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Looking for bargains on everything from airfares to car rentals to hotels? Think "off-season". How much will you save? Plenty. Early in 2002, the off-season--plus the downturn in travel--yielded these offers, all per person, double-occupancy:
A willingness to travel off-season can win you substantial savings on all aspects
of travel. Here's what you can expect.
OFF-SEASON
BENEFITS
Off-season is simply the time when most other tourists stay home--and when rates
go down to lure business. Available discounts will vary by region and season.
Lower airfares. These reduced fares can be the main perk. Time your trip
to catch airfare "sales" and you can almost always save 30 percent
to 50 percent--sometimes as much as 65 percent to 70 percent. Savings depend
on the region and the route.
Intercontinental. These routes, linking the U.S. with Europe, Asia, South
America, and the South Pacific, have at least two seasonal price levels, usually
called high and low, which are limited only to Economy Excursion fares. Some
routes have only one seasonal fluctuation each year; others may have several.
In addition, several U.S.-to-Europe and U.S.-to-South Pacific fares have an
intermediate "shoulder" level. Shoulder fares usually cover a period
of several weeks between in-season and off-season. In most instances, your round-trip
fare is determined by the day you start your trip, although in a few cases the
round-trip price varies by your return date as well.
Domestic. Fares within North America are generally not called seasonal,
but they often vary through seasonal promotions. Airlines also adjust the number
of seats assigned to various price categories to change their yield without
changing the advertised fare levels. And some low fares can be blacked out during
periods of highest demand. On some routes fares vary by week, day, or even hour.
Tactics. Most bargain airfares, available for a limited number of seats,
are advertised for only a few weeks leading up to the earliest departure dates.
Usually you must book by a certain date and travel by a certain date, typically
within two months.
If you can, have a variety of travel dates. When first choices are not available,
ask the ticketing agent to search the days just before or after your preferred
dates. (Or check the airline's Web site for alternative dates.) You may also
get a bargain by flying in the very early morning or late at night.
Rail deals. Amtrak, the private U.S. intercity rail-passenger system,
uses multiple rates for each route in its system, and some vary seasonally.
Via Rail, Canada's passenger rail system, also offers off-peak rates on many
routes. Eurailpasses are not priced seasonally, but savings are always available
for two to five people traveling together. (See Taking
the train for rail information.)
Cheaper car rentals. In some countries, several of the major car-rental
companies adjust rates seasonally. They also offer special U.S. promotions during
slow seasons.
Hotel bargains. Seasonal price changes are common in the Caribbean, the
main European beach destinations (French and Italian rivieras, Greek islands,
Spanish coasts), Hong Kong (most big tourist hotels), the major South American
vacation areas (Bariloche, Rio), the prime U.S. winter vacation areas (Arizona,
Florida and adjacent states, and Hawaii), and in many U.S. summer-vacation areas
(lakes, mountains, coasts). Low-season rates may be less than half the peak
rates. But note that special local festivals or conventions push up rates.
Reduced resort rooms. Seasonal adjustments in resort-hotel rates vary
greatly according to destination. Some have only one high and low season per
year, whereas others have several. Most resort brochures list prices for the
various rates. Generally, rates will be highest in warm-weather locales--such
as Florida and the Caribbean--when travelers wishing to escape their own winter
weather generate the heaviest demand.
More affordable city lodgings. Hotels in major cities don't peg their
prices to the season, but some make seasonal adjustments by promoting special
rates as part of airline packages. Tour operators offer reduced-rate promotions
in major European cities during the colder winter months and during August,
when locals leave for vacation and many businesses slow considerably.
You may be able to bargain with certain hotels during low-occupancy seasons.
Make an offer; many times the hotel will accept it rather than see the room
go empty. (See Getting
the best hotel rates for more tips.)
SHOULDER SEASON
In many places, spring and fall shoulder seasons deliver the best mix of weather
and prices, along with uncrowded attractions. Those time periods can be relatively
short, such as in Quebec, or quite long, as in the Greek islands. Australia's
winter (our summer) offers a long season of good value and mild weather.
In the Caribbean, for example, the winter months--when it's frigid in the U.S.--are
always the busiest. Then demand lessens, and prices begin to drop--but the weather
continues to be balmy and pleasant. Travelers looking for an early spring getaway,
say, between early March and mid-April, when temperatures in northern cities
can still be quite chilly, can snag some good deals.
Tour-operator ads in your Sunday newspaper travel section will give you an idea
of some shoulder-season values. And travel agents can usually quote current
promotions offered by tour operators and individual hotels.
Before you book, however, check out your destination with a guidebook and/or
travel agent. You'll want to know just what the weather might have in store.
Also ask about the availability of key attractions and tourist services. When
fewer visitors are expected, attractions you hoped to visit may be closed or
operating on reduced hours.
WEATHERING THE SEASON
Know what weather you'll face when booking either a peak-season excursion or
an off-season bargain--it can make the difference between a satisfying trip
and a washout.
Rainy season. When traveling to specific tropical or subtropical regions--Southeast
Asia, the South Pacific, Africa, and India, in particular--pay careful attention
to guidebook and travel-agent guidelines on "wet" and "dry"
seasons. Although temperatures typically don't vary by all that much, "wet"
season is definitely more humid than "dry" and characterized by heavy
rains that can last several days. Monsoons are also a hazard. Translation: Your
dream vacation could be ruined--or at the very least, soggy. If you want a bargain,
consider visiting very early or very late in the dry season.
Hurricane season. Technically, hurricane season in the Caribbean, Florida,
and along the East Coast begins June 1 and runs through Nov. 30. But the greatest
concentration of devastating storms occurs from August through October. Resorts
and cruise lines will typically offer discounts during these months to lure
bargain hunters.
Beware: Being caught in a major storm can be a frightening and potentially deadly
experience. Should you decide to risk it, choose a date at either extreme--either
July or November. Tropical storms also strike in the Pacific and Indian oceans,
where they're known as typhoons and cyclones, respectively. Consult guidebooks
for travel timetables to all tropical destinations.
Heat. Peak travel periods for many tourist destinations are the summer
months. Unfortunately, summer brings very high temperatures (90° and above)
in, for instance, Spain, Greece, Morocco, Egypt, India, Southeast Asia, the
Middle East, Southern China, and parts of the Caribbean. In the U.S., the Southwest
(particularly Arizona and Nevada) and the Southeast (Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana)
can also have sweltering weather in July and August, as can Texas and Oklahoma.
When you link heat with large crowds, the results can be extremely uncomfortable
conditions--even dangerous for travelers with medical conditions.
Cold. Freezing temperatures can be equally distressing, especially if
you're unprepared. And certain regions are inaccessible during many of the coldest
months, including Alaska, parts of Scandinavia and Russia, the Himalayas, and
northern China and Japan. In the Southern Hemisphere, southern Chile and Argentina
experience their freeze during July and August--their winter. Again, consult
guidebooks to avoid the ultracold months of your destination.
YOUR PRE-TRIP CHECKLIST
Travel is exciting, alluring--and dependent on a multitude of details. Overlooking
even one component can mean mixed-up plans, delays at customs or at an airport
security checkpoint, or a scramble to find new accommodations--not exactly the
stuff of dream vacations. Get organized now to head off problems later.
Make a list. If you're traveling abroad, get
started at least two months in advance. List everything you must have before
you leave--passport, an additional photo ID for security checkpoint requirements,
visas, reservations, immunizations--then post the list where you can cross off
each item after you've dealt with it.
Check tickets and reservations. Always examine
everything when it arrives, either from your agent or the travel supplier.
Restricted items. You may need a permit or
a license (or not be allowed) to bring in the following: Absinthe and liquors
made with Artemisia absinthium; copies of
copyrighted items, such as books and videotapes; cultural artifacts and cultural
property; drugs and drug paraphernalia; food products, fruits, vegetables, meat,
and poultry; game and hunting trophies; medications; merchandise from embargoed
countries; and plants. Also restricted are pets; fish, wildlife, and any products
made from them; certain gold coins, metals, and bullion; firearms and ammunition;
and hazardous materials.
Currency. You may take out or bring in as
much money as you like. For $10,000 or more, you'll have to file a permit with
U.S. Customs.
Gifts. You may send gifts worth up to $100
to friends and relatives in the U.S., duty-free. Mark the wrapper "Unsolicited
gift" and list the total value of the package. You can't send a "gift"
to yourself. And traveling companions may not send gifts to each other.
Duty-free. Travelers who buy items at duty-free
shops may think they won't have to pay any fees on their purchases when clearing
U.S. Customs upon return. But "duty-free" purchases are only duty-free
in the country where you bought them. They're still subject to duty in the U.S.
if your purchases exceed your exemption, and are subject to all of the previous
restrictions.
Foreign-made personal items. If you travel
with valuable foreign-made items--say, a camera, watch, or laptop--register
them with the U.S. Customs Service before you leave.
Baggage searches. U.S. Customs has always
been permitted to search baggage and to detain incoming passengers, if necessary.
Now more than ever, you should be ready to exhibit the contents of your baggage,
and cooperate by answering all questions.
It's not too late to book that trip you've been putting off--even
if you want to leave just a few days from now. Welcome to the golden era of
last-minute travel. Thanks to the Internet, it's never been easier to pull together
a quick vacation, and grab a pretty outstanding deal in the process.
Economic uncertainty and jitters over security have left many airplanes, hotels,
and cruise ships with unsold inventory. Travel companies are marketing and making
available 11th-hour deals as never before, with the web making it easy to find
and book those offers right down to the wire. Waiting to make up your mind can
pay off. Here are the insider strategies for finding the best deals.
SEEKING THEM OUT
With hotels, cruise ships, and packaged-tour operators under pressure to unload
excess inventory, you can often find discounts ranging from 10 to 50%. Once
you start ferreting out these final-hour deals, you'll find yourself awash in
offers. How you go about finding them will vary based on what you're looking
for (air, hotel, cruise, packaged tour), but some general strategies apply.
An important note: the definition of "last-minute" varies from traveler to
traveler and from travel company to travel company. Most of our tips on finding
airfare deals are for fares available within a few days. But many airlines also
offer deals for flights departing in less than 21 days. Southwest, for example,
provides e-mail updates for its Click 'n Save Weekly Specials. This list of
deals recently included one-way fares of $30, available between dozens of U.S.
cities, for those traveling 14 days later.
FINDING CHEAP FLIGHTS
It's not surprising that airlines, which have long relied
on sophisticated computer reservation and "yield management" systems to fill
their planes, have been the quickest to use the Internet to unload seats that
are still empty on the eve of departure, and many have offered spur-of-the-moment
"e-fares" for several years. Your best bet for attractive last-minute airfares
is to visit their online sites or the larger airline-focused booking engines.
On the web sites of a number of major U.S. airline carriers, you will find that
higher fares become bargain "e-fares" or "cyberfares" on flights in which airlines
have trouble filling their seats. You can register online with American, Continental,
Northwest, United, and US Airways to be e-mailed those e-fares each week. Such
deals are also offered by several international carriers, including Lufthansa
(visit www.lufthansa.com and click on "InfoFlyaway") and Icelandair (visit
www.icelandair.com and click on "Lucky Fares" and "Hot Deals"). The
drawback of these fares is that they may limit you to Friday or Saturday departures
and Monday or Tuesday returns.
If you're flexible, however, you can save substantially on last-minute fares
that are lower then most discounted leisure fares. A check of American's "NetSAAvers"
on a Thursday yielded 28 U.S. e-fares for the coming weekend, including a Boston-Fort
Lauderdale flight for $169, considerably less than the minimum $405 fare quoted
for a flight departing Friday but allowing you to return the following week.
There were also 48 U.S. and 35 international e-fares for the following weekend
(such as New York-London for $299 and Dallas/Fort Worth-Costa Rica for $339);
the international NetSAAvers required a seven-day advance purchase.
Keep in mind, however, that airlines in some cases have begun touting "last-minute"
fare sales that are really early-booking deals, for travel as much as a month
or more into the future. But if you wait, the airline could discount the fare
even further (although there's no guarantee that it will, or that the fare will
still be there). Don't fall for a marketing ploy by assuming a given e-fare
is always the lowest available; it pays to shop around before committing. To
avoid too many automatic e-mail updates or e-newsletters, sign up for just those
that meet your travel interests.
Third-party travel sites can be good sources for your last-minute searches.
Visit Digital City/AOL's helpful Travel Guy (http://home.digitalcity.com/travelguy), which extensively tracks
each day's best fares out of more than 50 U.S. airports. This site can help
you find the low fares available on any given day. And the auction site Priceline
(www.priceline.com) is worth checking out, since it reports markdowns
approaching 60% off the lowest available retail fares. The site also features
discounts on a wide selection of other travel products, from car rentals to
hotel rooms.
We've found that major travel booking sites such as Bestfares.com, Cheaptickets.com,
Expedia, Hotwire, Lowestfare.com, Orbitz, and Travelocity can do a decent job
of finding attractive last-minute airfares (for example, Expedia and Orbitz
feature weekend e-fare finders). But you must make sure that you comparison
shop. When we checked prices for a next-day flight between Atlanta and Chicago
on several of the major sites, the lowest price we found was $316 for round-trip
airfare for Delta and AirTran. The booking engines we checked missed a $157
fare for the same route and time, available on AirTran's own site. That's why
it's important to compare the search engines with the airline's own sites. You
may also want to try the comparison sites www.sidestep.com
and www.travelaxe.com.
Keep in mind that published airfares catering to business travelers, traditionally
the highest airline fares, have dropped in recent months. Major U.S. airlines
such as American and Northwest recently lowered them by 10 to 40%, especially
on international flights. This is part of an effort to stanch the loss of road
warriors to low-fare carriers such as Southwest, America West, and ATA (especially
after Southwest slashed its own business fares by 25% in August).
FINDING CHEAP ROOMS
It's hardly surprising, given the empty rooms seen by many
hotels across the country over the past year, that some national, regional,
and local chains, including Radisson, Microtel, and Accor's Sofitel and Red
Roof Inns, explicitly promote last-minute deals. Many chains advertise the specials,
while others, such as Radisson, offer them only online. Look for catch phrases
such as "getaways," "escapes," or "weekend specials." Discounts can range from
minor to considerable; we found a deluxe double that normally costs $439 at
the Sofitel New York available for $159 on Accor's web site for a next-day arrival.
There are a number of ways to uncover these rates. You'll want to visit the
hotel's web sites, phone or visit the sites of tourist boards that represent
the destination, or call the specific hotel (rather than a national toll-free
number) and ask for any specials, upgrades, or better rates. During periods
of low demand, vendors can be much more receptive to negotiation. Luxury upscale
hotels that don't want to become discounters may be open to this more discreet
approach. Individual properties within chains sometimes offer deals independently
of the national programs, in response to specific conditions in that particular
city.
Consumer Reports' advice: Always try to negotiate with someone at the
individual hotel rather than with a reservations agent representing the entire
chain. Although some hoteliers may not be able to lower rates beyond a certain
level, that doesn't mean they can't throw in extras-such as breakfasts, dinners,
free parking, or visits to the spa. Always ask.
Starwood's Sheraton and Westin brands, as well as Six Continents (the umbrella
company of brands including Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, and Inter-Continental)
offer last-minute hotel deals in the form of air and hotel packages. Starwood's
deals can be found on its own web site, but for Six Continents you need to visit
www.lastminutegetaway.com. Check newspaper travel sections, hotel
web sites, or travel agents, who receive updates on deals periodically from
a number of hotels. Don't overlook hotel-room brokers, as they can be good sources
of late discounts. Companies such as Hotels.com and Quikbook.com buy
rooms in blocks, and may even have the only rooms left at a given hotel on a
given date. Quikbook.com covers more than 1,200 hotels in more than 80 U.S. destinations,
and recent same-day bargains in San Francisco, one of the priciest cities for
hotel rooms in the country, included the upscale Hotel Clift for $195 (against
a regular rate of $220), the Prescott for $139 instead of $209, and the Nikko
for $99 rather than the usual $159.
FINDING CHEAP CRUISES
The high volume of deep, last-minute price cutting on the
part of cruise lines is unprecedented, the result of a ship-building frenzy
in the 1990s that resulted in more cabins than could easily be filled by passengers.
One industry expert predicts the average last-minute rate for a seven-night
cruise will hover around $400 through the holiday period this year. (Upper-end
cruise lines Crystal, Silversea, and Seabourn all have resisted extreme discounting.)
These last-minute deals will be most plentiful among the larger cruise lines,
such as Carnival, Celebrity, Holland America, Princess, and Royal Caribbean,
and will be more prevalent during peak times in locales where there's a glut
of ships, such as the Caribbean in winter.
Unlike airfares and hotel rooms, however, getting a "last-minute" deal on a
cruise requires a bit more planning. Don't wait until the week of sailing to
book your cruise; the key to capturing cruise bargains is booking about a month
in advance (from better-served departure ports such as Miami and Fort Lauderdale,
you can probably play it a bit closer to the sailing date). Go to the cruise
lines' web sites, where you may be able to sign up for e-mail alerts. For example,
when we checked, Royal Caribbean's site was offering five-night Western Caribbean
itineraries from $329; Norwegian had a seven-night cruise departing within a
few weeks to the Eastern Caribbean for $329. The web sites of Carnival, Holland
America, Princess, and Celebrity are also worth consulting.
In addition, the major cruise lines supply cabins to a pool of small to medium-size
middlemen, called cruise consolidators or discounters, which occasionally offer
rates even lower than those officially offered by the cruise lines themselves.
They also make comparison shopping easier. For example, California-based Spur
of the Moment Cruises sends out a "Cruise News" booklet twice a month. The company
posts that same information on its web site under "Red Hot Specials." The company
also sends out weekly e-mails itemizing late-breaking cruise deals. Consumer
Reports found a seven-night Bermuda sailing for just $699 with Norwegian.
Another online consolidator is GalaxSea Cruises, which recently featured a Princess
itinerary that was unavailable on the cruise line's web site: 24 days through
the Hawaiian and Tahitian islands, departing within a month, for $1,499.
LAST-MINUTE PACKAGE
DEALS
Companies selling tours and packages have to take more variables
into account and contend with long-term contracts for flights, accommodations,
and other facilities that lock their pricing in place for months in advance.
While this can mean fewer price reductions at the 11th hour, you can still get
some great last-minute package deals because the hotels, airlines, rental cars,
and local attractions offer tour packagers discounts. These last-minute values
might include free nights, food and beverage credits, or flat discounts on the
entire package.
One of the best sources of last-minute package deals is travel agents, many
of whom are kept abreast of these late-breaking offers by the tour packagers.
A good agent or travel counselor should know which travel vendors are reputable,
offer expert advice, and provide follow-up customer service.
But the downside is that many agents complain of being overwhelmed with the
plethora of faxes and e-mails they receive. For instance, each Wednesday the
West Coast vacation packager Suntrips faxes agents a handful of discounted Hawaii
and Mexico air/hotel packages that depart within two to three weeks. With numerous
other operators doing the same thing, agents have many specials to sort through,
making it more difficult for them to keep up.
Be on the lookout for last-minute specials advertised by larger agency groups.
For example, Liberty Travel, the 10-state chain of more than 200 travel agencies,
advertises imminent vacation packages and cruises.
It's worth checking out tour operators' web sites as well as third-party sites.
(See Last-minute
specialists.) For example, the 25-year-old packager Moment's Notice offers
many late-breaking deals: A recent seven-night/air-inclusive package out of
several Northeast gateways to Cancun's all-inclusive Caribbean Village was $485.
It also offers discounted cruises: seven nights on Royal Caribbean's Grandeur
of the Seas out of New Orleans from $339, or a deeply discounted $199 for a
week on NCL's Norway out of Miami.
Other tour operators that feature last-minute opportunities with some frequency
are Adventure Center, Apple Vacations, Baja Motion Tours, GoGo Worldwide Vacations
(through travel agents only), go-today.com,
and New Frontiers. Visit their web sites, call, or ask your travel agent. You
can explore other reliable tour operators via the company and destination search
functions at the web site of the United States Tour Operators Association (www.ustoa.com).
SUMMING UP
It seems clear that emerging technologies and the travel industry's
economic downturn have combined to provide an abundance of good quick deals,
for those who have the flexibility. In fact, we may very well look back on these
years as the halcyon era of booking inexpensive trips at the last minute. If
you haven't taken advantage yet, now's a good time to consider it.
Airfare tips
You already have a destination in mind--or maybe more than
one. But you still have two more important decisions to make: when to go, and
how to plan a trip that pleases everyone who's coming along.
GOOD TIMING
Planning when to take your trip can have a huge impact on everything
from cost to weather to crowds. Investigate less-busy travel times, such as
off-season or "shoulder" season, which can provide excellent savings.
Also check out local conditions: Overcrowded events, inaccessible attractions,
or intolerable weather are travel tribulations you can skip.
Aim for spring or fall. Your reward will be a combination of moderate
savings and generally favorable weather. For the most agreeable weather, choose
dates straddling summer. May/June and September/October are generally excellent
times to travel, weatherwise. There are a few exceptions: the Caribbean in August,
September, and October, when it becomes "Hurricane Alley", and certain
European winter resorts, which often close from mid-April to mid-May before
reopening for the summer.
Discover "off-season". If a little rain won't ruin your parade,
then check out the bargains of the off-season, when you can grab deals on airfare
and lodging. For example, in 2002, Consumer Reports found a nine-day
tour of Rome, Florence, and Venice, including airfare, for $1,199 to $2,099,
through March 23, right before prices--and crowds--started going up.
Take advantage of "shoulder" season. The shoulder is a very
brief period, typically two to four weeks, just before and after peak season.
Shoulder rates are listed in brochures for resorts, cruises, or condo rentals--you
get moderate savings with generally good weather conditions. But these rates
often sell out quickly. (See The
best time to book bargains for shoulder-season details.)
Swap hemispheres. Winter in the Southern Hemisphere creates different
weather in different places. Temperatures in Tahiti are 67ºF to 84º,
while Sydney, Australia, is a springlike 46º to 60º. Check with your
travel agent or a guidebook; destinations closest to the equator will be hot,
but you'll be able to ski during July and August in Chile and New Zealand.
Avoid summer crowds. Because summer is the time for family travel, popular
destinations such as national parks (Yellowstone and Yosemite in particular),
theme parks (Walt Disney World and Universal Studios), beach resorts (Cape Cod,
the Outer Banks), and European capitals (London, Paris, and Rome) are almost
always crowded. The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that one-third
of all vacations by American households occur in July, August, or early September.
The result? Scarce, expensive accommodations; oversold planes, trains, and buses;
and long lines.
Ask about August. If you do decide to travel in summer, avoid aggravation
with a little research. For example, major European cities may offer limited
services during August, when locals take their vacations; the cities may be
less crowded, but restaurants, theaters, and small shops may be closed. And
Europeans often jam resorts along the Mediterranean and Aegean as well as in
mountain regions.
Don't expect a bargain during the holidays. Traveling during the Christmas
or New Year's holidays can be fraught with frustration. Flights to places such
as Florida, Mexico, and the Caribbean are often sold out far in advance and
can cost double what they do just a few weeks earlier or later. Hotel rooms
will also command top dollar.
Still, there are bargains to be had. Some airlines and travel agents offer deals
to Europe during the holidays; check ads and call travel agents for quotes.
But remember, it can be wet and cold, and some cities, like London, are "closed"
on Christmas. Also keep in mind that Easter is a major holiday in the Catholic
countries of Europe, when roadways, trains, and resorts will be crowded with
locals.
See about conventions. You'll want to avoid major conventions that monopolize
cabs and dinner reservations. Ask your travel agent or the hotel reservation
clerk whether these crowds will be in town when you are. If so, you may prefer
another date--or destination.
Be aware of local events. New Orleans during Mardi Gras (mid-February)
is a vastly different experience than New Orleans at any other time of year.
Ditto for Pamplona, Spain, during the running of the bulls (early July); Siena,
Italy, during the Palio (July and August); London during Wimbledon (late June);
or Auckland, New Zealand, during the America's Cup (January). Some unsuspecting
travelers who book accommodations months in advance arrive at what they expect
to be an idyllic locale only to find it overrun.
CHOOSING LUGGAGE
Today's new travel procedures--luggage searches, increased security screening,
and resulting long lines and waits when boarding planes, trains, buses, and
ships--mean more "baggage wrangling" for travelers than ever. You'll want luggage
that's light yet sturdy, as well as easy to move and manage. Keep these tips
in mind as you shop:
Durability. Nylon fabric held up best in our tests. Corner protectors
add strength.
Stability. Wheeled carry-ons or garment bags may topple easily, especially
with a briefcase or purse strapped on; large upright bags proved much more stable.
Handles and straps. The handle should lock in a closed position to avoid
damage in transit. Some handles lock open at two lengths; which length is best
for you depends on your height. Try before you buy if you can.
Insurance. Cover the difference between the value of your personal effects and the maximum airline payment with a year-round personal-property policy, separate baggage insurance policy, insurance offered by your credit card, or excess-valuation coverage.
AIRLINES
Your rights depend on whether delays or other problems are caused by the airline or by outside circumstances.
Airline-induced events. These comprise any condition under the airline's control, including aircraft maintenance, crew problems, and ticketing or boarding errors; along with late arrival of inbound airplanes because of these conditions.
Force-majeure events. These include weather conditions; acts of God; riots; civil commotions; embargoes; wars; hostilities, disturbances or unsettled international conditions, whether actual, threatened, or reported; any strike, work stoppage, slowdown, lockout, or any other labor-related dispute involving or affecting service; any government regulation, demand, or requirement; any shortage of labor, fuel, or facilities; and any fact not reasonably foreseen, anticipated, or predicted.
Forewarned is forearmed. Best case, you'll avoid delays and difficulties altogether. But if a problem arises, be prepared.
Complaining constructively. When a delay or cancellation grounds you, be organized in your protest.
Complaining some more. If an airline fails to provide you with reasonable help, you can pursue other