As temperatures fall, air fares continue to rise. Why? More and more flights are still being eliminated, leaving fewer seats for travelers. The result? More demand and higher fares. Smaller cities will continue to see greater fare increases due to lack of competition among feeder carriers who primarily serve these smaller markets.

Planning to travel by air this Thanksgiving or Christmas? If so, expect higher fares than in prior years. Even booking several months out from the holidays will not ensure lower or reasonable fares as was the norm just a couple years ago.

Always search for alternative airports, if possible, and lower fare carriers such as Air Tran (now owned by Southwest, but different fares on same routes), JetBlue, Spirit, and Southwest. These carriers typically hold down fares in markets where they have a presence.

The good news: Expect Delta to cut fares in markets where it competes with Southwest in February 2012 when the low-cost carrier starts flying to Atlanta.

You’re late for your flight, so you’re bolting down to the gate. You arrive just in time to watch them slam the door shut to the jetway. What happens next?

If you miss your plane and it’s your fault – due to getting caught in traffic, flat tire, not leaving enough time to check bags and get through security, etc. – the airline will generally try and get you on the next available flight without a charge. Note the word generally as it’s at the discretion of the airline. Also, with load factors near 80%, it’s possible there are no seats available for one or two days to your destination. In many cases, your only resort is to buy a new ticket. Ouch.

How likely is it that the airline will help get you to your destination? That’s a tough call. If you fly one airline a lot and have a high-level status in their frequent flyer program, you’re more likely to be accommodated by the carrier than similar passengers without that premier status.

Also, how long should you plan on checking bags and getting through security? It varies by airport and airline departures terminals. We recommend at least 90 minutes for domestic travel from major airports like JFK and Orlando. From a smaller airport such as Burbank, CA, 45 minutes is probably more than sufficient. My rule of thumb: better early than left behind!

Unfortunately, supplier default is an ongoing issue for consumers. How can travelers protect themselves?
1.Book your vacation through a knowledgeable travel agent.
2.Purchase travel insurance at time of booking. (Timing is critical).
3.Be wary of vendors that stop taking credit cards. It’s a warning sign that something is amiss. CruiseWest, a boutique cruise supplier that closed its doors earlier this year, stopped accepting credit cards months before they ceased operations. This was a red flag that there were financial issues with the vendor.

Keep in mind that even if you get your money back you still are not getting the vacation that you had looked forward to. A travel agent with a specialization in your destination or type of travel will have more information and insider connections than the general public and can provide guidance. Most travel professionals will also strongly recommend travel insurance, which is a good investment – especially if it includes supplier default coverage. Some policies do and some don’t. Ask your travel agent to explain the various policy options before purchasing the trip and the insurance.

Hurricane Irene left hundreds of thousands of travelers stranded all over the country due to the closing of New York-area airports and others along the eastern seaboard. Did the airlines take care of these passengers? Nope, as there’s no legal requirement that air carriers provide any amenities – accommodations, food vouchers or anything else – as a result of weather-related cancellations. Some carriers do take care of their coveted, mega-level frequent flyers, but most don’t provide a thing.

What should you do if bad weather cancels your flight? Consider these five tips:
1.If you booked through a travel agent, call him/her immediately for assistance. They’re masters at this sort of thing.
2. If you booked online, try and rebook via that website for the next day – preferably late in the day. Why? It’s more likely the airline will be up and operating later in the day than early morning as crews and aircraft are repositioned.
3.If you’re rebooking by phone, ask for alternative airports. My flight to West Palm Beach out of Baltimore on Monday was cancelled by Southwest and I was told the first available seat was not until Tuesday afternoon. I asked about Ft. Lauderdale and was told the Monday morning nonstop was operating and seats were available. Bingo! If I had not asked about alternative airports, I would have waited almost a day-and-a-half to get to my destination.
4.If you prefer the airline to do all the work, usually it will automatically rebook you on the next operating flight, even if it’s days out. It may be a nonstop, direct, or connection to your destination. The airline will send confirmation via email, phone, or text depending on your preference requested at time of original booking.
5.Good news: There is never a fee or penalty to rebook because of weather-related delays when the air carrier has cancelled the flight. Also, if you decide to cancel all together, the carrier needs to refund your money – again without fees or penalties. Contact the airline’s customer service department immediately to start the refund process.

With today’s ruling by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), it looks like travelers will have to wait a bit longer – OK, maybe a lot longer – for full disclosure by the airlines and travel agents of such need-to-know fees like airline baggage and preferred seating. DOT has postponed implementation of certain new consumer protection rules for air travel from August 23, 2011 to late January 2012. Why? Too many court challenges and petitions from all sides of the travel industry, says DOT.

As I said in an earlier blog, consumers need to know all of the add-on charges in order to calculate the total price of the airline ticket, which is essentially impossible in today’s market place. However, we expect even further delays in implementation as a result of the court cases and strong airline industry opposition to many of the proposals. Although some of the rules will still go into effect in late August, none will have the impact that the disclosure rules are intended to address.

Let’s face it: consumers are steaming big-time when it comes to their dissatisfaction with air travel. Every traveler – both the frequent and occasional flyer – has horror stories to tell.
Here are five suggestions to help minimize the headaches and aggravation that come with flying these days:
1. Take the first flight of the day to your destination. It’s less likely to be delayed.
2. Fly non-stop if at all possible. If that doesn’t work, take a direct flight (requires no change of plane) as opposed to a connection. There’s less chance of a delay with a direct flight.
3. Fly on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday, if possible, to obtain the lowest fares. Generally, those are the lightest travel days of the week. (Those days usually are the best days to find the cheapest airfares, too, when it comes to booking your flight.)
4. If traveling on Southwest, always check the fares after booking to see it’s dropped. If so, rebook on same flight and keep the credit that’s good for an entire year. Unlike other airlines, Southwest does NOT charge a change fee. With consumer-friendly policies like this, why would you not fly Southwest – unless there’s a major difference in fare? Remember, your first two checked bags are free on this carrier, too.
5. Look at alternative airports for lower fares and better flight times. For instance, flying to Florida, consider airports in Palm Beach or Ft. Lauderdale; Chicago, look at both Midway and O’Hare; Dallas, consider DFW and Love Field airports.

Get this: U.S. airlines collected almost $5.7 billion from baggage and reservation change fees in 2010. This tells me one thing: these add-on costs are here to stay. And, to rub salt in the wound: That $5.7 billion didn’t include new charges for unaccompanied minors, traveling with pets, carry-on luggage (Spirit Airlines with others to follow eventually), and printing boarding passes at the airport. What’s more, some carriers have eliminated the discount for paying for the baggage online. There’s no end in sight.

Some airlines, however, have waived the baggage fee on one or two bags (for everyone in traveling party) if a loyalty credit card (like a Delta-American Express card) is used and/or the passenger is a high-level frequent traveler with the carrier. Those savings can really add up, so make sure to calculate the fees (or in this example, the savings) when comparing air fares to get a total price. A family of four checking one suitcase each can add as much as $150 or $300 roundtrip to a flight.

If the airlines put as much effort into customer service as they do in finding new ways to charge fees, air travel might be a little more enjoyable.

Travelers needing rental cars this summer may be in for sticker shock if they’re not careful. The rates have skyrocketed dramatically, especially in summer vacation markets. In our experience, even renting from off-airport locations (always the less expensive) has seen increases in prices, both for familiar and “unknown” car rental firms. Here are five tips to ease the burn:
1.Be flexible in your travel dates. Sometimes a couple of days difference can mean several hundred dollars in savings.
2.Check online and through toll-free phone numbers if you belong to AAA, AARP, Costco, or other groups that have negotiated rates.
3.If no discount is offered when making the reservation, call the toll-free number to inquire. Oftentimes the agency doesn’t advertise the discount, but will offer it when asked.
4.After making the reservation, check the rates a few days before departure in case they’ve dropped – which they often do when there’s an abundance of cars. We’ve received reductions of 50 percent or more off the initial rate from Alamo this summer in both Ft. Lauderdale and Palm Beach, Florida.
5.Also, anytime an airline is offering bonus points/miles with a preferred car rental company, always check the rate without the airline discount code. Generally – and almost without exception – the rate will be higher with the bonus points/miles.

In many cases, taking out travel insurance for your cruise vacation is a wise investment – or is it? The key is being informed to know when and what type of insurance you need. Here are six tips to get you in-the-know:
1. Distinguish between travel insurance and tour protection. The latter is offered by the cruise line while insurance is regulated by the state and must be approved by the state insurance commissioner. If the insurance company goes out of business, a fund would be available to cover claims. Not the case with tour protection.
2. Consider who is in your travel party. If you have young children, elderly parents, or you have a medical condition, then travel insurance is a must. There are too many risks with these situations not to be protected.
3. If you or others in your cruise party have pre-existing medical conditions, travel insurance must be taken out within a specified number of days after deposit or the pre-existing conditions aren’t covered. For instance, if you have to cancel the cruise because of a long-standing back problem and the insurance was taken out after the specified number of days, sorry but you’re out of luck. You’ll get no coverage for the back problem.
4. Consider the cost of the cruise versus the cost of the travel insurance. If you only paid $1,200 for your cruise but the cost of the travel insurance was $200, it’s probably not worth the price of the coverage.
5. Inquire into exactly what the travel insurance policy covers. Most policies cover lost or delayed luggage; medical evacuation if injured; reimbursement for cancelled flights; and supplier default. (That said, coverage varies by policy – check it carefully.) The most important coverage: if trip is cancelled for the covered reason such as medical. Here, the cost of trip is reimbursed up to the policy limits.
6. Consult a travel agent for help in booking your cruise and knowing when travel insurance is a good investment.

To insure or not insure – that is the burning question for most travelers when they rent a car. Collision insurance can heap another $10-$15 bucks a day to your rate. Do you need it or not? Here are four things to keep in mind before signing on the dotted line:
1. Confirm that your personal automobile insurance policy covers a rental car. That’s generally the case for coverage up to 45 days. If so, decline the coverage.
2. If paying with a credit card that promises free coverage, make sure the coverage is primary – not secondary. Primary means the credit card pays in an accident. Secondary means it only pays if your insurance company doesn’t.
3. When renting overseas, bite the bullet and take the coverage from the rental agency. Too many risks and unknowns are involved internationally.
4. If renting through a corporate account, confirm that the car rental agency provides primary coverage as part of the corporate rate package. This is usually the case, so go ahead and decline the coverage offered by the agency – as long as you’re covered by your personal insurance policy, credit card, or corporate agreement. Cost of the insurance can be just as much as the daily rental rate in some locations. Ouch.