A bit off topic, but some good ideas about how to survive over-sold airline travel. Cheers, Jim December 20, 2009 Practical Traveler The Flight Before Christmas By MICHELLE HIGGINS LAST Christmas, Kelly Hills.s United Airlines flight from Albany, N.Y., to Portland, Ore., on Dec. 20 was repeatedly postponed by snowstorms on both coasts. The next best alternative offered by the airline was a Dec. 27 departure . one week later. At any other time Ms. Hills.s predicament might not have been quite so dismal. But this was the Christmas holidays, when huge crowds intersect with some of the worst weather of the year, creating the stuff of travel nightmares. Just one storm can send delays rippling across the system, wreaking havoc on flight schedules, causing mass confusion and testing the sanity of travelers and airline personnel alike. Ms. Hills, an English tutor, was able to plead her way onto a plane three days before Christmas, but her troubles weren.t over. Both legs of her flight were delayed, turning an eight-and-a-half-hour trip into a 15-hour ordeal, and when her plane finally landed in Portland, it sat on the tarmac for an hour with no bathroom breaks for passengers. .No restroom after a five-hour flight isn.t fun,. she said. Holiday travel is never fun, and this year may even be worse. Though fewer people are expected to fly, planes will be packed because of cuts in capacity. Travelers will pay to check their luggage or will battle with other passengers for space in overstuffed overhead bins. And if bad weather hits, the entire system may be thrown into disarray as flights are delayed or canceled. To help you navigate through the chaos, here is a holiday travel checklist to be sure you are prepared for the worst as you head to the airport. 1. Map out Plan B. Figure out your next best flight options in case your plane is delayed or canceled. A simple online search at sites like Kayak.com or ITASoftware.com will give you a quick snapshot of available flights. That way you can suggest alternatives that you prefer rather than end up at the mercy of frazzled booking agents. Also, for $4.99 a month, OAG Flights2Go offers flight schedules and flight status information on your mobile phone. 2. Load up your cellphone with emergency numbers. In addition to the airline reservation line, include the number for the frequent flier representative if you are a member. Those booking agents tend to have more experience in looking for creative itineraries and may be helpful in finding an alternative flight. If you booked through a third-party travel site like Expedia or Travelocity, add its customer service line to your roster; it may be able to advocate on your behalf. 3. To make sure you.re not left out in the cold . or on the airport floor . when that snowstorm grounds all flights, add the numbers of some major hotel chains, like Starwood or Marriott, with airport locations. If you are an iPhone user, there are several free apps that offer nearby real-time hotel listings with available rooms, including HotelPal, Hotels.com and Kayak.com. 4. Set up a flight alert for yourself and anyone who may need to know your whereabouts, like the aunt who offered to pick you up at the airport. These services, offered by most airlines and Web sites like Flightstats.com, let travelers know if a gate or flight time has changed via e-mail or text message. Orbitz.com allows customers to alert up to six people at a time. Knowing about such changes early can give you an edge over the 100-plus other passengers on your plane if there is a cancellation and you need to alter your plans. Another tip: iPhone users can download the FlightTrack or Flight Status app, which offer the status of thousands of flights, as well as arrival gates and baggage carousels, for a one-time $4.99 fee from Apple.s iTunes App Store. 5. Pack smart. Leave the shower gel or anything else you can pick up at your destination. Have gifts shipped ahead so you don.t have to lug them with you. Edit your wardrobe: do you really need three sets of heels for dinner at Grandma.s or will one pair do? A carry-on will also allow you to avoid the scrum at baggage claim and easily move between flights if your itinerary is wrecked by delays. If you must check luggage, you can save $5 at most airlines by prepaying online. (Many airlines now charge $15 to $25 for the first checked bag and $25 to $35 for the second on domestic flights.) United passengers can also pay a $249 annual fee to check up to two bags on each flight, and avoid paying the usual fees. 6. Know your rights. This is critical during busy travel periods when flights are often overbooked and confusion reigns. Travelers can receive up to $400 if they are involuntarily bumped and rebooked on another flight within two hours after their original domestic flight time and within four hours for international flights. They are eligible for up to $800 in cash if they are not rerouted by then. Complaints about airline service other than safety or security issues may be registered with the Department of Transportation.s Aviation Consumer Protection Division . 7. Check in ahead of time online. This may be common sense, but it.s important to arrive at the airport with boarding pass in hand because the last travelers to check in are often the first to be bumped when a flight is oversold. Most airlines allow travelers to check in online as much as 24 hours in advance. 8. Reserve a parking spot. Holidays are also crunch time at airport parking lots, where the best spots fill up fast. You can avoid circling the airport in search of a space by reserving a parking spots at off-airport lots, which offer shuttles to the airport. Services like Park .n Fly Network and AirportParkingReservations.com allow travelers to search for and reserve a spot by plugging in their departure airport and travel dates. Rates start at about $6 a day, but vary by airport. 9. Know your airport. If your flight is delayed, you may end up spending a lot of time there. Airport Maps, a $2.99 app for the iPhone, shows where gates, airline lounges, restaurants and shops are at more than 60 major North American airports, so you can easily pick up some last-minute gifts at the duty-free store. Another app, iFly Pro, offers details on 350 commercial airports for $6.99. Another tip: through Jan. 15, Google is offering complimentary Wi-Fi in 47 airports across the country, including Las Vegas, Boston, Houston, Seattle and Miami. 10. Be polite. Courtesy definitely gets more results than pushiness. That was the approach that Dane Steele Green, chief executive of Steele Luxury Travel in New York, took last Christmas when his trip from Newark to Zurich was derailed by a series of delays and cancellations. .I was very polite; remember, who wants to be there on Christ- mas Day?. he said, noting how he tried to make the agent feel appreciated and important when explaining his situation. .All of a sudden I hear tickets being printed.. Mr. Steele and his companion, who were initially scheduled to fly in business class on three connecting flights on Swiss International Air Lines, were put on a nonstop all-business class flight on a partner airline, PrivatAir. .It was wonderful,. he said. -- ------------------------------ * Dr. James Ellingson, jellings(a)me.umn.edu * * University of Minnesota, mobile : 651/645-0753 * * Great Lakes Brewing News, 1569 Laurel Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104 *