I bring some absorbing books. What "absorbing" means will vary with the individual, of course. Some things that have tided me personally over recent plane trips are detective/thriller novels by Lionel Davidson, Joe Gores, Robert Parker, Donald Westlake, Peter Lovesy, Jonathan Gash, and Reginald Hill. (I don't mention Hammett or Chandler since I've long ago read all their books about five times, but if you haven't they might be good choices.) Any historical novel by Robert Graves or Mary Renault is good for putting you into that trance, especially if you're going to Greece. I admit with some embarrassment that I took The Da Vinci Code on one flight and it did the job, but I can plead in mitigation that the paperback was on sale in the airport book shop, and since I was about to board a flight for Paris I figured this would be a good time to read it if I ever did.

On a recent trip I took the old historical novel Quo Vadis, which I found much better and more absorbing than I'd expected, though it helps if you're already interested in ancient Rome. It's nice and long. And on plane trips before that I've taken Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone and The Woman in White, both of which I found hefty and entertaining reads.

A lot of these books are available supercheap in paperback in used book stores.

im with you on that...its great with a good selection of movies...

There are people who still mail in bill payments? :eek: :eek: ;)

For me it depends on the length of the flight. On a short one I usually get the USAToday free at my parking lot or the US Airways Club and skim that then do the crossword puzzle. On a longer one I will pay for the New York Times and read every article then attempt to do their crossword puzzle. The Times usually takes me about two hours to fully enjoy so that helps. Following that I'm a big reader and as I'm now pursuing a Master's I've been bringing my GMAT prep book with me. As a noted procrastinator, being on a plane allows me to get more of that done then when I'm home.

Alternately, if I'm flying American I use the seat power outlet to connect my laptop to power and then I will usually watch a Netflix movie or edit photos.

The only way to fly. :D

...and I suppose...
 

you claim never to have heard of crossword puzzles, or (heaven forfend you should become addicted) sudoku???
The mind boggles....or at least is momentarily....um...puzzled:p

Nintendo DS

Already mentioned but download a TV series you haven't seen (to notebook or ipod), grab a drink and sit back.

wow a lot of good suggestions - unfortunatly i only fly coach as it is on my own dime, and i usually just take the cheapest flight so havent racked up nearrrrrly enough miles for upgrades, so a lot of the suggestions wont apply to me. Would like to bring a laptop and watch a movie/show, but unfortuntaly theres no power and my battery wont last long enough. Maybe i should just buy a new extended battery, that seems like the best way to pass the time with a few movies

If you study the replies carefully, you'll see that the general consensus is to read a book. You can buy them in bookshops which, handily enough, are often to be found in airports.

And if you can't read (oh, wait, you can, because you can write :D), there's always an iPod with a downloaded TV series or movie.

As I fly international (TPAC) more often than domestic, I would pick a flight that has AVOD (CX, KE, BR, SQ, AC, etc.) So the fact that the economy seat doesn't have any power doesn't bother me much.

On the shorter flights, your laptop should generally last at least several hours. Then read, eat, sleep, + take-off and landing should easily occupy your time. You can always find a place to recharge your laptop at the connection point and that should get you ready for the next flight again.

Yep, and you can also get free subscriptions here.

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I start with work. I bring my 4 lb laptop (Fujitsu tablet PC) and a Kensington charger that enables me to hook up to both AC outlets and the outlets in most airlines (although some like BA now take the normal US power plugs). I do writing that I can do without confidentiality problems. It is great to have time to think without people needing to talk with me.

I fly mostly international and primarily airlines with AVOD and watch movies during meals (which often seem to be endless).

I read the Economist religiously and bring it if I haven't read it. I read this during takeoff, landing and other times depending upon interest. I bring reading glasses. I occasionally bring books but not that frequently.

I bring an ipod with audiobooks and music. I often bring noise-cancelling headphones.

I plan to purchase a Kindle.

This is what I personally do:
- Listen Music
- Use a DVD Player for movies
- Socializing - Talk with people nearby you ^^.
- Reading the boring books that are available for everyone.