Relaxing at the Airport When You're Delayed

A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 takes off from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in front of the airport's famous Theme Building on Monday, Aug. 7, 2006. The Theme Building soon will be closed for a year for a structural upgrade, but when it opens again its Encounter resttaurant and cocktail lounge is well worth visiting, particularly if your flight is subject to a long delay. Credit: AP Photo/Ric Francis

It’s high summer, so congested runways, stormy skies and scheduling snafus are once again grounding millions of air travelers at home and abroad.

There are better ways to wait out flight delays and count down to connecting flights than fuming and watching the clock. Depending on how much time you have and which airport you are using, even the busiest airports offer ways to transform endurance into enjoyment:

San Francisco International: A prime gateway to the Asia-Pacific region, SFO is one of the more pleasant airports in which to pass some time, especially the stylish international terminal.  The Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum, near boarding area A, displays vintage airline uniforms, historic in-flight menus, photographs of a more gracious age of air travel and a library.

Amsterdam Schiphol: Most people know about the worthy, arty branch of the Rijksmuseum at the airport. But in keeping with Amsterdam’s reputation for adult fun, there are other attractions, too. No, not a red light district, but a café — the Grand Café — tricked- out in turn-of-the-20th-century style, with soaring ceilings, chandeliers and other classy touches. Amsterdam Schiphol also has a casino. (Hey, if you weren’t a gambler, you wouldn’t be flying in mid-summer.)

Hong Kong International: You don’t have to be a high roller to relax in a comfortable lounge. Hong Kong’s splendid, modern airport showcases several Plaza Premium lounges, with hot showers, cold drinks and cushy seats, available for a reasonable admission fee. The airport also has a 360-seat cinema with eye-popping 3-D projection.

Reagan Washington National: Cultivate your mind by shopping at the Smithsonian Store, in the National Hall Center, at the most user-friendly airport in the capital (and one of the nicest in the United States).

Los Angeles International: It’s scheduled for a 1-year, $9 million structural upgrade starting next month, but LAX’s atom-shaped Theme Building, with its space-age Encounter restaurant and cocktail lounge, is worth waiting for. Opened in 1961, this building dramatizes the future of aviation as the Jetsons envisioned it.

London Heathrow: London’s unloved largest airport is smoothing out the troubles at British Airways’ new Terminal 5. Bad-boy chef Gordon Ramsay’s Plane Food restaurant in T5 helps the wait fly by. Try a lemon grass martini ($16) or eggs Benedict ($12).

Vancouver International: After next month’s Summer Olympics in Beijing come the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler, Canada. Vancouver’s light-washed, modern airport is opening six Olympic Stores with official memorabilia. Bentley’s Leather, pre-security on level 3 at international departures, is a good place to shop for briefcases and luggage.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International: Sip a cold one at the Sam Adams Brewhouse, concourse A, gate 12, or look for alternatives in "Beer Lover’s Airport Guide" from cheapflights.com.

Beijing Capital International: Get some work done at the sparkling business center on the mezzanine level in Beijing’s new Terminal 3, the planet’s biggest passenger terminal.

Copenhagen Airport: Stranded? The Hilton Copenhagen Airport, right at the airport, has good business facilities and spacious guest rooms. Copenhagen’s central rail station is a short ride from the airport's terminal 3, with daytime departures every 10 minutes.

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