In its 2008 U.S. Business Travel Overview & Cost Forecast report, the National Business Travel Association determined that business travel will continue growing this year.

If you are one of the many who travel to tradeshows, conferences, in-person sales calls or any other business engagement that requires miniature bags of toiletries, we hope this roundup of business-travel tips, trends and developments helps.

America's Most Time-Draining Airports
There are many things that drive travelers crazy, but airport delays have to rank among the most frustrating. Forbes has put together its list of the 20 top time-draining airports based on categories such as late-aircraft-related delays, cancellations, weather-related delays and the percentage of on-time arrivals and departures.

McCarran International, in Las Vegas, Nev., ranked 18th, but I really didn't have any problems flying from there yesterday. Almost any airport in the New York Tri-State Area, however, is an entirely different matter, as echoed in Forbes' list. . .

The top 10 most time-draining airports in the U.S. are as follows:

10) Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn. — Minneapolis St. Paul International
9) Atlanta, Ga. — Hartsfield-Jackson
8) Philadelphia, Pa. — Philadelphia International
7) Boston, Mass. — Logan International
6) San Francisco, Calif. — San Francisco International
5) Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas — Dallas/Ft. Worth International
4) New York, N.Y. — La Guardia
3) New York, N.Y. — Kennedy International
2) Newark, N.J. — Newark Liberty International
1) Chicago, Ill. — O'Hare

Trains, Not Planes
The time it takes to get to your destination may be longer, but Ecogeek (via Consumerist) has determined nine benefits to traveling on trains in lieu of planes. Here is a particularly good one:

5) No NAGGING: It's a frikkin pleasure not having someone bug me about my seatback and tray tables and whether my electronic device is approved for that particular segment of the trip. And no seatbelts at all! Whether or not that's technically safe, it's certainly more comfortable.

And one that is especially close to IMT's heart:

9) You handle your baggage. If you lose your bags on a train, it's your fault. There's no waiting at the baggage claim and no worrying about how the baggage handlers (or TSA) will treat your bags.

As Portfolio.com discussed last fall, the government says that airlines are "mishandling" checked bags at a record clip. That's bad enough when they throw in the service for free. But along with their luggage-handling inefficiency comes a barrage of niggling new rules and fees.

Most Annoying Airline Fees
Forbes Traveler has put together a list of the top 10 most annoying airline fees:

10) Fuel Surcharge: $30-$300
9) Airport improvement: $4.50-$20+
8) Paper Ticket: $50-$70
7) Changing a Reservation: $30-$200
6) Traveling with a Child or a Pet: $10-$100 and up
5) Curbside Check-In: $2-$3+
4) Rewards Redemption: $75-$100
3) Seat Preference: $10-$20
2) Talking to Real People: $10-$25
1) Checked Baggage: $10-$100

As of early May, many major airlines (Continental, Delta, Northwest, United and US Airways) are limiting coach passengers to one checked bag per passenger. If you fly Delta, for example, and you bring one extra bag that weighs over 50 pounds, you will be charged: $25 for the extra bag and $80 for going over the weight limit. If you needed a bigger bag to carry all that gear, that'll be another $150 for exceeding the size limit. Other airlines' fees follow suit.

Even more recently, American Airlines recently announced it will begin charging a $15 fee for the first checked bag starting June 15 — just as the U.S. summer travel season gets under way. The airline also said that it would raise fees for things like "reservation help" and "over-sized bags."

Pretty soon, the airlines will be charging fees for reading fees.

Possible Alternatives?
Today there is a new generation of third-party specialty services for getting your luggage to your destination with minimal hassle. Among these: Luggage Forward, Sports Express, Luggage Concierge and the Luggage Club.

You know, just thinking aloud here, but it seems to me that FedEx and UPS could make a bundle by introducing shipping kiosks at airport terminals throughout the country. Sure, it'd cost travelers more than the airlines' baggage fees but — again just blue-skying here — maybe after being abused by airline employees and TSA agents in addition to all these new fees, we'd all go running to the kiosks for the convenience and freedom: from schlepping through baggage check-in, from having our luggage be rifled through by employees and from ensuring our mini-toiletries are sufficiently sized if we choose to carry-on.

Above all, there is the peace of mind that comes from traditional couriers' track record over the airlines.

Top Rental-Car Services for Biz Travelers
The following are the top five best rental car companies for business travelers, according to About.com:

5) Enterprise Rent A Car
4) Dollar Rent A Car
3) Thrifty Car Rental
2) Alamo Rent A Car
1) Budget Rent-A-Car

Best (and Worst) Wi-Fi Hotels
Last month, Hotel Chatter released its annual rankings of the best and worst hotel Wi-Fi in the U.S. Top hotel chains for wireless broadband include Thompson Hotels and most Marriott branded hotels (which include Courtyard, Springhill Suites, Fairfield Inns, TownePlace Suites and Residence Inns), most of which offer free Wi-Fi to guests.

In addition to these, the following are the tried-and-true hotels that consistently top Hotel Chatter's Best WiFi Hotels list:

• Kimpton Hotels;

• Best Western;

• Holiday Inn;

• Omni Hotels;

• JDV Hospitality;

• AB Hotels; and

• Jeff Klein Hotels.

Among this year's list of the worst hotels for Wi-Fi are Four Seasons Hotels and many Las Vegas hotels like the Bellagio — where an ethernet hookup costs you $12.99 a day (plus $10.99 if you forgot your cable).

Rich Roaming
International business travelers are racking up an average of nearly $700 in cell-phone roaming charges per business trip, according to a study by global cellular communications provider Brightroam earlier this year.

The study shows that U.S. enterprises are spending up to $693.50 on international cellular roaming charges each time an employee takes a business trip abroad. The study revealed that the nearly $700-per-trip cell bill is 12 times more than the average monthly wireless bill.

Roughly 15 percent of the U.S. global workforce travels overseas at least once a year, so businesses with more than 10,000 employees are currently shelling out upwards of $1 million for international cellular roaming annually, according to the cellular communications company.

"If you consider that many large businesses in the U.S. employ more than 30,000 employees, it is easy to see how roaming costs can take a big bite out of operating costs," Jeff Wilson, general manager at Brightroam, said in a statement. Yet few U.S. businesses report plans to look for more affordable options.

Another study from the company, released last month, found that 68 percent of U.S. travelers report paying costly roaming fees charged by domestic carriers for cell phone use overseas.

I Flew All the Way Here for This?
Over at Seth Godin's Blog, the business author/speaker recently offered up his "new standard for meetings and conferences."

What makes up the new standard:

• When people come to see you on an in-person sales call, if you can't be prepared, focused, enthusiastic and willing to engage honestly about the next steps, don't have the meeting.

• A speaker owes an audience that travels to engage in the person more than they could get by just reading the transcript; and

• A conference organizer owes the attendees surprise, juxtaposition, drama, engagement, souvenirs and, just possibly, excitement.

"The new rule seems to be that if you're going to spend the time and the money to see someone face to face, be in their face," Godin concludes. "Interact or stay home!"

Did you read IMT's highlights from this week's Progressive Manufacturing Summit? Enjoy your weekend, folks, and Happy Father's Day!