The transitory feel of airports is quite apparent as you watch people scurry from one terminal to the next, shuffle on and off planes and hustle as they shop for last-minute gifts before heading home. But as many travelers know, airports often result in long stretches of downtime while waiting for a plane, particularly if there's a delay.

Fortunately, those waits don't have to be unproductive, especially since iPass' U.S. airport footprint surpasses 300 access points with new additions joining the network on an ongoing basis.

iPass' recent Mobile Broadband Index indicates that 13 of the Top 20 Airports Worldwide—rated by enterprise connectivity usage—are U.S. Airports. Among the top ten airports are O'Hare Airport in Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Hartsfield in Atlanta, San Francisco, Newark and Detroit Metro Airports.

Many of the latest hotspots can be found in the richly appointed British Airways lounges that have cropped up in cities like Seattle, Chicago, Newark and Washington D.C. At these cities, travelers can step out of the airport hustle into an environment that's serene, welcoming and elegant, with velvet chairs and luxurious couches—perfect for sinking into with a laptop.

Business facilities in the lounges are like branch offices with printers, copiers, fax machines and even payphones—in case your cell phone battery is dangerously low. Some lounges also offer pre-flight dining, served by waiters, so that you don't have to rely on those on-board snack boxes.

Also seeing increased iPass hotspot coverage is the JFK International Airport, another seriously busy airport and major launch pad for travel both within the U.S. and to nations around the world.

And for a smaller regional hub, the Charleston Airport and Stewart International Airport are also iPass-enable hotspots—giving you the chance to stay online even when traveling to less populated locations.

Now if you're flying into Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and find yourself in too much of a rush to check email before heading to the car rental desk, no problem. The 200-acre rental car center at that major hub has fired up its Wi-Fi service too, giving you the chance to check online for car insurance information, last minute meeting changes and emails from home before zipping off to your next destination.

With continuing coverage from iPass, staying connected is easy, catching your connectors is another story.