The U.S. Congress found a way to come together and fix the furlough fiasco that government pundits say caused airport delays at major airports due to reduced Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employee staffing. The new bill allows the FAA the use of up to $253 million from various accounts to alleviate staff reduction and operation stalling through September 30. President Obama says he will sign the bill.

Then it starts all over again Oct. 1, right? 

Even if it doesn’t, flight delays and long layovers are common occurrences that can be used productively. Consider these options: 

• Eat at a gourmet restaurant—Check out the best places to eat at the 20 busiest airports.
• Take a nap—Here’s your ultimate guide to sleeping in airports.
• Work out—The five best airport gyms are waiting for you.
• Surf the Internet for free—You can get online easily at the 10 best airports offering free Wi-Fi.
• Buy a book—Airport bookstores are expanding, even in the e-book age—check these out.
• Practice yoga—Three airports are already offering yoga rooms. Namasté.
• Rent a movie—You can easily find airport terminal kiosks that rent or sell movies.
• Have a drink—There are some pretty unique airport bars out there. 
• Shop. Shop. Shop.—Enjoy the world’s best airports for shopping.

Did you encounter any delays due to furloughs? How do you pass the time during a layover? Please share your stories in the comments.

Here's a little something something that came across the PR Newswire that looks interesting. Take it away, press release:

Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport will launch a new DFW Customer Rewards Program in June, rewarding travelers for airport purchases and building on its well-earned reputation as one of the best airports in the world for customer service. Travelers participating in the program will be eligible to earn frequent flyer miles or points for every qualifying purchase made at DFW airport such as parking, retail and concessions. Airlines participating in the program include DFW's major hub carrier American Airlines, along with Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier, United and US Airways.

"The DFW Customer Rewards Program is a great opportunity for travelers to benefit even more from the amenities they now value at DFW," said Jeff Fegan, CEO of DFW airport. "Whether spending money on parking, a gift or a quick bite to eat, travelers are now able to accumulate miles to redeem with their favorite airline, simply by buying what they're already buying at the airport."

The DFW Customer Rewards Program will offer travelers the ability to earn airline miles every time they make a qualifying purchase at the airport, whether on parking, restaurants and retail outlets, services, and airport hotels such as the Grand Hyatt or even Paradise 4 Paws, the pet hotel at DFW airport. DFW is partnering with Thanks Again LLC to offer the program.

"DFW will be the only airport in the country that offers its customers miles for the total experience: on-airport parking, shopping and dining, and hotel stays at all of our properties," said Ken Buchanan, DFW's executive vice president for revenue management. "We are always looking for ways to improve the passenger experience at DFW airport and this is one way we can reward our customers for their loyal business."

To take advantage of this new opportunity to earn airline miles at DFW airport, travelers can register at www.thanksagain.com, by registering with a debit or credit card of choice. Thanks Again already has a presence in more than 170 U.S. and Canadian airports, with 14 airport-wide programs. 

"Our customers have told us that they value airline miles as a reward, so we are happy to partner with Thanks Again to respond to that request," said Sharon McCloskey, DFW vice president for marketing. "And DFW customers will be able to earn miles at many other airports around the nation as well."

Some of the airports already involved include Miami International, Houston Intercontinental, New York LaGuardia Airport, JFK International, Newark Liberty International, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, Portland International, the Port of Seattle and Tulsa International Airport.

DFW airport plans to launch its Customer Rewards Program in June 2013, just in time for the busy summer travel season.

Is this something you'd sign up for? 

If you go through any of the New York metro area’s international airports this summer, keep your A.I. eyes peeled for a blue avatar.

No, not that Avatar. A hologram of a female avatar (curiously wearing a blue blouse) will be interacting with passengers at select locations at LaGuardia, Newark Liberty or JFK international airports.

The virtual customer service agent will respond to virtual questions and otherwise make travelers feel as though they slipped into a Philip K. Dick story.

Sounds cool. Looks…meh…it’s a stepping-off point, at least.

Image (CC) SearchNetMedia

Run down? Need to stretch after 2 hours crammed in economy?

Do yoga at the airport.

Yup, your next layover at the San Francisco International Airport could be much more relaxing thanks to the venu's newly unveiled yoga room, Reuters reports. Low lights, soft colors. The perfect room to decompress.

Airport Director John L. Martin called the room, which opened last week, "another leap forward in providing our travelers the opportunity and space to relax and decompress on their own terms."

Planners, can you imagine having a more perfect quiet room to allow you to slip away for 5 minutes, breathe and stretch? Hold your next event at the airport and maybe you can work private yoga room access into the deal.

Thumbnail (CC) Tom Mooring not actually at the airport :)

Howdy there. It's me, the Foursquare Mayor of MPI, here to bring you some press release goodness. On today's plate is news that DFW International Airport has launched a program integrating Foursquare and Facebook Places (people use that?) location-based mobile applications with the airport's concessions offerings. Customers who check in  at any of DFW's five passenger terminals will have access to special concessions deals and discounts.

DFW passengers can redeem offers at 85 different concessions locations, such as Starbucks, Auntie Anne's Pretzels, Brookstone, Hudson News and Reata Grill.

"This program allows DFW concessionaires to place information directly into the hands of passengers, just when they are looking for it," said Jeff Fegan, CEO for DFW Airport. "It will give our customers a great snapshot of what is nearby, so they can make more educated decisions about their purchases."

A recent DFW survey shows that 84 percent of airport passengers use smart phones, and 36 percent of those smart phone users are utilizing location-based social networking apps to check in at certain locations.

"Customers who use smart phones and mobile apps are actively looking for information about their immediate environment, and this is a powerful way to easily share those specifics," said Sharon McCloskey, vice president of Marketing for DFW Airport. "This program really raises the bar for delivering excellent customer service, in a trendsetting and innovative way."

DFW Airport will send "brand ambassadors" into the terminals for the next several weeks to promote awareness of the mobile app integration program. The brand ambassadors will provide passengers with handouts, giveaways and live smart phone demonstrations of how to take advantage of the deals.

The program works on any smart phone platform supported by Foursquare and Facebook, including Apple iOS, Blackberry, Android and Palm (that's still used?).

And now you know. See you on the Foursquare plains, partner. 

For one specific air travel tax, this increase is a possibility.

U.S. President Barack Obama's proposed budget plan calls for air travelers to cough up extra cash to help finance airport infrastructure projects.

Although the proposed "passenger facility charge" increase isn't much--a $3.50 increase on the existing $4.50 fee--the total cost to travelers reflects a $1.3 billion-$2 billion increase, depending on which talking head you're listening to.

Other budget proposals address this specific fee differently--the Senate has one which would limit the fee to the current $4.50 rate.

More here.

I'm a fan of the in-and-out mentality, design and location found at DFW International Airport. The airport's latest terminal--Terminal D--does add some of the frills travelers expect to find at major international airports--yes, you can purchase expensive tech gadgets from vending machines. And it doesn't hurt that DFW is also a great hub for travel to Latin America and the Caribbean.

Apparently respondents to the Airports Council International annual Airport Service Quality survey had different airports in mind. Here's the breakdown of their top performers:

BEST WORLDWIDE

1. Seoul Incheon International Airport (ICN)
2. Singapore Changi Airport (SIN)
3. Hong Kong International Airport (HKG)
4. Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK)
5. Hyderabad Rajiv Ghandi International Airport (HYD)

Yup, all of the top five airports in the world are found in the Asia-Pacific region.

BEST: NORTH AMERICA

1. Austin (AUS)
2. Halifax (YHZ)
3. Ottawa (YOW)
4. Jacksonville (JAX)
5. Portland (PWM)

BEST: EUROPE

1. Keflavik (KEF)
2. Zurich (ZRH)
3. Porto (OPO)
4. Malta (MLA)
5. Southampton (SOU)

What's your favorite airport? Why?

Well-traveled business professionals may not even notice it any longer, but a lot of thought surely goes into the selection of airport flooring patterns.

Perhaps you're an exception, you're a public space flooring design fanatic. If that's the case you're probably already familiar with Carpets for Airports, which documents airport flooring around the world.

While you're busy thinking about looking down, check out our report on Jaime Ross, convention center carpet designer.

The European Union has heavily criticized European airports for failing to deal with recent freezing weather that has left thousands of travelers stranded, according to the BBC. 

European transport commissioner Siim Kallas urged airports to "get serious" about planning and labeled them a "weak link" in the infrastructure.

From his statement:

"In recent days, I have become increasingly concerned about the problems relating to the infrastructure available to airlines – airports and ground handling - during this severe period of snow. It seems at this stage that this is a 'weak link' in a chain which, under pressure, is contributing to severe disruption.

"I intend to convene a meeting with airports representatives in the coming days to ask for further explanations and to take a hard look at what is necessary to make sure they would be able to operate more effectively in similar situations in the future. 

"Airports must 'get serious' about planning for this kind of severe weather conditions. We have seen in recent years that snow in Western Europe is not such an exceptional circumstance. Better preparedness, in line with what is done in Northern Europe, is not an optional extra, it must be planned for and with the necessary investment, particularly on the side of the airports.

"We need to ensure that...there are appropriate service levels and minimum quality requirements that are followed and delivered. If there is a need for support from the European Commission in terms of regulation on minimum service requirements for airports in this area, I am prepared to do that."