If you’re a frequent flyer, you don’t need us to tell you about security and the TSA Self Selecting Lanes.  You’ve probably already used one of those “Black Diamond Lanes” designed to get you through the TSA check point faster.  According to the TSA, those lanes are working.

If you’re wondering what we’re talking about, you’re not a black diamond traveler…. and if you see color coded signs at the airport TSA checkpoints in the U.S., you should choose the blue square or the green circle.  WHAT???

In the last year or so, the U.S. Transportation Security Agency, the TSA, has implemented a plan that they hope will speed up the screening lines at U.S. airports.

Instead of having just one security line for everyone, there are three lanes.  They are color coded, and the TSA has chosen to model them after signs on ski runs that tell skiers where the hill is difficult and for experts, or where it’s moderate, or easy.

The Black Diamond Lane is for “Expert Travelers”.  This is where frequent flyers go.  People who know the routine and can get through the checkpoint quickly.  They are familiar with the rules and procedures, have their plastic bag of liquids packed correctly and out of their carry-on, and they are prepared and ready to go through.

The Blue Square Lane is for “Casual Travelers”.  This would apply to travelers who are familiar with the rules and regulations, but they may take a bit longer to sort out the plastic bag, the computer, the shoes… and they just don’t want to feel rushed at the checkpoint.

The Green Circle Lane is for “Families and Passengers with Medical Liquids”.  If you’re really not sure what you need to do as you go through security, this lane is for you.  It’s for families with small children, strollers, and liquids for children.  Passengers with special needs should use this lane if they need assistance or extra time.

You are allowed to take more than 3 ounces/100ml of “medically necessary liquids” outside of the one quart plastic bag, but these must be declared to a TSA Officer.  If this applies to you, you should use the Green Circle Lane where possible.

Though it’s up to individuals to choose the appropriate lane, the TSA says the honor system seems to be working.  According to them, the black-diamond lanes are 21 percent faster on average.  So far 50 airports have the new lanes in place.

The self-selecting lanes seems to be lowering the stress and anxiety levels of all passengers.  Expert travelers don’t feel that they are being slowed down, and families are able to take their time with all the things they have to carry for the kids.  The TSA officers are happier when you aren’t so stressed so everyone wins.

So no matter what level of traveler you are, if you see those Black, Blue and Green signs at the start of the security line, choose the level that suits you best, and everyone will be on their way with fewer problems.

A delayed flight can be a problem.  The airlines get bad publicity because so many flights do not depart and arrive on time.  In the U.S., the Department of Transportation keeps statistics and publishes them regularly.  In Europe, there are strict new rules for compensation.  This is making the problem better.

The vast majority of the time you won’t experience flight problems.  For all of the publicity that airlines get, most of their flights get you where you want to go with very little delay.  But problems can occur.  You should be prepared and have a good idea what to expect when something does happen.

It won’t win you any sympathy with a frazzled airline agent if you yell and scream for compensation that is not due to you.  On the other hand, you can and should be persistent in getting what you do deserve.  Remember that those airlines agents really are trying to do their best to help you and everyone else who is in line with you.  Let’s go over a few scenarios.

What will the airlines do for you if you have a delayed flight?  It really depends on why it is delayed.  If the flight problem is because of air-traffic delays due to congestion, most airlines won’t do much for you because they aren’t responsible for air traffic control delays (ATC delays).

If the delayed flight is because of weather… well, you’re all pretty much at the mercy of the weather including the airline.  These situations are out of their control.  They will try to get you on your way as best they can, but you won’t be compensated for these types of delays.

If your delayed flight is due to a problem that is in their control, the airline may be more accommodating.  For instance, is there is a mechanical problem, or crew rest problems, or computer problems with check-in?

Mechanical problems are a safety issue, so you are in a grey area there.  It pays to find out what your airline says it will do.  Read its “contract of carriage” before you travel.  This lists your rights for when you encounter a delayed flight.

The airline may get you on your way with only an hour or so delay, but what if you have a connecting flight… and you can‚Äôt make your connection?  If you might miss your connections because of a delay at your initial airport, alert the gate agent.  If there are a lot of passengers missing a connection, the airline may briefly hold a connecting flight for you…. but don’t count on this.

With airlines getting dinged for flight delays, they’d often rather leave a few passengers behind than report a late flight.  If they can’t hold the connecting flight, ask the agent to rebook you for a new connecting flight.  You can call the reservations number for your airline, and you may get rebooked faster than you can at the airport with all those other passengers waiting for help.

If your flight problem was a delay of the initial flight, and if the weather isn’t the issue, ask whether you can go on another flight or through a different hub.  Should none of that work, and you miss the plane, alert an agent.

If a delayed flight made you miss your connection, the airline must put you on another flight, but it could be a while.

Cancelled flights are a headache for everyone.  Believe me, the airlines don’t like to cancel.  It starts a whole domino effect.  Not just for your flight, but for flights at down line airports all through the day.  Planes end up in the wrong places with crews that can’t fly them because of time regulations.

Probably the most common reason a flight is cancelled is weather.  Sometimes this is pretty obvious, like if you’re sitting in the middle of a snow storm, and no one is moving anywhere.

Sometimes you look outside, and it’s sunny and calm.  How can the flight be cancelled for weather like that?  Think about it.  The weather might be occurring somewhere else.  Maybe there are severe thunderstorms on the East Coast, and that’s where the flight is coming from.  Maybe the flight is coming from sunny Florida, but it’s coming THOUGH a hub in the middle of one of those storms.  Maybe there is a sandstorm in the Sahara or a typhoon in Japan.  Weather anywhere in the world can affect your flight if it is a long haul flight.

Another reason flights may be cancelled is mechanical problems.  If this is the case, you want them to cancel, but it’s hard not to feel frustrated anyway.

Or a flight could be cancelled because there have been delays, and now the crew has been waiting for too long.  There are rules about when they can fly and when they can’t.

If your flight is cancelled, the second you hear that your plane is not going anywhere, call the airline’s toll-free number.  (It’s a smart idea to have it programed in your cell phone.)  Get into the line at the counter, especially if it’s fairly short, but make that call while you’re standing in line.  There’s a good possibility you’ll get rebooked more quickly on the phone than at the counter where a couple of overwhelmed airline employees are being swarmed by a plane full of disgruntled fliers.

Ask what your options are.  Actually, it pays to have an idea of alternatives before you get to the airport.  True, most times you won’t need to use the alternatives, but with cancelled flights, the sooner you can act on those alternatives, the more apt you are to get on your way while everyone else is still looking them up.

Most airlines will rebook you, with no fees or penalties, on the next flight on which space is available.  Not necessarily on the next flight… the next flight on which space is available.  During holiday periods or really bad weather situations, this could be more than just hours.  If you seen the news the last few years, you know it can even be days!

If the wait seems too long, ask the agent if there might be a seat on another airline.  Remember they are in competition, but airlines will often endorse your ticket to another carrier to try and get you on your way in a timely fashion.  You’ll have the most luck if the flight is on a partner airline.

If these things don’t work, suggest solving your flight problem by connecting through another city or going to another airport.  Remember, all of these suggestions only work if your cancelled flight is pretty much an isolated situation.  If all the airlines are canceling flights, as they must in bad weather, ….patience is the only thing that will work.