Virgin Atlantic is starting live comedy on its Little Red flights between Heathrow and Manchester or Edinburgh this month

Flyers have become accustomed to airline frugality, especially when it comes to domestic travel. Passengers often have to pay for checked bags, while complimentary food and drink have all but disappeared. Airlines are still competing for passengers, however, and some are finding creative ways to lure people onboard – or at least keep them entertained while in the air. Virgin Atlantic has just announced that it is booking comedians bound for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the world’s largest art festival, to perform for passengers shuttling between Heathrow and Manchester or Edinburgh this month. UK musicians will then replace comedians as the in-flight acts during September. Shows will take place in the front of the aircraft, but performers also will cruise the aisles and interact with passengers.

San Francisco airport's yoga room provides weary travellers a place to relax or practice yoga poses once they have cleared security.

Airport relaxation rooms might seem like frivolous amenities. But for harried travellers, quiet spaces offer a chance to unwind between flights, meetings and appointments – without needing premier access or a lounge pass. In fact, relaxation spaces can make air travel more enjoyable in a time when some people feel the hassles outweigh the benefits. “Relaxation and comfortable travel shouldn’t be an elite privilege,” said Tara Russell, a life and sabbatical coach at Three Month Visa, who leads clients through the process of taking time off to pursue long-term travel. “Relaxation spaces civilise travel in a time when security measures have made the experience more time-consuming, and for some travellers, more stressful. Airports are starting to understand that relaxed travellers are happy travellers.”