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Cancelled flights are a headache for everyone.  Believe me, the airlines don’t like to cancel.  It starts a whole domino effect.  Not just for your flight, but for flights at down line airports all through the day.  Planes end up in the wrong places with crews that can’t fly them because of time regulations.

Probably the most common reason a flight is cancelled is weather.  Sometimes this is pretty obvious, like if you’re sitting in the middle of a snow storm, and no one is moving anywhere.

Sometimes you look outside, and it’s sunny and calm.  How can the flight be cancelled for weather like that?  Think about it.  The weather might be occurring somewhere else.  Maybe there are severe thunderstorms on the East Coast, and that’s where the flight is coming from.  Maybe the flight is coming from sunny Florida, but it’s coming THOUGH a hub in the middle of one of those storms.  Maybe there is a sandstorm in the Sahara or a typhoon in Japan.  Weather anywhere in the world can affect your flight if it is a long haul flight.

Another reason flights may be cancelled is mechanical problems.  If this is the case, you want them to cancel, but it’s hard not to feel frustrated anyway.

Or a flight could be cancelled because there have been delays, and now the crew has been waiting for too long.  There are rules about when they can fly and when they can’t.

If your flight is cancelled, the second you hear that your plane is not going anywhere, call the airline’s toll-free number.  (It’s a smart idea to have it programed in your cell phone.)  Get into the line at the counter, especially if it’s fairly short, but make that call while you’re standing in line.  There’s a good possibility you’ll get rebooked more quickly on the phone than at the counter where a couple of overwhelmed airline employees are being swarmed by a plane full of disgruntled fliers.

Ask what your options are.  Actually, it pays to have an idea of alternatives before you get to the airport.  True, most times you won’t need to use the alternatives, but with cancelled flights, the sooner you can act on those alternatives, the more apt you are to get on your way while everyone else is still looking them up.

Most airlines will rebook you, with no fees or penalties, on the next flight on which space is available.  Not necessarily on the next flight… the next flight on which space is available.  During holiday periods or really bad weather situations, this could be more than just hours.  If you seen the news the last few years, you know it can even be days!

If the wait seems too long, ask the agent if there might be a seat on another airline.  Remember they are in competition, but airlines will often endorse your ticket to another carrier to try and get you on your way in a timely fashion.  You’ll have the most luck if the flight is on a partner airline.

If these things don’t work, suggest solving your flight problem by connecting through another city or going to another airport.  Remember, all of these suggestions only work if your cancelled flight is pretty much an isolated situation.  If all the airlines are canceling flights, as they must in bad weather, ….patience is the only thing that will work.

Start shopping early if you’re booking a flight for any holidays…. or a wedding or a cruise.  There have been capacity cuts on all the airlines these last couple of years, so there will be fewer seats for those holiday flights.

If you’re going on an impromptu trip, you can look and book at the last minute, but if you HAVE to be there for Christmas or Mother’s Day or a wedding or that cruise, booking a flight at least six weeks ahead is probably a good idea.

Internet booking gurus suggest the best time to shop for your flight online is a Monday or Tuesday.  Airlines typically lower fares early in the week and raise them again toward the weekend.  Start your quest for booking a flight with a search engine that does a comprehensive fare search…. on a site like Kayak.  This should return a list of flights with the best schedule and price.

If you want to save money, consider driving to a smaller airport.  Airfares can be cheaper from those outlying airports and parking may be cheaper too.  If your time off allows it, try to fly on non-peak days.  (For instance — in the U.S., avoid the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after… those are definitely PEAK travel days and will be the most expensive.)

Don’t think only the broad search engines are the place to look.  Check airline sites in your search for booking a flight.  Airlines pay commissions to other booking engines, so more and more they are posting the best air fares on their own sites.  There may be specials that other search engines can’t find.  These specials often pop up for a short time, and they’re usually not advertised.

It’s best to avoid itineraries that involve several connections or several airlines.  Every stop and connection is a possible problem for missed connections.  You might save a couple of dollars if every thing goes right, but you’ll have a real headache if things go wrong…. and if you’ve got to be there, a couple of extra bucks for a non-stop or direct flight is well worth the peace of mind!  Get up early and catch the first flight… it’s the one that is least likely to be delayed.

If you MUST be there for that holiday or wedding or cruise, we suggest booking your flight at least 24 hours before you need to be there.  If you have a connection, make sure there is enough time to get to the next plane… even if the first one is delayed.  Look for a minimum connection time of two hours.

Weather delays happen summer or winter and the airlines are not responsible for these.  They will not compensate you.  They will try to get you on the next available flight, but that might not be until the next day, and if you haven’t allowed enough time, you may miss the boat or the wedding.

Be smart when you’re booking a flight online, and your holiday will get off to a good start…. and you’ll get home on time.

What is a passport? Bear with me as I start at the beginning of planning for an international trip.  If you’re a citizen of the world where they are commonplace, you’ll be wondering “Who doesn’t know THAT?”  Well, many Americans for one thing.

The United States is a large, diverse country.  People can and do live their entire lives without leaving its borders.  There’s plenty to see and do here.  There is, in fact, a large percentage of Americans that don’t travel internationally.  I’m not sure there is an official count on this.  I’ve read all kinds of statistics but a conservative estimate seems to be that 75% of Americans don’t own a passport.

So for those Americans and any others who are unclear on this, let’s get really basic… what exactly is this document?  To quote the United States Department of State, “It is a document issued by a country to a citizen of that country, allowing that person to travel abroad and re-enter the home country.”  There’s a government definition for you!

Every country in the world issues their own.  Citizens of all countries need passports to travel out of their country and into another.  There are exceptions, but that needs to be addressed in another article.

The format is generally a small booklet about 3 inches by 5 inches.  At the front there are the official identification pages that contain your name and your officially affixed photo.  (You supply a 2 inch by 2 inch photo when you apply).  This page also contains the information on your birth date, where you were born, when and where the document was issued, when it expires, and that all important passport number.  You must sign it when you receive it for it to be valid.  In the United States, they are valid for ten years for adults, and they’re valid for five years for children 15 years of age and younger.

The pages that follow are empty waiting to be used for exit and entry stamps.  Those empty pages are also used for formal visas if they are required.  (Again, that will take another article.)

When you’re leaving the United States, there is no government document control station.  Your passport (and visas) will be checked for validity by the airline you are traveling with.  When entering a new country, the Immigration Officer will check your documents.  They may stamp it with the date of your entry.  In most countries you are allowed to visit for a limited amount of time (generally thirty days) without officially applying for an extended visit, so this stamp marks the start of your visit.

The Immigration Officer will check that date at your departure and stamp you out.  For most travelers, these stamps are great memories of their travels.

O.K. maybe you knew most of this.  It’s just good to understand everything when you’re planning your first big international trip.  So now that you know what a passport is, you can move on to getting one and planning your itinerary!

You can’t fly anywhere these days without running into a line at the airport security checkpoint. They have become a way of life. If you watch closely, you’ll see the frequent flyers seem to breeze through the lines with no hassle or bother at all. Here are a few tricks that will make airport security lines easier for you and everyone around you. The key to these tips is thinking ahead and be ready when you are next in line.

Empty your pockets of loose change.  Wallets and cell phones should go into one of those little bins they provide also.  Remember heavy watches, bracelets, and belt buckles can set of the alarm, so take those off, and stow them in your carry-on bag before you get to the front of the line or put them in the bins.

Consolidate books and snacks so you won’t have as many things to gather back together once you’ve been screened.

In the United States, you have to take your shoes off.  Slip-on shoes will come off and go on faster.  Zippers and laces will slow you down… have your shoes untied or unzipped before you get to the front of the line.  (Take care when you put them back on that you don’t trip before you’re put back together!)

Have your one quart/one liter plastic bag with your liquids, creams and gels out of your carry-on, and put it in a bin.  Remember each liquid should be 3 ounces/100 ml or less, right?  There shouldn’t be any loose liquids in your carry-on bag.  If you have “medically necessary” liquids or baby food, in most countries, those can be outside of your plastic bag allowance, but you must notify a screening officer.

Have a plan when you put things into bins on the screening belt.  If you put things through the screening in the right order, you’ll be able to put yourself back together faster afterward.  Here’s a good way to do this.

First put your shoes, coat and your carry-on “personal item” (usually your smaller bag) in the first bin.   They will come through the x-ray first, and you can be putting them back on while you’re waiting for your other items to be screened.

If you’re carrying a computer, put your carry-on bag for your laptop in the bin ahead of your computer, then when your computer comes through, you’ll have the laptop bag ready to slip the computer right into it.

If it’s going to take you a long time to put your shoes back on, collect all of your belongings and move to the side so the line doesn’t get jammed up.  There are usually a few chairs against a wall nearby where you can sit down and put yourself back together.

You will annoy your fellow travelers AND the screening agents if you stand there and try to put those shoes on…. leaving your bin on the screening belt with others backing up behind yours.  Airports report that almost half of all security checkpoint bottlenecks are caused by people putting themselves together after screening without moving to the side…. don’t let this be you!

Do you have any good tips for getting through the airport security checks easer? Leave us a comment below.