Your canceled-flight emergency kit: Be prepared for the unexpected 

If you're not prepared to face cancellations or delays on your next trip to the airport, you may not have heard the news: Air travel has been a challenge lately, to put it lightly. Storms, airline meltdowns and system outages have upped the chances you may not get to your final destination on time — or at all.

 Consider this your one-stop shop for everything you need before you head out for your next flight.

Book and fly direct

You should prepare for cancellations and delays before you arrive at the airport.

"If your flight gets canceled, you're going to want to talk to a customer service agent. Book directly with the airline so you have access to them in case something goes wrong," Phil Dengler, co-founder of travel blog the Vacationer says. And, if you can, while you're booking your flight avoid flights with layovers.

Booking one of the first flights of the day is also key. Cancellations and delays have a domino effect.

Use technology to your advantage

Dengler and Heather Poole, a flight attendant for American Airlines, both gave the same advice: Download the airline's app. The airline apps can alert you to gate changes and cancellations before the information has made it to the gate agent.

Airline apps can also help you avoid lines at the check-in counter by allowing you to download your boarding pass to your phone, pick your seat, upload documents and even now check your bag.

Know your rights

The Transportation Department released an online dashboard to give travelers a quick, transparent view of what airlines offer for passengers affected by cancellations and delays. The dashboard only deals with circumstances within the airline's control, such as mechanical problems.

For a flight arriving or departing from the United States, you are entitled to a refund if your flight is canceled or significantly delayed and you choose not to take another option, under Department of Transportation rules. It also applies if you are involuntarily downgraded to a lower-tier service than what you paid for. There are no laws requiring U.S. airlines to provide hotels, meal vouchers or other services beyond the cost of the flight, but you should always ask your airline what it can do.

You're also entitled to compensation if you have been denied boarding because your flight was overbooked and you didn't volunteer to give up your seat. Airlines are allowed to overbook flights, and there is no minimum they must offer when asking travelers if anyone is willing to take a later flight.

If you are involuntarily bumped, airlines should give you a form detailing your rights for compensation, which is often tied to when you get to your final destination.

Bring costly essentials

If you are going to be stuck at the airport, you'll want to be to use all your devices. An external battery might set you back $30 or more, but it will be worth it knowing you won't have to fight for outlet space or be tethered to a wall if you need to rebook on your phone or use it to entertain yourself.