Convenience is king for travelers hoping to spend as little time as possible in an airport. But for those who must hang around a while, it's amenities that matter.

• Drinks on the go: Thanks to an airport-wide beer and liquor license, passengers at Nashville International Airport (BNA) no longer have to sit at a bar or restaurant to enjoy an alcoholic beverage but can take it with them anywhere in the secure side of the terminal. Meanwhile, Denver International Airport is proud of the popular water bottle refill stations it installed throughout the airport terminals this year.
• Airport workouts: During 2014, SFO airport opened its second yoga room (in Terminal 3, Boarding Area E) and following last December's opening of a yoga room at Chicago O'Hare, in September Chicago's Midway International Airport got a yoga space as well.
• Wi-Fi milestones: Travelers have come to expect unlimited complimentary Wi-Fi at airports, and in 2014, the Houston airports (IAH and HOU) and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport joined the team of major airports that provide this much-appreciated amenity. Earlier this year the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced its intention to offer free 30-minute Wi-Fi sessions for all travelers at JFK, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia airports anticipated by the end of the first quarter of 2015.
• Fun for kids: Lambert-St. Louis International Airport opened a 1,500-square-foot Magic House with a kid-sized plane and an air traffic control tower with a slide, it has car rental counters, a luggage conveyor belt and an airport screening area with a pretend x-ray machine.

USA Today Readers' Choice: 10 Best Airports for a Layover

World airport trends

(CNN) Futuristic superstructures, shimmering glass facades and fuzzier lines between indoor and outdoor spaces. These are some of the major trends expected in the coming year as the global aviation industry strives to meet ever-increasing demands as many airports upgrade facilities or begin new projects to cope with a forecast 3.6 billion global air passengers in 2016. Here's some of what to expect over the next 12 months.

• China: China's efforts to rapidly expand its airport infrastructure are expected to reach a peak in 2015 with scores of regional airstrips scheduled for opening. Official government plans have previously claimed that the number of airports will expand from 175 in 2010 to 230 in 2015 as the country ramps up its aviation industry in step with economic expansion. In Beijing, work gets underway this year on a $14 billion international airport in the city's southern Daxing district. The facility is scheduled to come online in 2017. Meanwhile, at Chongqing Jianbei International Airport, serving the largest city in southwestern China, a new terminal three is expected to become operational this year.
• Singapore: Once again Changi Airport Singapore, considered by many to be the world's best, appears to be raising the bar with a futuristic new complex that's likely to revolutionize terminal design. After breaking ground in December, work begins in earnest this year on Jewel Changi Airport, an impressive-looking palace of glass that will shroud retail, entertainment and leisure outlets as well as a multi-level gardens and walking trails. The centerpiece will be the Rain Vortex, a 40-meter-tall waterfall cascading from the roof of the glass dome.
• Mexico: Construction on another eagerly anticipated international airport gets underway in 2015 in Mexico City. Mexico City International Airport, a collaboration between world-renowned architects, Briton Norman Foster and Mexico's Fernando Romero, is designed to be the world's most sustainable when it opens in 2018.
• Brazil: New management is taking over and re-branding Rio Galeao -- Tom Jobim International Airport. The country's second-busiest airport after Sao Paolo is undergoing a long overdue facelift in anticipation of the 2016 Olympics.
• Germany: Munich Airport's new satellite facility to expand its Terminal 2 should be complete by the third quarter of 2015. After an operational test phase, Star Alliance member airlines (including Lufthansa, Air China, Singapore Airlines and United) will move some flights over to the new building. Brandenburg will not open in 2015, and latest reports say it may be 2017 before it's fully up and running.

The travel industry will watch mobile payments and wearable devices newly combine, starting in 2015, creating powerful opportunities for travel brands. The market for U.S. mobile payments alone will expand from $52 billion in 2014 to $142 billion by 2019, according to recent reports by Forrester Research. Meanwhile, U.S. consumers have already undergone a transformation when it comes to mobile tech: only 19% owned a smartphone in 2009 but by 2014, 66% have adopted the devices. That is, standardizing simple mobile-payment experiences stands to give airports, airlines, hotels, attractions, and other travel verticals new leverage when it comes to seamless in-trip purchases and services. Smartwatches and the like have already succeeded in capturing significant territory in the marketplace. Forrester Research estimates that 7% of the more than 15 million adults who buy online in the U.S. are likely to purchase the new Apple Watch in 2015. Equipped with Apple Pay, Apple undoubtedly hopes to stake a claim in the mobile-payment provider space. Similarly, Android Wear is in the works, with as many as 15 devices packing Google's wearable tech system anticipated to hit the market by the end of 2015. 

• The Johnson & Johnson Official 7-Minute Workout: Somewhere between that meeting and meals and cocktails, our daily workout slipped through the cracks. This variation on the seven-minute workout is like a personal trainer in your pocket. Thirty-six exercises, 12 custom workouts, and a Smart Workout feature that gauges your personal fitness level make it easy to squeeze in healthy activity and stay fit and happy on the road. Download here
• Duolingo: Writing, listening, and speaking exercises with daily goals and reminders make for an easy, effective way to learn a new language for free. The deeply satisfying ping of correct answers and the adorable feathered mascot (we're waiting on the plush toy) keep you hooked. Download here

When business travelers devise how they'll get to meetings while on the road, they're increasingly pulling up their Uber apps for transportation rather than waiting in line at a car rental counter. Car rental companies shouldn't feel completely defeated as this category overall still accounts for 50% of ground transport expenses. On average, an Uber ride cost about $2 more than a taxi, $32.48 vs. $30.58, the report found. Lyft only accounted for 0.42% of all ground transport expenses.