Flying Over the Holidays

>> Travel with only carry-on luggage.
U.S. carriers are losing more bags than ever, and during the holidays the baggage-handling system at domestic airports is particularly taxed. Avoid checking luggage, especially if you are flying on a commuter airline. Small regional outfits—such as American Eagle and Delta Connection Carriers—mishandled more luggage than did major airlines in the 12 months ending in June 2007. Limiting yourself to carry-ons will, of course, shave hours off your airport time. If you must check luggage, do so curbside, where the lines are usually much shorter than those at the check-in counters.

>> Ship gifts in advance.
This will lighten your load. Should you have to lug presents, don't wrap them ahead of time, since security personnel may need to unwrap them.

>> Make sure you have a seat assignment.
Travelers without seat assignments are the first to get bumped. If you can't get one, it's particularly important to check in online and print your boarding pass up to 24 hours before your scheduled departure time.

>> Don't let yourself get bumped without making sure you're confirmed on a later flight the same day.
When planes are oversold—as happens frequently during the holidays—passengers get bumped. Before bumping anyone against their will, airlines ask for volunteers to take a later flight in exchange for a voucher for future use on the carrier. Don't offer to give up your seat unless you are confirmed on a later flight that day. Otherwise, given the frequency of flight cancellations (and winter storms), you could end up stranded at an airport overnight. If you want to lower the likelihood of getting bumped involuntarily, fly JetBlue, which has a policy of not overselling flights, and avoid Delta and its Delta Connection Carriers, which bumped the most passengers against their will in the 12 months ending in June 2007.

>> Know your standby options.
Airline expert Terry Trippler of tripplertravel.com  advises leaving some wiggle room between the date of your return flight and the day you must report back to work. Give yourself an extra 24 hours to get home, and find out what your airline's standby policy is. Say a storm is brewing that could spell trouble for flight schedules: Call the carrier and ask if it will switch you to an earlier flight on your day of travel at no extra charge.

And If you're looking to save big (who isn't?)

>> Seek out low fares on the least crowded travel days.
If you haven't yet bought your plane ticket, you'll have the best chance of getting a decent fare if you fly on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day.

>> Figure out where you can still go affordably at such a late date.
Go to farecompare.com's Getaway Maps and plug in your home airport to see where you can fly to cheaply at the last minute, both in the United States and around the world. If you're sticking to U.S. destinations, your cheapest accommodation options will be big-city hotels that cater to business travelers the rest of the year—especially those in Atlanta, New Orleans, and Washington, D.C. (the three U.S. cities that have seen the lowest hotel-rate increases within the past year). Want a resort package? Look at what's available on extra-inventory sites such as lastminute.com  and priceline.com. Cruises during the Christmas/New Year's period are pricey, but Thanksgiving sailings are usually a steal. (For other last-minute-bargain ideas for holiday travel, see "The Perrin Report," December 2006.)