• I visited LGA's Chase Sapphire airport lounge to check out the meals, drinks, entertainment, and spa.
• Chase Sapphire lounge access is free for $550-per-year Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders.
• However, travelers without the card can enter for free with a Priority Pass membership once a year.

A Chase Sapphire airport lounge opened in January at New York City's LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport. There are also Chase Sapphire lounges in Boston and Hong Kong.

I got an exclusive tour of the credit-card lounge in LaGuardia's Terminal B in February.

The 21,850-square-foot space felt like a luxury hotel lobby.

I spotted thoughtfully designed seating areas, an upscale bar, a complimentary restaurant and buffet, extensive coffee bars, a peaceful coworking space, an arcade with an old-school jukebox, and a spa offering free facials.

Upstairs on the second floor, there were private suites as well as a mezzanine full of plants.

The lounge at LGA is open from 4:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily and is free for $550-per-year Chase Sapphire Reserve credit cardholders to visit whenever they have a flight departing within three hours.

All they have to do is activate their complimentary Priority Pass airport lounge membership that comes with the credit card.

However, during my tour from general manager Ioannis Tzielekis, I was surprised to learn that Chase Sapphire lounge access doesn't necessarily require a Chase card. In fact, you can get all the same complimentary amenities free of charge.

How to get into the airport lounge for free

There are two ways to get Chase Sapphire lounge access for free without the card, both of which require a boarding pass for a flight up to three hours away.

The easiest way is to travel with a Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholder who is allowed two free guests per visit. Any additional guests cost $27 per person.

Travelers don't have to know a Chase cardholder for the second option.

A Chase Sapphire representative told Business Insider that those who hold a Priority Pass membership without the card can enter for free once a year. Each additional visit costs $75.

The pass is complimentary with various travel credit cards from other banks, or it has a starting rate of $99 for those without any of the partnered card programs, according to the Priority Pass website.

While I was only visiting the lounge for a tour, knowing I could have a pleasant experience before boarding a long flight made me excited for my next trip to the airport — and keen to get a Priority Pass membership.

• After visiting 17 countries, I will always swear by checking a bag during my travel experiences.
• Forgoing a carry-on and checking a bag means I don't have to compete for overhead bin space.
• When traveling with a large checked bag, I get to pack everything I want to bring on my trip.

I consider myself fairly frugal when it comes to travel. I've booked the 6 a.m. flight to save $50 and have flown basic economy more times than I'd care to admit.

But after visiting 17 countries, there's one little luxury I can't go without when flying: checking a bag. Yes, checking a bag both ways can be expensive — usually about $50 to $70 both ways. However, I believe a more comfortable travel experience is worth the splurge.

Checking a bag makes my time in the airport less stressful and helps set a positive tone for my trips — which is why I'll always swear by it.

Checking my bag and forgoing a carry-on makes moving around the airport easier

I hate maneuvering a carry-on around bathroom stalls or pulling my bag behind me while holding my lunch. I find that my carry-on bag is practically tied to me while I'm in the airport, which can become annoying.

To avoid this, I forgo a carry-on and pack everything in my checked bag. Once I turn my bag into an agent, I don't have any cumbersome luggage to bring to the gate. This allows me to move around the airport much more easily.

Boarding a plane without a carry-on is less stressful

Checking a bag means I can avoid the Hunger Games-type madness that comes when it's time to board the plane.

Most passengers with a carry-on try to board as quickly as possible before the space in the airplane's overhead bin runs out. Avoiding this anxiety-inducing exercise and not rushing to board is a little luxury worth the price of checking a bag.

Opting for a large checked bag means I can pack everything I want to bring on my trip

When I traveled with a carry-on, there were times when I ran out of space. I often felt like the abominable snowman, wearing multiple layers and a jacket, which wasn't a nice experience.

Now, packing all my belongings in a large checked bag gives me more choices for what I can bring on my trip. As someone who's a bit indecisive and dislikes the concept of packing light, I feel great having this space to pack several clothing options.

After all, the clothes I'm in the mood to wear when packing may differ from those I want when it's time to get dressed.

In my experience, a large checked bag doesn't make transportation from the airport more difficult

I used to think that having a carry-on would be the most advantageous when I landed — this type of luggage is usually smaller than a checked bag, so I figured taking it on a train or other form of transit would be easy.

However, in reality, I find that the size of my bag usually doesn't matter if I'm just going from the airport to a hotel.

If I were backpacking across Europe, sure, I'd take as little baggage as possible. However, in my opinion, cramming things into a smaller bag doesn't make sense when the effort to get from point A to point B is the same either way.

Traveling can be expensive and anxiety-inducing. Still, if you ask me, checking a bag is a relatively easy way to have a better travel experience.

This story was originally published on August 12, 2024, and most recently updated on December 13, 2024.

• A Qantas flight U-turned over the Pacific Ocean — 1,100 miles after leaving Los Angeles.
• Investigators said sparks were seen coming from an engine, and Qantas confirmed a "mechanical issue."
• Passengers were left with a six-hour flight to nowhere.

Qantas passengers endured a six-hour flight to nowhere when their flight turned around over the Pacific Ocean.

Flight 16 from Los Angeles to Brisbane, Australia, on December 3 U-turned after 2 ½ hours, about 1,100 miles off the California coast, per FlightAware data.

It landed back at LAX at about 2:45 a.m. the next day in Los Angeles.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which is investigating the incident, said the Airbus A330 suffered an engine malfunction.

From initial reports, it said, sparks were seen coming from one of the engines, prompting the Qantas pilots to return to Los Angeles.

It added that a bang was heard during the approach, followed by stall indications for the engine. After landing, an inspection found evidence of metal in the engine's tailpipe.

FlightAware's data shows that the A330, registered under the tail number VH-EBQ, has been grounded since the incident.

A Qantas spokesperson confirmed the plane returned because of a "mechanical issue with one of the engines."

"The pilots followed normal procedures and returned to LA where the aircraft landed normally," they added.

"We apologize for the inconvenience and recognize this would have been unsettling for some passengers. We'll work closely with the regulators on their investigation."

So-called flights to nowhere can be frustrating for passengers and costly for airlines — but typically less so than other diversions. It is generally easier to repair problems and reroute passengers where airlines have bases. Qantas has a maintenance facility at LAX.

The airline spokesperson said the engine would be repaired before it returned to the fleet. In the meantime, a replacement is being sent to Los Angeles from Melbourne.

It isn't especially rare for planes to turn back to where they came from when an issue arises.

On Saturday, a United Airlines flight to London returned to Newark, New Jersey, where a 24-year-old was arrested on suspicion of interference with transportation.

Earlier this month, a KLM Boeing 777 U-turned over the Atlantic, leaving passengers with a four-hour flight to nowhere.

• Flight expert Gilbert Ott shared insights on the best and worst airports for connecting flights.
• Dallas and Los Angeles have some of the best US airports for layovers.
• Atlanta, Georgia, and London are home to some of the worst airports for layovers.

We'd all likely prefer a nonstop flight over a connecting one, as layovers add travel time and opportunities for things to go wrong, from delays to cancellations.

"A lot of the best places worth going to these days do not have direct flights from faraway places," Gilbert Ott, who flies about 200,000 miles a year and shares his insights on his blog, God Save the Points, told Business Insider.

"In any case, you want to be in a place where the airline has a strong presence because you're going to have layers of support," he said.

Still, when it comes to killing time, navigating terminals, and minimizing chances of delays, some airports offer a better layover experience than others.

Ott shared with BI the best airports for layovers, as well as the worst airports for connecting flights.

A variety of upscale lounges and an on-site hotel make Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport one of the best for layovers.

Ott told BI that Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is among the best US airports for layovers thanks to its premium lounges, from Amex Centurion to Delta Sky Club.

"It's one of those places where if you do have a layover and you really need to kill time, there are both top-notch lounges and an airport hotel directly in the terminal," Ott said.

DFW is also home to one of Ott's favorite US airport lounges, Capital One Lounge.

Meanwhile, Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky, is small, and there's not much to do there.

Some of the worst airports for layovers are small regional airports.

"I think there's a just inherent advantage to being a big airport because big airports can attract retail," he said.

As an example, Ott mentioned that he often has connecting flights through Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Kentucky, which has only two runways.

"I've been there a lot. It's not a fun place to wait for flights," he said. "You have nothing to do."

Those with a tight layover may appreciate that Blue Grass Airport has the shortest walk to the gate in the US at just 0.11 miles.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is ideal for shopping between flights.

"I like Seattle-Tacoma Airport because they've done a really good job of cultivating more local stores and Seattle-centric things," Ott said. "If you've got an hour and 45 minutes, it's easy to kill time there."

BI previously reported that the airport's shops pay homage to the Pacific Northwest experience, with stores like Show Pony, Made in Washington, and Discover Puget Sound.

Ott said he'd spent his layovers at the Northwestern airport sifting through records at a music store and sampling Washington state wines at a bar.

"It doesn't feel as sterile and generic as some airports. You actually get a sense of Seattle. It's not just an airport somewhere," Ott said.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has many amenities, but layovers can be brutal due to frequent weather-related delays and cancellations.

No one wants to put their trip on pause over delays and cancellations — especially in a connecting airport.

According to Ott, this may be more likely to happen when flying out of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia due to frequent storms. And the fact that it's the busiest airport in the world probably doesn't help; the airport has had mass cancellations in summers and winters due to storms.

"I've had hellacious experiences in Atlanta because of the weather," Ott said. "It's a good airport in the sense that there are lots of flights and places to kill time. It's a bad airport in the sense that it's caught up in more storms than most airports."

Ott added that the airport has plenty of amenities but can be overwhelming to navigate.

"There are so many terminals, and you're taking a tram everywhere. They have some nice stuff in them, but it's a hike," he said.

Los Angeles International Airport is among the best for connecting flights because it offers easy access to upgraded terminals.

According to Ott, some airports don't allow passengers to travel between terminals they're not departing from.

Since many travelers don't leave the airport between connecting flights, waiting to board can be a drag for those flying out of terminals with few shops, restaurants, and amenities. Ott told BI that international terminals typically have better amenities than domestic ones.

The terminals are connected at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), which is why it's one of the best US airports for layovers.

Domestic travelers "can still go to the international terminal, which has better food, shops, and lounges," he said. "You can kill time at LAX for hours."

LAX's Tom Bradley International Terminal (Terminal B) was updated in 2023. BI previously reported that the terminal has comfy seating — each with its own power ports — a range of food and bar options, and an exceptional Sky Club.

The upgrade included adding a walkway connecting Terminal 3, which also received an upgrade, to Terminal B. The walk takes five to 20 minutes, so there's no need to catch a bus. This is an especially useful perk for those catching an international connecting flight.

London Heathrow Airport may be the worst place in the world to have a layover because it's challenging to travel between terminals.

"London Heathrow Airport is an atrocious airport for connections — one of the worst in the world, by far," Ott said. Why? Getting from one terminal to another is a journey in itself.

"Some terminals are miles apart, and there is no tram that runs between all of them," he said.

According to the airport's website, getting from one terminal to another can take more than 40 minutes.

For example, Ott said if you land in Terminal 3 with British Airways, you may connect in Terminal 5.

"You have to go through Terminal 3 and take a bus, which can take up to 30 minutes to arrive. Then, you'll take a long bus ride all around the airport to the other side," he said. "And then you may still end up with another tram or bus ride because Terminal 5 has three terminals within it — A, B, and C."

"It's an impossible airport for short connections," Ott added.

Singapore Changi Airport is the best place to spend a layover. It offers local food, on-site hotels, and a ton of activities.

"For best, Singapore Changi Airport is just untouchable," Ott said.

Ott added that the best airport for layovers worldwide has a range of shops, hotels, dining, and activities.

"Some of the best local food is at the airport because the famous places in Singapore set up locations there," he said.

While waiting for connecting flights, travelers can access a pool, a movie theater, and a butterfly garden.

The real spectacle, however, is probably the Jewel — a retail and entertainment complex connected to Terminal 1. The Jewel seems like a destination itself with a hedge maze, a topiary walk, and a ropes course. And the centerpiece is the Rain Vortex — the world's largest indoor waterfall spanning seven stories.

"You can spend an hour just looking at that," Ott said of the Rain Vortex. "I would have a layover there any day."

Qatar hosts the biggest animal cargo center in the world. We visited the hub to see how crews keep precious loads safe in 100-degree heat.

• Svetlana Dali was charged with being a stowaway on an aircraft.
• A criminal complaint says she admitted to evading Delta and TSA staff to board the flight to Paris.
• She got through security in a lane for airline staff at JFK Airport, the complaint says.

A woman who boarded a transatlantic flight without a ticket or passport got through security in a special lane for airline staff, court documents say.

Svetlana Dali, 57, was charged with being a stowaway on an aircraft. She faces up to five years in prison if found guilty.

In a criminal complaint filed Thursday in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York and seen by Business Insider, an FBI special agent set out the evidence against her.

It says Dali admitted in an interview that she flew as a stowaway on board a Delta Air Lines flight from New York to Paris.

The incident is said to have occurred on November 26. The 2.7 million passengers that passed through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints that day was a record for a Tuesday before Thanksgiving.

Thursday's complaint says Dali was first turned away from a checkpoint at John F. Kennedy International Airport's Terminal 4 as she couldn't show a boarding pass.

She tried again five minutes later and was successful, "entering through a special lane for airline employees masked by a large Air Europa flight crew," it adds.

The complaint says that about 90 minutes after being screened by the TSA alongside ticketed passengers, Dali boarded Flight DL264 without presenting a boarding pass.

It adds that Delta agents didn't stop her or ask her to present a boarding pass while they helped other passengers board.

Before the flight landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, Delta staff realized Dali was on board the plane, and she couldn't show them a boarding pass, the complaint says.

French authorities met Dali at the gate and detained her after determining she didn't have a boarding pass or passport, it adds.

Dali is said to have admitted in an interview with the FBI agent that she intentionally evaded TSA and Delta staff and confirmed she appeared in security video bypassing them.

The New York Times reported that Dali's lawyer, Michael Schneider, said in court that the charge she faced was "akin to theft of services or jumping a turnstile."

In a statement, Delta thanked French and US authorities for their assistance. The airline said a review found its security infrastructure was "sound" and the incident was caused by a "deviation from standard procedures."

"We are thoroughly addressing this matter and will continue to work closely with our regulators, law enforcement and other relevant stakeholders," the statement added. "Nothing is of greater importance than safety and security."

• The United Arab Emirates experienced torrential rainfall and flash floods, beginning late Monday.
• Videos appear to show planes taxiing down flooded runways at Dubai International Airport. 
• Some blamed a practice to address water scarcity, but many meteorologists doubt that was the case.

Torrential rainfall pummeled the United Arab Emirates this week, resulting in flash floods that caused air travel chaos, closed schools, and deluged homes.

The rain began late Monday, flooding the UAE with more than half a foot (6.26 inches) of water in 24 hours, according to the Dubai Meteorological Office and cited by ABC News. That is more than two years' worth of rain in one day, the outlet noted.

There are claims that cloud seeding may have played a role in the flash floods. The practice sees planes inject clouds with chemicals that can increase rainfall. Scientists say it's unlikely cloud seeding caused the flooding, though.

One fatality was reported by police at the time of writing on Wednesday: A 70-year-old man died in Ras al-Khaimah when his vehicle was swept away in the flooding.

Flooding also occurred in Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. In Oman, 19 people died in flash floods, according to local media.

Dubai International Airport — recently named the most luxurious airport in the world — said planes were diverted. Some services now appear to have restarted.

Unverified videos on social media appeared to show heavily flooded tarmac, with large passenger airplanes creating waves and taxiing through several feet of water.

The airport did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider about the videos.

"We advise you NOT to come to the airport, unless absolutely necessary," an airport spokesperson wrote on X on Wednesday.

They added that planes continue to be delayed and diverted.

An unnamed couple told the AP that the situation at the airport is "absolute carnage," with some passengers sleeping there or at the Metro station.

Dubai recieved more than 5.6 inches of rain by Tuesday evening, around the amount it typically gets in a year and a half, according to Sky News.

It marks its heaviest rainfall in 75 years, according to a WAM news agency cited by Sky News.

In a post shared on X, the UAE's National Centre of Meteorology showed the regions that have been most affected.

The UAE has been cloud seeding since the '90s

While images of extreme flooding can show the consequences of the climate crisis, this particular event may have been worsened by a direct attempt to play rainmaker — literally.

To address water scarcity in the typically dry country, the UAE started using a practice referred to as cloud seeding in the 90s and early 2000s.

Cloud seeding is a method designed to increase the amount of water that falls from a cloud. It involves identifying suitable clouds and then using aircraft or ground-based generators to introduce a chemical agent that facilitates the production of snowflakes.

Cloud seeding has been used in countries worldwide, including in western US states dealing with drought, like California, Colorado, Nevada, Idaho, and Texas.

The practice has long been controversial, with critics dismissing it as an attempt to "play God" or being potentially harmful to the environment or public health. Scientists have not documented the harmful impacts of cloud seeding, and recent studies have suggested that the practice works.

Ahmed Habib, a specialist meteorologist, told Bloomberg that the UAE's cloud seeding operations contributed directly to the heavy rainfall that fell this week.

Habib told the outlet that two planes conducted cloud seeding operations on Monday and Tuesday and that seven seeding missions had been carried out in two days.

Flight-tracking data analyzed by the AP suggested that an aircraft affiliated with the UAE's cloud-seeding project flew around the country Sunday.

"For any cloud that's suitable over the UAE you make the operation," Habib told Bloomberg.

The UAE's weather bureau said no cloud seeding had taken place during Tuesday's rain, according to the National News. It did not immediately respond to a request by BI for comment.

Chris England, a weather producer at Sky News, said he didn't believe cloud seeding to be a reason behind the floods, adding that evidence of it working was "pretty slim at best." Tomer Burg, an atmospheric-science researcher, told the Associated Press that days before the downpour, computer models forecast several inches of rain.

"When we talk about heavy rainfall, we need to talk about climate change. Focusing on cloud seeding is misleading," an Imperial College of London climate scientist, Friederike Otto, told the AP. "Rainfall is becoming much heavier around the world as the climate warms because a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture."

Despite warning citizens to remain home during the heavy rain, the UAE government's press office said they were "rains of goodness," as the country has dealt with a rise in heat-related illnesses and deaths that some hope can be alleviated by an increase in rainfall.

Schools across the UAE continued to be closed on Wednesday, and employees are working from home, according to the Sky News report.

Correction: December 5, 2024 — This story was updated to better contextualize speculation linking cloud seeding to flooding in the UAE. Many scientists say it's unlikely cloud seeding had a role in the flooding.