Holiday Travel Survival Guide

Airplane cabins are expected to be more packed than ever over the year-end holidays as travelers cope with crowded skies, unpredictable weather and higher prices.

While you can't control the weather or the airlines, there are simple things you can do to help smooth the way. ABC News consulted travel experts to compile tips for making every aspect of your trip -- from booking tickets to arriving at the airport -- easier.

The first bit of advice is that if you haven't booked airline tickets by now, get moving. For Thanksgiving, the most popular flights are already booked, and others are going to cost you a lot.

Traveling during the Christmas season should be a bit easier this year because of an extended peak season, thanks to when the holidays fall on the calendar. Christmas and New Year's Day both fall on a Tuesday. So most holiday travelers will make their trips during the extended period between Thursday, Dec. 20, and Sunday, Jan. 6, according to Chris McGinnis, editor of Expedia Travel Trendwatch.

"It is always more expensive to fly during Thanksgiving and Christmas than the rest of the year," McGinnis warns. "It's always difficult to find seats on the flights that depart at the most-desirable times."

Best Times to Fly

The Air Transport Association expects Thanksgiving traffic to rise 4 percent this year, with about 27 million passengers flying during a 12-day period starting Friday.

Planes will be a staggering 90 percent full, thanks to industry consolidation and a big effort by the airlines to pack more people onto flights while cutting less popular routes.

As always, flying at off-peak times can lead to cheaper tickets and less hassle at the airport. But that doesn't mean cheap. Note that the holiday period will always be priced higher relative to almost any other time of the year.

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is a very heavy travel day. So is the Sunday after the holiday, and Monday, where leisure and business travelers mix. But if you are willing to celebrate on an alternative day or are generally flexible, Thursday afternoon and all day Friday are better days to travel.

Jeanenne Diefendorf, a spokeswoman for Orbitz, said that travelers should aim for morning flights to avoid delays, or not getting to their destination at all.

"If your flight does get canceled, a lot of those flights in the late evening, afternoon are packed," she said. That means you are less likely to find a replacement flight.

FareCompare.com noted that several major airlines have increased fares in recent weeks, citing rising oil prices. Most have increased fares $10 to $20, and a few even more.

For Christmas travel, Friday Dec. 21, and Saturday Dec. 22, will be some of the busiest days. Another day to avoid is Dec. 31.

There are still some deals to be found. Consider traveling on the night of Dec. 24 or the morning of Dec. 25. Most people are with their families those days and aren't out traveling. But, surprisingly, traffic picks up on Christmas afternoon as a lot of families start heading out for vacations together.

Another good time to fly is the morning of Jan. 1. Diefendorf said few people want to wake up early after their New Year's Eve celebrations, so some deals can be found then.

Copyright 2007 ABCNEWS.com