How do you pass the time in airports during delays?

by Mike Barish on

With nasty weather once again enveloping the Northeastern United States and winter showing no signs of ending anytime soon, thousands of travelers find themselves killing a lot of time at airports. Flight delays are a fact of life and there’s not a whole lot you can do about it unless you want to pay the fees necessary to change your flights. That leaves us all spending much of our holiday or business trip twiddling our thumbs in crowded, boring airport terminals.

Earlier this week, we showed you how one imaginative traveler entertained herself in Pittsburgh International Airport. However, not all of us are that creative (or bold), so we have to find other activities to keep us sane. Gadling wants to know what your favorite time-killer is during a long flight delay.

Let us know by voting in the poll below and feel free to elaborate in the comments.

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Chicago O’Hare and Boston Logan first airports to get full body scanners

by Grant Martin on

Hide the women and children, those full body scanners that have been causing all of the ruckus in the EU and Canada are on their way to the United States. Starting in early March, the technology that some claim gives a “voyeuristic” view of air travelers to the TSA will be installed in two of the nation’s busiest airports: Chicago’s O’Hare and Boston’s Logan.

Throughout the rest of the summer 150 more scanners will appear around the country.

Why the consternation? Critics claim that the new scanners violate privacy, while some even worry that the TSA can see specific body parts.

For their part, the Department of Homeland Security wants to use the tools for enhanced security screening; such technology, for example, could have potentially caught last year’s underwear bomber. Regardless, it looks like the scanners are here to stay, so be prepared to go through one at some point in your travels.

Check your carry-on at the gate – Airplane tip

by Gadling Staff on

Baggage fees can be pretty steep, and most people try to avoid them by packing everything in a carry-on. The result, of course, is a heavy carry-on bag for them — and a shortage of overhead bin space for the rest of us.

Avoid the misery of fighting for overhead bin space by asking the gate attendant to check your bag from the gate. This allows you to get on the plane without having to fight for the limited overhead space. It also saves your arms and shoulders the heavy lifting and possible injury. Final bonus: there is no checked bag fee from the gate!

When the plane lands, your bag will be waiting for you when you get off the plane, right there at your gate.

Pittsburgh International Airport after hours

by Mike Barish on

Missing your connecting flight can be frustrating. Having an overnight layover can be annoying. But we all have two choices when airlines throw us a curveball: Mope or make the best of it. Ashley Klinger chose the latter when she was stuck in Pittsburgh International Airport overnight recently. With the help of a video camera, solitude and an epic amount of imagination, she turned an abandoned airport into her own personal playhouse.

Kudos to Ashley for channeling her creativity rather than anger during an extended layover. While we don’t recommend that you kill your airport delays this way, we do suggest that you try to stay as positive as Ashley did. You’re going to be waiting no matter what you do, so you might as well be in a good mood while you do it.

Via Jezebel.