For frequent fliers, it's no contest: Wi-Fi wins by a mile, according to a recent survey, with food coming in a distant second. Unsurprisingly, business travels also heart power outlets, and hate dead batteries.

HotHardware.com has the scoop on the survey, conducted by American Airlines and sponsored by HP—both of which, naturally, use the results as a jumping-off point for touting their latest travel-related products and services.

Still, the survey offers an interesting peek into the mind of frequent fliers—1,582 of them, to be exact (each of whom claims to fly the friendly skies at least 20 times a year).

Among the results: A whopping 47 percent of business travelers say that Wi-Fi is the "most important airport amenity," with food—you know, the stuff you eat to survive—trailing by a good 30 percentage points.

Once frequent fliers step foot on a plane (and by the way, about 90 percent of them wouldn't dream of boarding without a laptop and a cell phone) 24 percent name power outlets as the "most important technology amenity," with 41 percent complaining most bitterly about dead laptop batteries and 26 percent annoyed by—you guessed it—the lack of in-seat power outlets (which are typically reserved for first and business classes).

Of course, while more and more airlines are cranking up Wi-Fi in the cabin, the state of airport Wi-Fi is spotty, to say the least—not to mention expensive.

As this ABCNews.com story notes, only about five of the top 20 airports in the country offer free Wi-Fi, with the paid Wi-Fi networks charging $6 and up for daily access. Some airlines—I'm thinking JetBlue—offer courtesy Wi-FI in the terminal, but for the most part, prepare to cough up the cash. And good luck finding an available power outlet. (For help with hunting down airport power outlets, check out the invaluable AirPower Wiki.)

In any case, I almost never bother with airport Wi-Fi; instead, I depend on my trusty 3G wireless card ($60 a month, but worth every penny) and a spare laptop battery.

And as far as airport food goes, well … there's no beating a juicy cheeseburger and a tasty beer, especially when you're facing a lengthy layover.

So, what about you: Airport Wi-Fi, or food? Where have you found the best airport wireless (or food, for that matter), or a terminal with plenty of power outlets? Let us know.

Related:
Survey: Airport Wi-Fi More Important Than Food [HotHardwire.com]