Free services abound at airports around the country

There’s been a real shortage of good news about air travel this week, which is why I want to pass along this sunny-side-of-life USAToday.com story.

Columnist Harriet Baskas lists some of the free services and perks you’ll find at airports around the country. If the wave of safety-inspection-related flight cancellations continues, we’re all going to be spending a lot more time waiting in airports, which will make knowing about airport freebies even more valuable.

The list is surprisingly long, but here are a few that stood out for me:

• Free phone calls: As payphones go the way of the 8-track, it gets more difficult to make calls if you don’t have a cell phone, or if your cellphone isn’t charged. However, airports like Iowa’s Sioux Gateway Airport and Nevada’s Reno-Tahoe International Airport have installed banks of phones that allow travelers to make free local and toll-free calls.
• Free exhibits: Many airports host art and history exhibits, which make passing the time when you’re waiting out a delay or a layover a lot more interesting.
• Free Wi-Fi: Airports are catching on that passengers really like free Wi-Fi, and more of them around the country are offering the service to the laptop-lugging masses.