So, you just missed your flight, and whether it was on purpose, or maybe you were just late, you’re probably wondering what your solutions are.

Now, before we start, you will have to realize that all airlines are different with their own policies, so it’s best to check with your airline to see what their policies are with missing a flight.

Here’s what is more than likely going to happen:

First off, you will want to go to the gate, and explain to them on why you missed your flight.  Whether it was traffic, you were sick, etc, let them know.  Depending on the airline, and the agent working, they may just throw you on another flight at no charge.

Now, you may find that this won’t be the case.  You may have to re-book, and pay a hefty penalty fee.  On top of it, you could wait 24+ hours for your next flight.  Your best bet is to always stay at the airport, and not leave.

What should I do?

For starters, you don’t want to leave the airport.  Instead, try and get another flight.  If you have to, you can always get a standby ticket.  While the standby is going to be a little more money, you’re going to find that it’s going to be your best bet.  Keep in mind that you will have to pay a little more to get this type of ticket.

Now, what happens if I miss a flight, and its not my fault?

Connecting flights are a common problem, when you fly via flights that aren’t non-stop.  If you’re going to fly from Detroit to California, and you have to stop in Atlanta.  If you miss your flight in Atlanta because the flight was late, you will find that it isn’t you fault.

You will find that the airline will have to set you up with another flight, but you will find that it isn’t always the easiest venture.  Instead, if they fly you out the next morning, they will have to give you a hotel credit, as well as food and more.  Now, if it is because of weather, they won’t have to do anything about it.

When using connecting flights, always make sure that you connect via the same airlines.  If you fly from JetBlue to Delta, and JetBlue is late, Delta won’t do anything about.

In the end, you’re probably going to have to pay a penalty fee, and fly a lot later, if it’s your fault.  You may also find out that you will have to come back in 24-48 hours, because of this.  Try to be on time, and try your best to not miss your flight, because it will just cause a lot of stress, and headaches.

Credit: Flickr

If you’re going to be traveling in the near future, and you either want to check out the new body scanners, or maybe you just want to know which airports have them to avoid them, I compiled a list of the airports that have full body scanners.

First, before we get to the list, you’re probably wondering about how the process works.  I gathered up some of the most common questions online, and came up with the answers below.

How do they work? You will find that you will step into a little tube shaped machine.  They will ask you to raise your arms, and from there, they will proceed to take a picture to see anything underneath your clothing.  It will use high energy rays that hit solid clothing, therefore decoding underneath to produce a 3-D image.

Does everyone have to go through one? No, everyone doesn’t have to go through one.  Through selective screening, you may be asked to step aside, where you will have to go through the screening itself.

Do I have to do it? If you’re set aside, and asked to do a full body scan, you don’t have to do it.  Instead, you’re going to have to receive a pat down, or a scan with a metal hand scanner.  There are alternatives, if you don’t feel comfortable with a full body scan.

How long does it take? It only takes less than a minute or so.  They will do a quick scan, and if they find anything, they may question it.  If they don’t, you will be on your way.

Now, listed below are the airports as of November 2010 that have body scanners in the United States:

• Albuquerque International Airport (ABQ)
• Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport (ATL)
• Baltimore-Washington International (BWI)
• Boise Airport (BOI)
• Boston-Logan International (BOS)
• Brownsville-South Padre Island Airport (BRO)
• Buffalo-Niagara International (BUF)
• Charlotte Douglas International (CLT)
• Chicago-O’Hare Airport (ORD)
• Columbus International Airport (CMH)
• Corpus Christi International Airport (CRP)
• Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport (DFW)
• Denver International Airport (DEN)
• Detroit Metro Wayne County Airport (DTW)
• Harrisburg International Airport (HIA)
• Indianapolis International Airport (IND)
• Jacksonville International Airport (JAX)
• Laredo International Airport (LRD)
• Las Vegas-McCarran Airport (LAS)
• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
• McAllen-Miller International Airport (MFE)
• Memphis International Airport (MEM)
• Miami International Airport (MIA)
• Milwaukee Mitchell Airport (MKE)
• Nashville International AIrport (BNA)
• Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX)
• Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT)
• Providence-T.F. Green International (PVD)
• Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU)
• Richmond International Airport (RIC)
• Rochester International Airport (RST)
• Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)
• San Diego International Airport (SAN)
• San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
• Tampa International Airport (TPA)
• Tulsa International Airport (TUL)
• Valley International Airport (HRL)
• Washington DC’s Reagan Airport (DCA)

Thanks goes to Jaunted with the help of this list.

Safety is a main concern, when it comes to an airplane, and flying.  Well, if you want to prepare for a flight, and want to know where the safest seat is, I did some research online, and came up with what I thought are the safest seats on an airplane.

What you’re going to find is that in certain situations, no one is going to be safe.  But, if you’re in a situation where you need to get out, I don’t blame you for wanting to be the first one out.

So, the question is, “What is the safest seat on an airplane?”

Experts will tell you that the safest seat is within the emergency exit.  You will be as close as you can be to that emergency exit.  If you’re within 4-5 aisles, you can consider yourself relatively safe.

Now, keep in mind that if you sit in the emergency exit row, you’re going to be in charge of helping those get out, because you will have to open the door, and more, if there is a certain situation.

What is the most dangerous seat?

When the University of Greenwich conducted a study, they looked at some older airline crashes, where there were survivors.  What they had found out is that if you’re seated more than six rows away that you’re going to have your odds against you, when you want to get out.

They had found that the survivors of most plane crashes were within 5 rows of the emergency exit.

Now, according to Popular Mechanics, you’re going to have your best luck, when you sit in the very back on the airplane, within 5 rows of the emergency exit.  Here are some stats to look at:

• First / Business Class:  49%
• Sitting ahead of the wing:  56%
• Sitting over the wing:  56%
• Sitting in the back:  69%

Now, there are going to be other things that play into factor such as your age, the amount of people, as well as the scenario itself.  While these are just numbers, if you want to have the odds in your favor, sit near the back, behind the wing, within 5 rows of the emergency exit.

Traveling the great blue skies is a fun, and exciting time, but we all know that there are some nervous people out there, who don’t like to fly at all.  Well, if you’re curious on who the safest airline is to fly, I wanted to give you some stats that you can use, to see which airline is the safest.

You’re going to find that not all airlines are built the same.  You will find that some are better than others, while others may be built the same.  The following stats below are courtesy of the Aviation Safety Network.

Listed below are the airline companies, as well as how many flights have been in the air, and how many events have happened that resulted in fatalities.

• Air Canada:  4.75M Flights | 3 Events
• AirTran:  1M Flights | 1 Event
• Alaska Airlines: 6M Flights | 3 Events
• American Airlines: 25M Flights | 13 Events
• Continental Airlines: 10M Flights | 6 Events
• Delta: 24M Flights | 7 Events
• Hawaiian Air: .75M Flights | 0 Events
• Midwest:  .52M Flights | 1 Events
• Northwest: 12M Flights | 4 Events
• Southwest: 15M Flights | 0 Events
• United: 21M Flights | 11 Events
• US Airways: 17M Flights | 9 Events

Now, based on the flights, and the events, AirSafe came up with a formula that will define the safest airlines.  This formula was based on how many flights that there were total, as well as how many events that have happened, that results in either fatalities, or a crash.

With that being said, here are the airlines today rated by safest being at the top, all the way down to the airlines that had the most fatalities.

1. Southwest Airlines
2. JetBlue
3. AirTran
4. AirCanada
5. Alaska Airlines
6. Continental Airlines
7. Delta
8. US Airways
9. United
10. American Airlines

Now, keep in mind that these numbers were based on averages that were within the United States, and Canada.  So, if you’re going to fly within these countries, you’re going to find most of these numbers to be fairly accurate.

Note that these are just stats, and while you can trust stats, it doesn’t mean that something that can happen.  Looking back in the past, each airline has it’s own guidelines / structure when it comes to maintaining planes, and more.

Who do you think is the safest airline?  Do you disagree with any of these?  Let me know in the comments below!

Whether you’ve flown before, or you’re flying for the first time.  Many people out there have the fear that they are going to get sick, when they get way up in the great blue skies of the World.

While this happens to a lot of us, there are some things that you can do to prevent it, as well as stop it, if it’s happening while you’re in the airplane itself.  Let’s take a look at some of the remedies that you can take advantage of when you’re looking to set off, and fly.

Bring lots of fluid: A common sickness while in higher area are headaches. While the pain can vary, you’re going to find that if you bring lots of fluids, it’s going to help you tremendously.  Be sure to purchase your liquids inside the airport, because you can’t bring liquid containers over a certain size in your carry on.

Bring some Advil / Tylenol: Bring on some simple, over the counter pain medication when you may come across pain.  Some people swear by Motrin, while others swear by Advil.  Bring a couple capsules on board, because you will find that everyone copes with pain in a different way.

Try motion sickness remedies: There are some motion sickness remedies that you can try that you can purchase over the counter.  Listed below are some that you will want to consider.  Be sure to take these a few hours before you take off in flight.

• Equate – A highly reviewed motion sickness medication that tends to work for a lot of people.
• Ginger Gum - Another item that tends to work for a lot of people is the ginger gum.  Simply chew it like any other gum, and people swear that it works wonders while you’re in the air, or experiencing any motion sickness for that matter.
• Marezine – Another item that you can try that is similar to Equate.  Take when you’re feeling a little sick, and see if it goes away.  This is another highly rated item as well.

Eat before you fly: A lot of experts will tell you that if you eat before you travel, you may find that this is going to help as well.  It doesn’t hurt to eat a smaller meal before you board the plane.

While these remedies can help, everyone eventually finds something that they can swear by.  Your best scenario is to test out a few products, before you find something that works.  Drink lots of fluid, eat before you fly, as well as try some of the remedies above to find something that can help!