ShareThisThis year's summer travel season is off to a chaotic start.
In Sacramento, Calif., on Sunday, flights were canceled while officials searched for a bag that set off an alarm. Dozens of tar balls, some the size of melons, washed ashore in recent days around Key West, Fla., alarming tourism officials.
And in Europe, volcanic ash, violence in Greece and a British Airways strike have left travelers and airlines jittery.
For vacationers, uncertainty is the new norm.
"This year has been so weird I'm hesitant to say what we might anticipate," said Meara McLaughlin of flightstats.com.
Still, "staycations" have gotten old. More Americans are expected to hit the skies and roads this Memorial Day weekend -- the traditional launch of the summer holiday season -- than any year since pre-recession 2007.
Air travel
The skies will be crowded. More people will fly, according to the Air Transport Association. Airlines have added few flights since last summer, when planes already were jammed.
Among recession-battered airlines, "there is no rush to return too much capacity into the system," transport association spokesman David Castelveter said.
Fares
More travelers and few seats means airfares are creeping up. Fuel prices also have airlines nervous.
So when should you buy your ticket? The rule of thumb, Castelveter says, is to buy early if you don't want to get shut out or face higher prices when planes get near being filled.
But if your departure date is flexible, you might wait, hoping airlines will discount seats at the last minute if a particular flight hasn't filled. You and your family might not sit together, but you could score cheaper seats.
Insurance? Be careful
The Eyjafjallajokul volcano in Iceland has calmed down since grounding about 10 million travelers earlier this spring.
But its eruption has prompted more travelers to buy trip insurance. Beware, though. Consumer group Which? found that some travel agents were overselling insurance without adequately explaining the terms.
Mark Kahler of budgettravel.about.com says he'll get a real person on the phone before buying insurance for an upcoming trip.
"Pester the person selling it to you," he said. "Make sure you know what is covered."
Going abroad? Vikki Corliss of insuremytrip.com, an online travel insurance comparison site, advises checking with your regular medical insurer to see if you're covered outside the country. If not, consider buying trip health coverage
Connector-flight fears
If you're connecting to a second flight, book stopovers that are about two hours long in case your first flight is delayed, says Kate Hanni of Coalition for Passengers' Rights, Health & Safety. With jet capacity tight and demand high, airlines may sell your seat and take off without you.
Get flight alerts
It's a good idea to check flight status, whether you are flying or picking someone up. Go to your airline's website for alerts. You can also sign up with flightstats.com for alerts sent to your iPhone or BlackBerry.
Lose weight!
In this era of luggage fees and lost bags, it's more important than ever to pack light, Kahler and others say.
Lay out a pile of the stuff you need and another pile of the stuff you'd like to take. Then pack the first pile and forget the second.
If you can get away with just a carry-on bag, do it. If you have must-take medicine, put at least three days' worth in your carry-on.
If you have checked baggage, put your name, cell-phone number and itinerary on a piece of paper inside the bag. If it's lost, that may help the airlines find you.
And, if you are among the seeming majority of fliers with black luggage, put a unique marker on the outside.
(Reach Tony Bizjak at tbizjak(at)sacbee.com. For more news, go to scrippsnews.com.)
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