Do you find airports to be uncomfortable, hectic and unnecessarily expensive? There are many ways to mitigate or avoid the hassles entirely. Obviously, arrive early. Anyone would rather be bored in a terminal for an hour than have that panic-stricken dash to the gates. Once inside, immediately check a departure screen to see if your flight is still on time. If you don't have checked luggage, use an electronic kiosk. Some are afraid of them, but they're very simple and straightforward. At the electric kiosk, see if there's a button to view the seat map. Oftentimes you can change your seat to something more desirable, especially if you arrive at the airport early!

When you locate your gate, approach the workers with a genuine smile, and very humble tone of voice. Ask them in the nicest way possible if they have an exit row seat available, as you have knee problems (or a similar excuse), and be sure to let them know "you totally understand if it's not possible". Even if you looked at the seat map on the kiosk and they seemed full, this is oftentimes not so. And sometimes if you ask kindly enough, and they are full, they'll switch you with a passenger that hasn't yet checked in! This is another reason it's important to arrive early. I personally get an exit row seat 75% of the time.

If you're inclined to ask for favors like this, It's extremely important to be as sweet as possible. Within the airline industry, it's well known that "problem customers" (those who are either generally rude, make demands, threats, or difficult requests) will be replaced by another more innocuous customer if they ever get difficult and vow "never to fly with airline xxxxx" again. As such, airline workers will politely decline anything unless you give them a genuine emotional appeal.

If you have an excess amount of time prior to departure, go to the arrivals section! Most airports' arrivals areas have larger and more comfortable seats! Just be sure to familiarize yourself with the location of your departure gate prior to venturing over. If you're going to take a quick nap, hook a strap from a carry-on bag around your leg to prevent theft for ease of mind. Even if you're planning on dozing off for a few minutes, by all means set your cell phone alarm just be sure. If you're like most people, you're flying coach. Boarding "zone 4" or "zone D", or whatever is usually last. I personally recommend you stand up and approach the back of the line when the first zone is called, and remain there. Once your zone is called, you'll be first in. Being first in, you'll have as much overhead room for your carry on luggage as you desire, wherever you want to put it.

Once you have your seat, check out the pouch in the seatback. Grab the whole stack of magazines and pamphlets and toss it under your seat. You just got an extra 2 inches of legroom.

Last but not least, a sneaky trick to either getting a free seat upgrade or a few drinks. If it's a flight in which you have a personal screen with programming/music etc, and you're unimpressed - Signal for a flight attendant and let them know the sound doesn't work. They'll bring you an extra set of headphones at first, then try rebooting your screen. If you let them know it still doesn't work, they'll either move you up to business class, or at the worst, provide you with a few complimentary beers or wines. Once again, it is CRUCIAL to be as sweet and understanding as possible. Like anyone in the service industry - they are so accustomed to putting up with rudeness and dismissive behavior, that when encountering someone extremely gracious, they'll bend over backwards.