On the Spot: Advice for the holiday traveler

Today we skip the standard Q&A format and ask you — no, beg you — to consider some things you can do before you get on that plane that takes you home for the holidays. Flying isn’t like riding a bike; what was true last year may not be true this year. Last year, for instance, your 10-year-old had to remove his shoes at airport security. This year, he doesn’t. But you do, if you’re older than 12. Here are other reminders, with help from experts, that may smooth your trip:

1. If you are delayed by bad weather on a domestic flight, it’s not the airline’s responsibility to feed or shelter you. You’ll want to know that before you’re stuck in Chicago’s O’Hare or Dallas-Fort Worth so you can make adequate preparations, which generally means having a credit card and some cash, and if it’s a long delay, some idea of the hotels near the airport. This is why: Airlines’ contracts of carriage generally don’t cover force majeure, which Webster’s defines as “an unanticipated or uncontrollable event or effect which releases one from fulfillment of a contractual obligation.” Unless you’ve purchased travel insurance that covers such an event, you are on your own. The take-away: Be prepared, Scout. Keep your wits and your cellphone about you. Just to be safe, scope out hotels near the airport ahead of time and save their telephone numbers.

2. Reread the Transportation Security Administration’s website (www.tsa.gov) and know that the rules sometimes are inconsistently applied. Save yourself some trouble and don’t wrap your gifts ahead of time. Remind yourself that you can pack only the number of 3-ounce containers of liquid that will fit in one 1-quart bag if you’re taking them as carry-on. If you have a 6-ounce tube of toothpaste but it’s more than half empty, tough beans — TSA can take it away. And by making TSA sort through your stuff, you’re slowing the process for everyone. The take-away: Being selfish is a two-lumps-of-coal offense this time of year.

3. This reminder comes from Brian Kelly, also known as the Points Guy. He’s an expert on frequent-flier mileage and travels often; in fact, when I caught up with him last week, he was getting ready to do a mileage run to Rome; Istanbul, Turkey; and Amsterdam. “Be nice,” he said. “It goes a long way.” To which George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog.com, added in an email: “Too much ‘tude at the airport nowadays and you could very well get hauled off by the police.… So if you find yourself getting steamed, find your happy place, kill ‘em with kindness. Flash a little smile, ask how they’re holding up during all this crazy holiday hullabaloo, offer a compliment.” The take-away: The people you are interacting with are just as harried as you. And you’re not having to put up with Alec Baldwin.

4. Also from Hobica: “Show up early — really, really early. Yeah, we know, airports can be a tad dull, but we’ll gladly risk boredom over rolling up at the last minute and sprinting through a mob of travelers, only to watch sad-faced as your plane leaves the gate.” The take-away: Remember, fun lovers, airlines have cut capacity and load factors are already high, so getting re-booked will take a Christmas miracle.

5. Check in online, said Anne Banas, executive editor of SmarterTravel. “Even if you’ve got bags to check,” she said in an email, “it’s still a good idea to check in online whenever you can, since bag-drop lines tend to be shorter than the check-in lines. And if you’re going all carry-on, you’ll get to skip the ticket counter entirely.” The take-away: Technology is your friend, so if you’re not computer-savvy, have one of your kids or grandkids help you out.

We can’t promise any of this will make your trip better any more than we can tell you that you’ll find a luxury sports car under the tree on Christmas morning. But it’s the promise that gives us hope, not unlike the real message of the season itself.

Have a travel dilemma? Write to travel@latimes.com. We regret we cannot answer every inquiry.