Stuck at the airport?

By Elizabeth Yuan
CNN

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(CNN) -- Life as a business traveler doesn't have to wind up like the movies "Terminal" or "Jet Lag" where the main characters find themselves idling away at the airport.

CNN.com surveyed the world's 10 busiest airports, according to Airports Council International, to find out how travelers can keep themselves occupied when faced with a lengthy layover or flight delay.

The airports are listed by rank in terms of passenger traffic last year.

Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Atlanta, Georgia

85,907,423 total passengers

Secured Wi-Fi-enabled Internet access is throughout the main terminal building, all concourses and the connecting transportation mall -- comprising a 5.8 million square foot "hot spot." Prices for a day pass or a monthly subscription range from $7.95 to $38, depending on Wi-Fi providers. Laptop Lane (Concourses A, B, T) also offers Internet access, photocopies, phone calls and faxes for 55 cents/minute, with a $5 minimum.

Business travelers can access the Executive Conference Center in the airport's atrium for computer workstations, meeting rooms and video conferencing abilities. Business Traveler Services -- with everything from prepaid phone cards and expedited visa/passports to faxing capabilities, Internet access and flight insurance -- are available throughout the airport.

Atlanta-based Delta Airlines provides free recharging stations (Concourses A and B).

Music/Film/Art: A pianist plays from 3:30 p.m. until 10 p.m. Monday-Friday at Houlihan's (Atrium), among 200 concession outlets at the airport. InMotion Entertainment rents DVDs and portable players. An art exhibit on Concourse E features rotating artwork submitted by grade school students.

Web site: http://www.atlanta-airport.com

O'Hare International Airport, Chicago, Illinois

76,510,003 total passengers

Free Wi-Fi-enabled Internet is available everywhere to subscribers of the following providers: AT&T/SBC Freedomlink; Boingo; GoRemote; iBAHN/STSN; iPass; Orange France; Sprint; T-Mobile and WeRoam. For others, an Internet Day Pass is available for $6.95, payable through the network.

GateStation Internet Kiosks (T1 near gates B11 and C9) provide 15 minutes of Internet access for $5. Laptop Lanes (located in the Business Center in T1 across from gate B6 as well as the B/C Walkway) provide full business services, including faxing, printing, long distance calls and plug-ins for laptops. The airport also is installing "relax and recharge" stations for devices.

For $11, travelers can hit the Hilton Chicago O'Hare Airport Hotel's health club for its workout area, swimming pool, Jacuzzi, steam room, sauna and showers with free use of towels and lockers. Get a massage here for a separate charge or at Back Rub Hub (Terminal Three).

Entertainment: Art exhibits and performances, including Jazz Fest Entertainment on August 31 in Terminals 1-3 and 5.

Web site: http://www.flychicago.com/ohare/home.asp

Heathrow Airport, London, England

67,915,403 total passengers

The airport just opened the Rejuve club in Terminal 1's international departure lounge, where travelers can receive massages, get a shave and haircut, work out, relax, get nutritious snacks or a "well-being" consultation. Prices start from 25 pounds ($47) at what Heathrow calls the world's first airport "Wellbeing club."

Also a "Shop and Collect" service allows passengers traveling only within the EU to buy -- and leave -- purchases behind at the airport and collect them upon return to London.

Heathrow also offers two fee-based services to access the most up-to-date flight information: Flying Messenger (which gives flight status) and Flying Messenger Plus (which gives flight progress).

Web site: http://www.heathrowairport.com/

Haneda Airport, Tokyo, Japan

63,282,219 total passengers

The airport's two domestic terminals have more than 80 restaurants and coffee shops, offering Japanese to Western fare, fine dining to sweet cakes. Relaxation spots in each terminal ("Feiyokan" and "Grand Raffine") offer massages for 1000 yen ($9) per 10 minutes.

The Wing Oxy Bar draws travelers who seek some fresh air or aromatherapy. Like a drinking bar, this oxygen bar allows you to select your favorite "flavor," from "Mint & Rosemary" ("cooling, refreshing, invigorating") to "Lavender, Balsam Fir Needles" ("calming, soothing, warming"). Insert your nose tube and breathe in.

Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California

61,489,398 total passengers

All terminals will have Wi-Fi access sometime in the early fall, thanks to a T-Mobile contract, said Nancy Castles, public relations director at LAX. Users will have to pay $9.99 for a 24-hour period, while T-Mobile customers are charged according to their own wireless plans, she added.

The Travel Right Cafe in Terminal 4 allows travelers to eat and work. Each table has ports/phone jacks for travelers with laptops, personal digital assistants and cell phones. Internet kiosks are also available throughout the airport.

Web site: http://www.lawa.org/LAX

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas

59,176,265 total passengers

Travelers can learn about their dining and tour options at the airport by downloading podcasts from www.dfwairport.com -- what DFW calls the first airport-provided podcast service in the world.

The airport's $6 million public art program showcases the work of more than 30 local, national and international artists at International Terminal D and the Skylink train stations. The DFW Sculpture Garden is outside the Terminal D parking garage.

Wine can be sampled at La Bodega, which DFW bills as the world's only airport winery.

Bear Greek Golf Club, located on airport property, offers an 18-hole round of golf for $50 plus tax during the week.

Web site: http://www.dfwairport.com/

Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, France

53,798,308 total passengers

All terminals are on a free Wi-Fi network. Terminal 1 also has a business center. Workspaces -- with desks, Internet access and electric plugs -- are available in Terminals 2C, 2D and 2F.

The airport also just opened what it bills as the "first airport beauty parlor for men" in Terminal 2D, offering beauty treatments and advice as well as massages with names like "decompression" and "anti-jetlag." The Men's Lounge also has an interactive cologne "alcove," where you can choose a scent based on profiles. (Think "Rebel Attitude" or "Urban Modern.") Ten- to 30-minute professional massages can also be found in all terminals (starting at 15 euros/$19), and some boarding lounges offer auto-massaging chairs (2 euros/$2.50)

Web site: http://www.paris-cdg.com/

Frankfurt Airport, Germany

52,210,412 total passengers

"You can gamble, you can go to the hairdresser, you can get a manicure. ... There is a dentist. It's almost an airport city," said Roland Weil, assistant vice president of traffic and terminal management at Frankfurt Airport. Admission is free to the airport casino in Terminal 1; monitors display flight times.

The airport is just 15 minutes from downtown. A high-speed Inter-City Express (ICE) train station in the airport will put you in Cologne or Stuttgart in about an hour, should you decide to ditch that flight.

Web site: http://www.airportcity-frankfurt.de

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Netherlands

44,163,098 total passengers

This "Airport City" has a supermarket, three casinos, a travel clinic and shops and catering outlets, some of which are open 24 hours a day. Two communication centers offer Internet and postal services at Departure Lounges 1 and 2. People who wish to watch planes take off and land for free can go to sites along the Kaagbaan and Buitenveldertbaan runways or to the terrace on the terminal roof. Inquire with the airport information desk before setting out.

In celebration of Rembrandt's 400th birthday, fans can view mini-exhibitions of his life and work at locations around the airport through December 6. The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam Schiphol, between Piers E and F on Holland Boulevard after passport control, is a free branch of the famous museum and features his masterpiece "Oriental" this summer as part of the "Really Rembrandt?" exhibition. Works of modern art can also be seen throughout the airport.

Web site: http://www.schiphol.nl/

McCarran International Airport, Las Vegas, Nevada

43,989,982 total passengers

McCarran boasts 24 Hour Fitness, which the airport bills as the first fitness center of its kind at a major U.S. airport, offering exercise equipment, massages, shower and locker room facilities, a steam room and sauna. The airport also offers free Wi-Fi everywhere in the terminal and Internet kiosks for passengers without laptops.

Travelers can also view an art gallery and a 24-hour-a-day aviation museum, try a hand at casino games or get a shoe shine.

Web site: http://www.mccarran.com

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