Air travel is getting tougher, but it doesn't have to ruin your summer

ABOUT this time each year, the travel forecasters start issuing their warnings about how bad the summer will be for air travelers. The prognosis is usually a variation on a theme: crowded skies, slow service, flight delays. Unfortunately, this year, it's all true, plus you can add record-high fuel costs, fewer award-mile seats and longer security lines to the list. Of course, the only way to avoid summer-travel inconvenience is not to travel (and we'd never suggest that).
So; here we present the top ten inevitable summer-travel snags - and what you do to avoid them.

BOOKING WON'T BE A SNAP

Why: Wondering why your plane seems smaller? It's not just that it's more crowded. Airlines like Delta are diverting larger planes to more lucrative international routes, even as the Air Transport Association predicts 207 million travelers will hit the skies this summer. That's 2 million more than last year.

But what's this?Yes, it's true:increased demand or no, there will be roughly 4 percent fewer flights overall in the country this year.

The fix: Flexible on your flight schedule? Click on Travelocity's excellent "flexible dates" search option, which will look for the best possible flights for you with a broad range of dates and searches 330 days ahead, including international flights (it excludes Southwest, JetBlue and some international carriers). Cheapair.com, Orbitz and Expedia also do limited flexible searches.

Looking for a fluke deal from your home city?

Search for it on Airfarewatchdog.com, which features searches performed by real humans (!) who hunt for deals all day and night, and test them to make sure they're actually available.

YOU'RE GOING TO PAY MORE

Why: There are lots of reasons ticket prices go up, but it all boils down to the fact that airlines charge what the market will bear.

Tight capacity means fewer bargain tickets, and rising fuel prices provide even more justification. Bear Stearns analyst David Strine anticipates fares will rise 8 percent this summer.

The fix: See #2, and also search on Kayak, which will check alternate airports for you. Flying on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday might increase your chances of flying less expensively.

Can't sleep? Search for fares right after midnight, when many airlines reload their computers with the discounted fares that people reserved but didn't pay for.

YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO USE YOUR MILES

Why: It's now so easy to accumulate miles, some estimates say that frequent flier program members are hoarding as many as 14 trillion outstanding miles. The problem: As airlines decrease their operating flights, and sell more tickets for actual revenue, they reserve the right to limit the number of award seats they grant. Good luck cashing in your miles for a seat. Airlines value the mile at approximately 1.5 cents. What this means for you: The 30,000 miles that most airlines charge for a domestic round-trip award flight amounts to about $450, but you're not likely to cash them in.

The fix: Pay cash for your flight, or book 330 days in advance, when the airlines release their fares. United Airlines' new "Choices" program actually transforms your miles into a currency you can apply to the purchase of any flight, anytime. The program values your mile at about a penny per mile, so use them if you've got miles to burn.

THERE WILL BE FUEL SURCHARGES

Why: Seriously? They think you won't notice. Continental added $2 to its fares last month, on top of another $2 increase on May 2, to offset fuel prices, despite the fact that prices had just gone down to a five-week low.

The fix: None. But with the price of gas these days, aren't you glad you didn't decide to drive?

IT WILL TAKE FOREVER TO CHECK IN

Why: See "Booking won't be a snap,"above.

The fix: Checking in at airline kiosks is good, but checking in online before you get to the airport is better.

Most major airlines will let you check in online as many as 30 hours before a domestic flight, print out a boarding pass, and bypass check-in lines completely. If the feature doesn't work, call the airline and ask for assistance -Êit's worth the time saved.

SECURITY LINES WILL CRAWL

Why: Add to flight and airport congestion the fact that the highly anticipated Trusted Traveler program - the EZ pass to get you through security - has been a bit slower to launch than expected, and long security lines seem even more frustrating.

The fix: Different airports have different rules: The tennis shoes we didn't have to remove at Washington's National Airport got us barked at in Las Vegas. Save time, wear slip-ons. And don't wear layers you're not willing to remove: Our lack of excitement over having to remove a sweater over a skimpy shirt landed us in San Francisco International Airport's long line for extra screening.

YOUR FLIGHT WILL BE DELAYED

Why: This is nothing new. But lately, the culprit has been easier to trace. according to the Federal Aviation Administration, you can thank an active and violent weather pattern -thunderstorms - for a 31 percent increase in delays from April 2005 to this past April.

At the 35 busiest airports, the number of delays rose from 704 to 922. Hot, muggy air produces thunderstorms, usually in a zone from Texas to Michigan. The storms are often too high to fly over and too dangerous to get through.

Then, of course, there's hurricane season, which kicks off this week. The National Weather Service has predicted 13-16 named storms for this year -the average is 11.

The fix: It's always been a good idea to take the earliest flight of the day, before the domino effect of delays sets in.

Now, going early is even more important, considering that thunderstorms tend to develop in the afternoon.

You can take small comfort in the fact that this year's delays, so far, have been 44 minutes on average; 3 minutes less than last year's.

THE PERKS WILL BE GONE

Why: Northwest Airlines began charging a $15 surplus for exit-row seats. After some backlash, it extended the seats to elite members for free, and continued charging other fliers. NWA isn't alone; charging a la carte is de rigeur among the airlines these days. Air Canada charges for pre-assigned seats and peddles inflatable pillows for $2.

The fix: Don't like it? Lump it. You'll likely be charged increasingly more for the perks you once held sacred. Bring your own lunch, which is easier than it sounds:as onboard services decrease, services in the terminals improve.

For example, we recently spent $10 very worthwhile dollars on a chinese chicken salad from a Wolfgang Puck outlet at Chicago's O'Hare. Nothing served on board in the old days could have beat that with a stick. Not even in first class.

YOU COULD GET BUMPED

Why: Crowded flights, overbooking; they're symptomatic of the airlines' financial problems over the past few years. Trying to eke out the most revenue from flights, they rely on statistical models that show them how many seats they can expect to oversell without bumping passengers.

Problem is, models can be wrong, which is why people get involuntarily bumped. And voluntarily getting bumped is not the bonanza it used to be, since airline vouchers are capacity-controlled just like frequent-flier-mile seats. Good luck cashing them in.

The fix: Bumping for (fun and) profit? Ask for your vouchers in dollar denominations - so you can cash in later. Some airlines choose to offer simply a round-trip ticket, the value of which is harder to pinpoint.

YOU AND YOUR LUGGAGE MAYWELL ARRIVE SEPARATELY

Why: Of the 30 million bags that will be mishandled this year (this includes tagging errors and bags being offloaded for space), 204,000 will actually be lost or stolen, according to SITA, an IT company that tracks baggage for the airlines.

A contributor to the problem: Airlines increasingly outsource their baggage handling, especially in airports where they have limited flights. Low-paid workers with no vested interest - you do the math.

But outsourced labor isn't totally to blame. Think your bag is safer if you check it at the gate? Wrong. One baggage handler we know says staffers regularly "forget" to carry bags from the jetway to the cargo bin.

The fix: Pack light, carry on. Really need your stuff? Send it ahead with a service like Luggage Free (www.luggagefree.com), which will pick up your bags from anywhere and deliver them for you (they'll even clear customs for you if you're going internationally). Such convenience comes at a price: Two-day service in the U.S. is $40 pick-up charge, plus $2 per pound.

NEW YORK POST