(FORTUNE Small Business) – Considering the sorry state of the airline industry, it's quite a shock to learn that airports trail hotels in high-tech services. Things are improving, albeit slowly. Airlines are embracing self-service check-in to eliminate long lines, and 2003 will bring more visible signs of Net access everywhere--from the coffee shop to the clubroom to the plane itself. And Detroit's airport is the model for the 21st century. How's that for a good sign? --Josh Taylor

Internet Access in the Skies

Say goodbye to our last disconnected sanctuary: Net access at 30,000 feet will soon be as common as an in-flight Julia Roberts movie. Verizon Airfone has begun to roll out its JetConnect service (about 100 Continental and United planes out of 1,800 with Airfone). For $5.99 a flight you can send short e-mails, instant-message, and access limited web content. E-mail receipt will launch this spring for an extra fee. Boeing's Connexion will deliver a full-blown high-speed Net connection. Lufthansa started a free three-month trial in January, and British Airways begins its own test this month. Expected cost: $32 a flight.

Best Airport for a Layover

Detroit's Metro Airport, thanks to a recent $2 billion overhaul, is one happening hub. Need to check e-mail or search the web? Head down to the Online Cafe Bar & Grill for high-speed Internet and a burger. And by this spring you'll be able to get online anywhere you choose once Concourse Communications' wireless network is in place. Check out the geek-chic oxygen bar, and then try the light and sound show in the tunnel that links concourses (see how you're feeling after those two activities). Ironically, with six runways--it was the only major U.S. airport to add a new one in the past two years--this could be the place you're least likely to get delayed. But that wouldn't be so bad either.

Four Public Wireless-Internet Options

Frustrated by my hotel's lame dial-up connection during a recent trip to Seattle, I took my trusty wireless-enabled laptop in search of a high-speed network. After finding a Starbucks (in Seattle?) with the T-Mobile HotSpot service (t-mobile.com/hotspot), I was online faster than you can say "grande nonfat latte." T-Mobile, Wayport (wayport.com), and Concourse Communications (concoursecommunications.com) are racing to sign up hotels, airports, and national chains. The various billing options are a mess, but road warriors should go with a national monthly plan, which starts at $29.95. Also check out 80211hotspots.com to search for free wireless networks.