Once upon a time, you bought an airline ticket and flew to your destination; the only real options were smoking or nonsmoking, first class or coach, and what meal you'd like to eat.

Today, the a la cart-ization of airlines means virtually every comfort or choice fliers once used to take for granted has become an "extra," worthy of a surcharge by the airline — from snacks to blankets to leg room.

And according to a study, apparently American travelers like it that way, since they're willing to pay for all kinds of little "options" — including the right to disembark first.

The survey of 2,300 commercial airline passengers by FlightView indicated that half of fliers would happily be charged extra for in-flight and on-ground services, like Wi-Fi with streaming, real-time luggage tracking, and charging stations for electronics at your seat.

In a busy, bustling world, noise can be a problem for both hotel guests and hoteliers.

One company, Quietyme, has set out to reduce noise and cut down disturbances with the help of advanced technology.

Quietyme — founded in 2012 in Madison, Wisconsin — uses sensors to pick up the decibel levels of locations. Sensors can be placed in individual rooms and are connected via an electronic network. The sensors not only pick up the origin of high noise levels, but also indicate which particular rooms within a property are affected, based on each room’s decibel level. Reports are then sent to hotel staff either via mobile device or through the main hotel system.