Tips for dealing with airline flight delays

If you plan on flying this holiday season, you may spend more time waiting in the airport than you intended. Here are some tips if your flight is delayed.

• At the first sign of a serious mechanical problem, call the airline to have it “protect” you on the next flight out. If the problem leads to a cancellation, you are already confirmed on a new flight and can just print a new boarding pass.
• If you miss your flight connection — or bad weather causes delays — get in line to speak to a customer service representative. But also call or tweet the airline directly.
• There are more to airline lounges than free drinks and light snacks. The real secret to the lounges is that the airline staffs them with some of its best — and friendliest — ticket agents. The lines are shorter and these agents are magically able to find empty seats.