The Web can be an extremely powerful information resource - if you know what you're looking for and which directories/search engines to use. Since most of the people involved in this chat group spend a lot of time travelling & in & around airports, the time spent here finding out the most efficient way of doing things is well spent.
I often arrived at work in the morning to be told that I was going somewhere far away that night/the following day. Our travel agent was swamped as she kept getting last minute requests from a large team (advance planning was virtually impossible) So I'd visit http://www.itn.net/ which allowed me to plot my itinerary, check availability, choose airlines & price ranges etc. Once I'd found something I liked with seats available I'd send the details through to our travel manager who'd book it for me. She liked me a lot better than the people who phoned up with impossible last minute demands. And this way I had control over which airports I ended up waiting in - I managed to stop in obscure parts of the world for dinner with friends, & she always booked me into the best hotels... (Once again, being nice to support staff does you good)
Think of the time that could be 'wasted' hanging about airports when you really don't need to, or the discomfort of getting a business class seat only to discover that it's in the last row & won't recline at all. Half an hour spent online a day is a small price to pay to reduce the discomfort & maximise the airmiles.