If you have a laptop on hand, bring some DVDs to watch. Time flies when you're watching a movie (and/or TV shows on DVD)!
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From what I understand, this is a writer's exercise, so you might want to have something to write on when you do this...

Look at someone and then make up a story about them. Make up their background, who they are and where they are going (and what they're going to do when they get there).

Essentially, you're making up stories about people. Creative and fun for me...

Oh... and I love my DS....
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The very best thing to do is strike up a conversation with a stranger make a new friend, but sometimes people aren't willing to converse.

Attempting to hack into pay only wifi is a good choice.

What about the time on Seinfeld when Kramer made wagers on whether or not planes would come in as scheduled.

Or if you get bored take a ride on the luggage carousel


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69U5vnEMqNs
Source(s):
http://www.dontmindme.com/6mis0507.php

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20262078/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0697647/

http://www.mahalo.com/Seinfeld_Episode_Guide

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A Nintendo DS or a PSP is good way to pass time, or listening to music. If the tech stuff isn't really your fair, reading a good book will make the time fly fast. You can get a puzzle or sudoku book, or simply take a walk around the airport - many airports have art exhibits hanging, and even small bars to relax and mingle in. And since you've got time to spare, there's no rule saying that you have to stay in your terminal.
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Is it you, or you and SO or you and kids?

If it's just you, then there are all kinds of puzzle books available. Or get a book or magazine you've been eying but haven't had time to read.

Our favorite group game is "Hairy Eyeballs". It's so fun that when my family plays it in public, we have people laughing along and joining in!

The easy, non-prep version is to designate one person "it". That person thinks of a word or phrase, like "hairy eyeballs", "lint", "my great-aunt's used Q-tip", "a feather boa" or something equally goofy or gross, although plain answers sometimes can be very funny. Two all-time hits in my family were, for some reason, corn and pot roast.

Then, you start asking "it" questions. They HAVE to give their pre-set answer, no matter what is said, and without cracking a smile!

If they can get to 21 without cracking a smile or laughing, then they get to pick who is "it" next. If someone makes them cave, then that person gets to be it.

The fun thing is the first question. You have no idea what the person is going to say!

Here are some sample questions to get you started:

What do you like to put in your cookie dough? (used Q-tips?)

What's that floating in your soup?

What's hiding under your bed?

What did Darth Vader chop off Luke's hand with? (pot roast?)

It's a game that doesn't require a lot of concentration, strategy, or skill. Just about anyone willing to loosen up a little can play, of any generation, so if Grandma is with you she'll have fun, too! There are barely any rules, either, but keep it polite, and if your 5-year-old is trying to ask a question, make sure her voice gets heard.

Good luck, and I hope you're not stranded for long!
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Human Bingo. I've played it before in an airport. It's a great way to meet people, be less bored and get nice folks to tell you interesting stories.

There are a lot of Word doc templates online. Search for "human bingo"

Find someone:
from an "M" state
who needed to go "over the river and through the woods" to grandmother's house.
someone taller than 6'4
an adult shorter than 5'0
etc.

It's very fun. I made 25 copies and convinced 17 adults and 7 children to play.
Source(s):
http://www.ehow.com/how_2133431_icebreaker-human-bingo.html
http://entertaining.about.com/od/miscgames/qt/humanbingo2.htm

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Well first and foremost my first answer will be biased,open your laptop or go to the internet booths,whichever suits your fancy fire your browser,log onto Mahalo answers and help people get answers.

It also depends on the amount of time on your hands,you could also carry your iPod and while away the time listening to your favorite playlists while you read that book that you have been putting off to read the whole year.

Better still you could browse through the airports gift shops and who knows what wonderful bargains you could find there.If the time is sufficient and there's a window of good weather you could take a sight seeing trip into the city and basically acquaint yourself with a formerly unfamiliar place.

For more information and ideas other than the ones i have outlined above check out this terrific forums where people in a similar predicament to you discuss the options available to them. I hope this information helps,happy holidays.
Source(s):
http://www.mahalo.com/answers/
http://www.travelblog.org/Forum/Threads/13211-1.html
http://www.opentravelinfo.com/node/697

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iPhone - Scrabble!
Source(s):
Experience :)

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This answer has been voted unhelpful by users. Please click to view

Try to get into the frequent flyer lounges without a membership card. Argue your case with the receptionist. Make sure a long line forms behind you.

Block the gate at boarding time for flights you aren't even scheduled on. Make sure you have an oversize carry-on too. It helps you block actual passengers more effectively.

Call reservations from the courtesy phones just to chat. Make sure you don't know your reservation number, or the flight you are on, or be sure of your name. Call an airline you are not flying today.

Finding a person who's luggage is sitting just out of reach and report it to security as an unattended bag. Watch the chaos that results from a safe distance.

Try to hack the non-public WIFI networks using a laptop equipped with suitable tools.

Look for holes in the security of the sterile area of the airport, places where a person could get in or out without passing through the normal security or where objects could be passed back and forth if a whole person could not.

Unplug unused equipment to save the airport money...reservation computers, flight schedule displays, security cameras, escalators, anything no one is using at the moment.
Hide

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so you decided that your six hour layover wasn't enough to get to town, visit the millennium park bean then get back and through security again? smart!

bring a dreidel and teach stranded kids how to play. or bring a monopoly board and challenge strangers.
Source(s):
http://www.millenniumpark.org/

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I use my DS, PSP and iPhone to pass the time
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If your cell phone has BlueTooth on it, turn it on and set it to search for near by devices. Giggle at the names people give their phones. Look around and try to match the phone name with the person based on body language and style. Roam around the terminal to get new names/faces.
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I spy with my little eye something ____.
Eat!! Get chunkeigh!!

Preplanning: Printing out easy, medium, and hard sudoku.
Bring a deck of playing cards and light poker chips and play poker for money.
Solitaire.
Reading.
Practice your conversation skills.
Try to convince someone of something so preposterous that even you don't agree with it.
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Karaoke!

Though you'd have to get stuck in the Houston airport to take advantage of it...
Source(s):
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2008-12-05-houston-karaoke_N.htm

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I generally find using laptops and such are a major pain on a flight, unless you are in First Class, have plenty of room, and you know that the plane you are on has a laptop power port of some kind.

Watching a DVD on a portable device is fun if the battery life can stand the flight; I suggest getting a season of Penn & Teller's BS! to kill the time.

Otherwise, there is surely a book someone has said, "You've GOT TO READ THIS!"

Status Anxiety by Alain de Botton will get you through the flight, or Carl Sagan's "The Demon Haunted World."

If you need something less serious, you can always pick up a hobby magazine at one of the many stands.

Lastly, my favorite is to take some sleeping pills (legitimately prescribed) or drink some alcohol, grab the iPod, and then pop in some QUALITY ear-buds (the $99 Shures are widely available now and are powerful enough that I use them as in-ear monitors on stage with bands) and put on some Ambient music, or something else you've never heard before. I suggest the following to put you in an interesting mood:

Telefon Tel Aviv - Fahrenheit Fair Enough
Brian Eno - Music for Airports
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Honestly I would just get the iPhone. You can call friends/family, answer email, and even play games!

Also, you can surf the web and keep up to date with the weather!

Oh, and did I mention you can watch MOVIES and listen to MUSIC!
Source(s):
No, I don't work for apple :)

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If you have a laptop, check out the free game called Chainfactor. In my opinion its the most addictive way to kill an hour on the planet. Seriously, watch out.
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Have you ever gone Mullet Hunting? It might be time to get started!

Other games could be like a scavenger hunt...I am sure you could google one for airports. And there is always the handy, watch something. And depending on what airport you might have many other options. The larger ones have all sorts of shopping, and in certain airports there are Slots! Juts get $2 in nickels and go until you lose it all. Or win a certain amount, whatever.
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If you like to read, I highly recommend an ebook reader. They last forever, are light and great for travel. My fav choice is the Sony 505.

Here's all the sony models:

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&categoryId=8198552921644523780
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Play "Petals Around The Rose."

It's a dice game/brain teaser. It's really good for getting random people together and watching everyone try to figure it out. There's a story here about Bill Gates playing it in an airport (which is why I thought about it):

http://www.borrett.id.au/computing/petals-j.htm
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It's always great to make a new friend....but if you're shy, you may want to pick up a good book you've been wanting to read. Bring a camera and see where your creativity takes you. If there's any way you can find out ahead of time how long the layover will be...maybe you can find some interesting shops or museums near the airport. If children will be along for this layover, it might be fun for them to plot flights on a map..., count all of the people wearing red..,..develop stories about the planes as they take off - keep an elderly passenger company. Before you know it, it'll be time to go!
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It depends on the length of the layover. One time my sweetie and I had a 6 hour layover in Anchorage. We found a place down by the luggage carousels where we could check our bags by the hour and then we took the taxi downtown and were able to have 3 hours to catch lunch and shop. We had set up with the cab company to send a cab back to pick us up when we called. We got back to the airport with plenty of time and had an extra mini adventure in the middle of our trip. The few dollars for checking our luggage and getting the cab were well spent.
Source(s):
personal experience

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I would simply suggest listening to music. For airport food and other items are truly expensive at least to me, try listening to your ipod or buying your local newspaper and reading that.
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Create an ad hock wireless network on your laptop called "AIR-TRAFFIC-CONTROL" or "TSA-RESTRICTED-NETWORK" and watch the people around you freak out as they turn on their laptops and wireless devices and discover it as an unsecured network.
Source(s):
http://www.cs.washington.edu/research/edtech/presenter/doc/adhoc.html

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Walk the terminals, watch the planes, watch the ground crews. See if the ramp workers are consistent in what they do, safe and efficient. Sometimes things move fast, sometimes slow, either way it helps pass the time. Watch the drama of the happy the sad the nervous and the calm. The singles, couples, families, grandparents, occasional unaccompanied minor, business travelers, military men and women and on and on.
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If you have a laptop, I would splurge on the internet access at the airport.

If you do not, just stock up on books and magazine at the stores there.
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one thing that i do every time i travel is i bring a good book to read just in case things like being stranded on airport terminal happens.
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Relax and unwind with a pedi or mani. Many major airports now offer manicures, pedicures, waxing, facials and other beauty treatments.

Relaxation stations are your new best friend. Many airports, like Dallas and Miami, have what I like to call “the relaxation station”: Brookstone (or other stores of the like). Where else can you get a free five minute massage in a massage chair and purchase gadgets that can help your sleep be even sweeter on that long flight?

Catch up on your flicks. Many major airports now offer “vending” machines with DVD and console rentals. For just a few dollars, you can rent a flick you missed and forget about the fact that you have a horrible layover.

Let the social butterfly out. Airport bars are one of the most interesting places to meet people. Each person has a different story of where they have been and where they’re going, and this is the place to flock to hear those stories and to tell your own.

Shop, but be careful. While it’s no mall, some airports do offer decent shopping. If you’re traveling internationally, you may be able to find a good deal through duty-free shopping. But beware when shopping in the airport: Just because you have time to kill doesn’t mean you should use it blowing your money. When in a “$10 gift boutique,” ask yourself, would I pay $10 for this faux-silk hankie if I weren’t stuck in an airport?

http://travel.msn.co.nz/img/article/wasting-time-airport.jpg

1. Wreak havoc over the paging system
At my local airport, John Wayne Orange County, some bored person is always having fun by asking the very proper English paging lady to page a ridiculous person who we know from media or childhood folklore. “Lucille MacGilicutty” (I Love Lucy’s maiden name) and “I.P. Freely” are just a couple that I’ve heard paged. Also announced, “Would Mr. Johnson please meet his ex-wife and her lawyer next to the statue of John Wayne”. Part of the amusement is catching people chortling and guffawing over fictitious names.

2. Buy a couple juicy paperback books
This is only a good idea if you happen to have a good book shop in the airport but so many US cities are cursed with dull pulp offerings. The choices overseas, when they are written in English seem to be more contemporary and make really good reading. I recently picked up “Bridget Jones’ Diary” which is a funny, fast read, and “Man and Boy” by Tony Parsons - which made me weep in parts but it was good! Pack subscription magazines from home in your carry-on, you’re never going to read them otherwise, then leave them on the plane to lighten your load and share with the next passenger.

3. Get drunk in the lounge with someone you met on the first leg of your trip
Although terrible for jet lag, it’s friendly and fun. I did this in St. Louis with a man returning from Scandinavia and Italy (I was returning from somewhere else, maybe England), we sat next to each other on our first flight. It was only at the bar in St. Louis, Missouri that I discovered in conversation his father owned radio stations in the sixties. I almost fell off my stool. Obviously, use your judgment to avoid serial killers, stalkers and kidney thieves.

4. Phone friends everywhere in the world
This necessitates a good calling card plan. It’s not always easy to connect with friends when you’re at home or away, so airport waiting periods are good “catch up” times. Friends with toll free numbers at their work are a bonus (only if they’re not in the middle of something, you wouldn’t want to impede the wheels of industry!). Call your parents, remind them they have a daughter/son. Try to find a phone away from paging speakers or it might be impossible to chat over announcements. Because you could be at any airport at any time of the day, it’s possible to catch friends in different time zones who you may not otherwise be able to call without waking them up.
http://therawfeed.com/pix/using_laptop_in_airport.jpg
5. Get a laptop computer. No, don’t
As if you don’t spend enough time on the computer? Try life off-line, write a proper letter. This used to be an art form. It doesn’t have to be publication-ready but challenge your heaving intellect by writing a thoughtful, interesting, well-developed letter. The result is always more substantive than an e-mail. Laptop computer - $3500. Pack of stationary - $10. You be the judge.

6. Make a long connection time even longer
This is relatively easier with transcontinental flights rather than interstate ones. When transferring planes in a country other than your origin, try to get an overnight stay in a city in which you have buddies. Visit! Relax! ...then carry on with your journey the next day. Airlines allow less than 24 hour overlays at no extra charge, giving you a day to visit somewhere through which you wouldn’t otherwise be passing. You could even catch an all-niter if your timing was good. Short ‘n sweet visits are ideal if you’re busy ‘n broke.

http://img3.travelblog.org/Photos/38118/158149/f/1143492-Killing-time-in-Lima-airport-1.jpg
Other ideas:

Eat. Some airports have decent food. Surprise player, Newark, New Jersey! Big selection at little prices, LAX should take a lesson. By eating the food of your choice you can pass on the airplane meal if it’s bad. (I try to remember to pre-order “low fat” meals because it’s usually of a better quality than the regular meals)

Walk around to shake off the edema that’s developed on longer flights.

Primp. It takes a lot longer to brush your teeth & hair in an airport restroom than in your own bathroom at home, maybe because you don’t keep your toothpaste in a roll-on suitcase at home

Avoid:

People-watching. Didn’t your mom tell you it’s impolite to stare?

Exercising. No one wants to see you lunging across the terminal with your Heavy Hands. Some things are better left in private.

Missing your connection. Find your next gate of departure before you do anything else, because it might be in a different terminal, a couple trams and busses away! (this happened to me recently in the US, what a nightmare, nobody needs that kind of stress)

SOME MORE IDEAS YOU MAY LIKE -------
http://contentdig.com/recreation-and-leisure/five-ways-to-pass-the-time.html
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