Ombudsman: Hard-Won Wisdom

17. Minimize Lost Luggage
According to Department of Transportation statistics, more than a million reports of mishandled luggage—i.e., lost, damaged, delayed, or pilfered—were made for domestic flights between January and March 2007. At check-in, make sure all your bags are tagged, and match the luggage stubs that are attached to the back of your ticket to the number of pieces checked. (Some bags never reached their destinations because they weren't tagged and had no names and addresses on them.) And in addition to luggage tags, stick a label with your name, address, and contact details inside each suitcase. That way, if the airline's and your own tags somehow fall off, the carrier can still identify the bag's owner. Keep notes on the brand of the suitcase, its appearance, and any special features that will help baggage handlers identify it during a visual inspection.

18. Don't Get Bumped
With airlines trimming routes to cut costs, the likelihood of flights being overbooked has risen. Which means, inevitably, passengers will lose their seats: In the first three months of this year, more than 19,000 passengers were involuntarily bumped from domestic flights. Choosing who is denied boarding is a systematic process. First, the gate agent asks for volunteers. If that doesn't free up enough seats, then involuntary bumping begins. This might be done by check-in order (last to check in is first off) or by giving a full-fare passenger priority over a passenger with a discounted or free seat. Whatever the method, your chances of staying on the plane are best if you arrive early, check in early, and get to the gate in ample time—latecomers are common targets for involuntary bumping. Note that if you are bumped involuntarily, you can request cash, even though airlines typically offer compensation in the form of vouchers.

19. Complain in Time
Paying for travel-related purchases with a credit card allows you some protection when things go wrong, but only if you take up the dispute in a timely manner, usually within 60 days of the date the transaction appears on your statement. Try to resolve the issue with the company whose charge you are contesting—a car-rental agency that overcharged you, a hotel that took a deposit twice—before approaching the credit card company. At the same time, keep track of your bank's cut-off date for disputing the charge.

20. Safeguard Miles
Ever tried to book a flight with frequent-flier miles only to discover that your miles have expired? Most airlines wipe out your miles if there is no activity in your account for a period of months or years. Check with the carriers whose programs you are enrolled in, and keep on top of expiration dates. Otherwise, you'll suddenly discover that those miles earned from spending hours cooped up in airplanes have vanished into the stratosphere.

Ombudsman offers a free service of advice and mediation. Because of the volume of letters we receive, we cannot act in all cases. Write to Ombudsman at Condé Nast Traveler (4 Times Square, New York, N.Y. 10036) and include documentation and all photographs. Please note that we cannot respond to submissions sent via e-mail. Correspondence must be typed and must include a daytime telephone number. All submissions become the property of Condé Nast Traveler and will not be returned. Submissions may be edited and may be published or otherwise used in any medium. For the inside scoop on Ombudsman's tips, call 212-286-4410 to order Wendy Perrin's Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know ($18, inclusive).