Flying what some would call the formerly friendly skies can often be a grueling experience. With full body scans and fee rate hikes occuring more often than lesbian Justin Beiber sightings, and airports touting more security than a prison strip club, many air travelers have lost faith in those responsible for sheparding them about. 

But the airline industry as a whole is starting to show signs of resurgance, ash clouds be damned. So much has been said about what the airline industry has done wrong (pee before boarding and Ryanair's standing room only plans for example) that we decided to highlight some of the innovations and things they've actually done right, or will be doing right in the near future. Everybody needs a little encouragement every now and again, large airline conglomerates included. 

1. Qantas: Smart card check-in

According to The Age, Qantas Airlines will next week begin trials of a chip-based "next generation check-in" system. What does this mean exactly? Basically that "Qantas platinum, gold and silver frequent flyers and Qantas Club members will have been issued with new frequent flyer cards embedded with the smart technology and these will then operate as their permanent boarding passes," according to the article. While these smart frequent flyer cards won't be available to the peasant masses, it is a step in the right direction as it could significantly streamline the check-in process.

2. KLM: iPad bandwagon confirmed

Whether you love them or wonder what all the fuss is about, iPads are all the rage these days. Not wanting to be left behind in the tech curve, KLM installed iPads in their Amsterdam Schiphol Airport Crown Lounges, going so far as to replicate the office iPad displays seen in Apple stores. Again, the peasants will have to wait as the Crown Lounges are only available to frequent flyers, but we can hope other carriers and airports will make new technologies available as they arise.

Click here to read about the Airbus Concept plane. Is it the future of flight?

3. London Gatwick Airport: Pushing social media customer service

On various monitors throughout the airport displays will read announcements like, "'Are you on Twitter? Get in touch with us @gatwick_airport and let us know about your experience at Gatwick today'." In the coming months the airport will aspire to use social media as a "24 hour response tool".

We're not sure how much more effective it is to leave a comment on Twitter when you really need to get an issue addressed, but such a program is good for public visibility and transparency. Gatwick lost your luggage and gave you hell? Write it all over their Facebook fanpage wall and plaster in on Twitter to test their responsiveness.

4. Spirit Airlines: Totally transparent fees

Jaunted does not like Spirit Airlines. At all. As a matter of fact they called them "the devil". But that still didn't stop Jaunted from praising Spirit's decision to go full monty with airfare purchase price fees.

5. Cathay Pacific: WiFi skies after 2012

In partnering with Panasonic Avionics, Cathay Pacific is hoping to be the first airline to have it's entire fleet kitted out with WiFi, 50Mbps Internet, GSM voice and data service, and in-flight TV sometime after 2012, as long as the world doesn't end as the Mayan Calendar predicts. As all good things have a catch, don't expect anything but the in-flight TV to be free.

6. China airlines: In-flight mobile coverage

Three Chinese carriers, Air China, China Southern and China Eastern are looking to keep you chatting in flight. In our increasingly iPhone-ized and connected world, any forced stay of connectivity can be a real downer. The tech is there, its just a matter of getting it on the plane. Hopefully other carriers will follow suit and allow passengers to accept calls from nagging mothers and bosses while in the sky.

7. ANA: In-flight draft beer

beer flight
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What took them so long? Sure to please Japanese college students and beer lovers across Japan, All Nippon Airways made the truly outstanding decision to offer draft beer in-flight. The only downside is the service is offered on domestic flights and mostly to and from the island chain of Okinawa. Well, that and only a total of 20 cups will be served due to pressurization restrictions. Little airline liquor bottles are a staple and we do appreciate fine red house wines tasting of oak and cardboard, but we hope draft lagers, pilsners and ales start making the rounds on other airlines in the near future.

Read about the 14 rules of air travel etiquette on CNNGo

8. BA, Air Canada, Lufthansa and SAS: Mobile boarding pass smartphone apps

Not only a great idea, but one that makes passengers feel cool while going through security. An achievement in and of itself. Though basic in functionality, British Airways has had a mobile app for two years while Air Canada, Lufthansa and SAS's have been around for a few months. But this month BA upgraded their app to include boarding pass functionality. Not that everybody could use it while the BA cabin crew are on strike. But it's the thought that counts.

9. Air France: Paris-Orly kids only lounge

Brilliant. Parents on connecting Air France flights traveling through Paris-Orly will have the option of dumping their spawn off at the supervised lounge where their "children can play in an interactive area equipped with two PlayStation3 gaming systems (the games are regularly renewed, we hear), and manual activities are available for younger children. In the dedicated relaxation area, young passengers can rest, read or watch DVDs on a flat-screen television."

Carriers take note of this innovation. Imagine the improved sanity of parent travelers and all passengers alike from the minor respite given by having kids taken out of the waiting areas and put into a separate holding facility. Holding lounge. I mean lounge.

10. Virgin America: Open bar tabs and next-gen google maps

Packaging an open bar tab with google maps might sound more like the planning stages of a pub crawl, but Virgin America calls it an upgrade. We can't help but agree. The upgraded Google maps feature will "feature terrain view maps with fresher images and eight levels of zoom functionality, so travelers can see the actual topography over which they are flying."

For the open bar tab, Virgin states, "Guests can now swipe their credit card just once per flight and order food, cocktails, movies and more -- and keep a tab running during the flight." Better liquor up before hitting 10,000 feet on decent though as the tab will automatically close at that altitude.

11. IGI Airport, New Delhi: Swanky new Terminal 3

If anybody has ever visited the Hanoi International Airport, then they could better appreciate the news of an ultra-modern and convenient terminal opening anywhere in the world. In this case, that new opening is the July 28, 2010 official beginning of operations for New Delhi's IGI Airport Terminal 3, a massive step up for the airline industry in India.

The new terminal features everything from auto-rickshaws, a 4,300 car garage, 98 immigration counters for international passengers, a common check-in concourse with 168 check-in counters and 24 removable check-in counters, a modern five-level in-line baggage system for faster processing, and 78 aerobridges, the largest number of a single terminal anywhere in the world. In other words, IGI has seriously upgraded.