private shuttle ride (especially one that doesn't depart until other passengers have arrived).

Mistake No. 5: Winging it

On a recent girls getaway with four friends to Miami Beach, Janet Malin of Tampa, Fla., found herself wishing she'd figured out her group's dining logistics ahead of time. "We got to the hotel and had a few drinks by the pool, and next thing we knew it was time to go out for dinner," she recalls, "But we hadn't booked a table anywhere and couldn't decide on a place we all wanted to hit." The group ended up wandering aimlessly around South Beach before settling on a random place. Sure, it's hard to predict weeks in advance if you (and your traveling companions) will be in the mood for Italian or if you'd rather have tapas on any given night, but reservations aren't usually set in stone.

Research dining options ahead of time, or call your hotel's concierge for recommendations after you book your room.

Mistake No. 6: Forgetting to prepare for a new time zone

Unlike some of the other tips on this list, the advice for dealing with jet lag on short vacations is the same as on longer getaways. "Anywhere you go, do everything possible to maintain the new time schedule you're on," advises Cooney. "If I'm flying to say San Francisco from the East Coast, I would immediately go out after arriving at the hotel, walk around the city, have dinner, have a cup of coffee … the objective is to try and get on the new time zone as soon as possible." If it's already nighttime in your destination when you step on the plane, pass on the in-flight meal and movie and pop in the earplugs for a snooze instead — that way you'll be waking up with the locals, instead of feeling like it's time to sleep when you touch down. Plan lots of outdoor activities for your first day in a different time zone, too — the sunlight and fresh air will keep you energized. If there's no avoiding a snooze, try to limit yourself to a 20-minute power nap.

Mistake No. 7: Dressing for only one part of the day

Does anyone still wear fanny packs and those zip-off cargo pants anymore? We hope not. When your time is limited, avoid dressing like a tourist on urban exploration, which most likely requires heading back to the hotel to change for the evening. The key is smart layering. For both men and women, a thin T-shirt with a cardigan or blazer is a good way to go in temperate climates. And for footwear, opt for comfortable leather shoes instead of the sneakers from your gym bag. Plus, choosing clothes that you can wear all day and into the night makes packing a breeze, and diminishes the chance that you will have to check a bag (remember Mistake No. 2?).

Mistake No. 8: Mapping out where you are — once you get there

Unless you're fine with just seeing where the wind blows you — and hey, we're all for spontaneous travel at times — you'll lose a lot of time on the ground if you don't have at least an idea of the layout of your destination before you arrive. If you are going international, grab cash from the ATM at the airport so you don't have to search out a bank hear your hotel. And make like grade school and do your homework: Study maps before you leave and figure out the best route to take from your hotel to the attractions and restaurants you plan to visit. Pre-planning extends to knowing the physical location of the airport you fly into, too, as it relates to the city center, says Malin, who's made the mistake of choosing a cheaper flight into a satellite airport that required more transit time to reach the city center. 

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All airline seats are not created equal and selecting the right seat in advance can mean the difference between a pleasant and spacious flight to one you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. This series will highlight the best — and worst — seats flying today’s crowded skies.

United Airlines flies more Boeing 757 aircraft than any other type and their domestic 757-200 is a workhorse in popular business travel markets. For the configuration appearing above, I highly recommend the seats highlighted in green, advise caution about those in yellow and outright discourage you from getting stuck in the red zone.

First class

Seats are configured in a 2 x 2 layout and feature a width of 20.2 inches, with 38 inches of pitch between rows (except row one).

Best seats: Rows 2 through 5 are the best in this cabin. The seats offer equal comfort and are away from the galley and lavatories. My ultimate pick: Any seat in row 5 as United generally deplanes from the second door on this aircraft, so you’d be among the first passengers off.

Caution seats: 1A, 1B, 6A, 6B, 6E and 6F. 1A and 1B have slightly more legroom than 1D and 1E, but not much. On many aircraft, there is a small cutout at the base of the bulkhead wall in front of 1A and 1B allowing for a few extra inches for your feet. Row 6 has slightly limited recline and the proximity of the lavatory and galley can bother some passengers.

Worst seats: 1D and 1E. Anyone taller than 5 feet 10 inches will find legroom incredibly restricted with the bulkhead being far too close for comfort.

Economy

Seats are configured in a 3 x 3 layout and feature a width of 17 inches, with between 31 and 36 inches of pitch between rows. United’s Economy Plus section occupies rows 7 through 21 and all seats here include a minimum 34-inch pitch.

Best seats: Any seat in row 21 is the best pick as the exit row provides more legroom than that found in First Class. Row 20 has equivalent legroom, but recline is slightly limited. Other excellent choices for the best legroom are seats 7D, 7E and 8C, though the proximity to the lavatory and galley might be bothersome.

Caution seats: 8A and 8F. The emergency evacuation slide protrudes into the cabin from the aircraft door slightly inhibiting full legroom.

Worst seats: Rows 37 through 40. You’ll find many people standing in the aisle next to these rows while waiting for the lavatory or just up to stretch their legs. Row 40 should particularly be avoided for restricted recline.

This article, "Best seats: United Airlines Boeing 757-200," first appeared on CNBC.com.

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Few phrases strike dread in the hearts of travelers like “connecting flight.” Flying to a destination on more than one plane increases the odds of delay and a missed connection.

Some U.S. airports have more late or missed connections than others, depending, in part, on which airlines use them and where they’re located. Some airlines are notoriously unreliable, and some airports are in cities that take regular beatings from bad weather. These airports become notorious for delayed connections.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics ranked the 10 U.S. airports with the worst records for on-time arrivals in 2011. The bureau also provides data for on-time departures. Its survey covers 29 major airports, defined as serving at least 1 percent of total passengers boarding domestic flights in one year, so small airports weren’t included.

Read ahead to see which airports were the worst for connections in 2011. 

Slideshow: Click here for a slideshow of worst airports for connections

Fort Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport is in Broward County, Fla., about 20 miles north of Miami. According to the bureau, 78.88 percent of flights landed at the terminal on time.

This means that passengers on 21.12 percent of the flights that landed there had to make a mad dash through the terminal if they had a connection to catch. Most of them didn’t have to worry, though, since 19.74 percent of flights from the airport didn’t take off on time either. 

9. Washington Dulles International Airport
Washington Dulles International Airport is in Dulles, Va., 25 miles west of the nation’s capital. In 2011, the airport served over 23 million passengers, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, but 21.39 percent of the flights arrived later than they were supposed to, making connections needlessly stressful, while 20.19 percent of flights experienced delayed departures, leading to lots of huffing and fuming in the waiting area.  

8. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
The airport in Arlington County, Va., processes fewer passengers than nearby Dulles, with just over 18.8 million people passing through it in 2011, according to the airports authority. Still, 22.28 percent of flights landing there did so later than they were supposed to, while 17.59 percent left late. 

7. Philadelphia International Airport
Philadelphia International Airport served almost 31 million passengers in 2010, and is the 12th busiest in the world in terms of traffic movements, according to a 2011 report from the Airports Council International.

With that kind of activity, it’s easy to see why the airport would encounter lots of delays. In 2011, delays affected 23.84 percent of incoming flights and 21.1 percent getting off ground. 

6. O'Hare International Airport
Chicago’s O'Hare International Airport suffers from something of an identity crisis. On the one hand, it was voted “Best Airport in North America” for four consecutive years by Global Traveler magazine, from 2004 to 2007. On the other hand, fully 24.52 percent of flights landing there did so behind schedule, and it had the third-worst record for departures in 2011, with delays at 25.6 percent.  

5. John F. Kennedy International Airport
At New York’s Kennedy International, 24.66 percent of all flights landed there late in 2011, and 22.49 left late. But unreliability is only one factor leading some to consider it to be one of the worst in which to make a connection.

Frommers.com, the website of the traveler’s guide book series, included it in its “10 Worst Airport Terminals” feature published in January. It called the airport’s Terminal 3 “the worst single airport terminal in America,” and cited “an utter lack of food and shopping options…hallways that could have been designed by M.C. Escher” and “a sense that the cleaning crew gave up in despair a while ago.” 

4. Logan International Airport
Boston’s Logan International Airport, the largest airport in New England, had a banner year in 2011, when almost 29 million passengers used it. Unfortunately, a whopping 26.35 percent of flights didn’t get there when they were supposed to, and 21.11 had takeoff delays. 

3. LaGuardia Airport
Together with Kennedy International and New Jersey's Newark Liberty International, New York's LaGuardia is part of the largest airport system in the United States, and the second-largest in the world after London.

With that much traffic at the airport and the others in its vicinity, it’s not surprising there are frequent delays. Accordingly, 27.82 percent of flights arrived late and 22.49 percent left late.

LaGuardia was also ranked the worst major airport in the U.S. by the Zagat Survey in 2010, and in January, Frommer’s singled out the airport’s U.S. Airways terminal as “dull and sad.”  

2. San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco International Airport is the second-largest airport in California after Los Angeles International Airport. The terminal is easily accessible from various points in the Bay Area via mass transit, and the airport operates AirTrain, a completely automated train system connecting the terminals.

Inside the airport, the atmosphere is decidedly less pleasant. One is statistically likely to see at least a few impatient passengers waiting for delayed flights to land, as these account for 28.62 percent of all arrivals. As for departures, 23.72 percent took off later than scheduled.  

1. Newark Liberty International Airport
When it comes to on-time arrivals, Newark Liberty International Airport has the worst record of any U.S. airport. A whopping one in three flights — 33.28 percent — arrived late. It also has the worst record for on-time departures, with 27.03 percent taking off later than scheduled.

According to an August 2011 article on the “Consumer Reports” website, the two most chronically delayed flights in the U.S. both originate from Newark. Both flights go to Atlanta during rush hour, both flights have an average delay of one hour and 21 minutes, and both flights are delayed between 50 percent and 60 percent of the time.

Frommer’s was also unkind in its assessment of the airport itself in January, particularly Terminal B. “The airport idiotically puts security before individual piers in Terminals A and B, which means that rather than have a whole terminal's food and shopping to entertain you, you're stuck out on a single pier,” the article said.  

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