Now that the horror of flying in Thanksgiving is past us, we can look forward to another holiday rush in transportation: Christmas. Whether or not you celebrate this festivity, you’ll still be affected as long as you travel. But there are simple tricks that can help you reduce your time on air and avoid the rush:

1. Know the difference between non-stop and direct. Non-stop flights are flights that go directly to the intended destination. These flights maybe a little bit expensive compared to other flights but once you are on board, you’re practically there after a few hours of sitting. Non-stop flights are different from direct flights. This type of flight will take you there BUT it will be stopping by in one of the key cities. That stop usually lasts for at least an hour depending on air traffic.

2. Fly early. Morning in airlines means they can start over serving their customers with a little bit of delay. As the day progresses, the time of delay is multiplied and when afternoon comes, one hour delay in airlines is an understatement. The last flight of the day means you’ll have to prepare for the longest delay of the day – with the possibility of flight cancellation.

3. Get an originator flight. Originator flights are the first flight of that airline in a specific schedule. Non-originator flights are the type of flights that stop over in your airport to get more passengers. Think of it as a bus stop. Delays usually happen in non-originator flights since they are not anymore compelled to fly on time. Call the airline and ask them if the flight you are interested in is an originator flight.

4. Fly in the middle of the week. If you have a free schedule, go for a flight in the middle of the week. There are more travelers in weekends, Friday and Monday compared to flights from Tuesday to Thursdays.

5. Go to smaller airports. Major cities always have more than one airport. The busiest of them are of course the major hubs. Check for a flight that arrives in a minor hub in the same city. Smaller airports don’t have the rush compared to airports with big names. Just target these airports as a destination and not the origin. Flights that go out from smaller airports are usually cheaper but have multiple connections.

Aside from those tips, check out these websites for more information regarding a single flight:

Avoiddelays.com – this information intensive website will give you almost everything you need to know about your flight. Just type in airport, date and time and flight time, and type of plane and even security times in that particular hour will be displayed.

Flightstats.com – the interface looks like avoiddelays.com but it can also be used for international flights. Major hubs in different countries are highlighted in a map and when you click on a major airport, you can easily access the flight status in most flights in that airport.

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Over the last decade the Internet has grown by leaps and bounds. With the increase in high-speed DSL, WiFi, mobile Internet, and other technologies now readily available in most areas of the United States, it seems like there are very few places left that are unconnected. Except, of course, for airplanes.

You can go online in your car, at a hotel, at coffee shops, and with mobile Internet technology, pretty much everywhere else. But up until now, airline flights have remained “off limits” for high-speed (or any speed) Internet access.

And ironically, airline flights are one of the places where we need Internet access the most. I think by now we are all sick to death of the lame in-flight movies and brittle plastic headphones offered on most flights.

We could certainly pass the time much better by checking our e-mail, laughing at stupid videos on YouTube, or adding MP3s to our music collections on Amazon.com or iTunes. And now, JetBlue Airways is proposing a solution to the usual boring no-net flights.

Beginning next week, JetBlue will offer “limited” e-mail and instant messaging services for free on some of its flights. However, this initial effort to include in-flight Internet access will begin very meagerly. For example, passengers will not be able to download or open e-mail attachments, or do any general web surfing because of a limited bandwidth on board.

The service will be available to laptops and palm tops with WiFi access limited to e-mail and text messaging via Yahoo. So if you prefer to use Gtalk or AIM, you’re out of luck for now; but (perhaps) it’s better than nothing.

Blackberry users will also be able to connect via WiFi and check personal and business e-mail, but the service is limited to only two current Blackberry models that have inbuilt WiFi capability.

On a brighter note, American Airlines is one of several carriers planning to experiment with a fee-based in-flight Internet service that will provide greater flexibility than JetBlue’s limited Yahoo-only connection. With any luck, by mid-2008 there may be a lot of competition for in-flight Internet access, leading to lower prices, and a greater degree of flexibility for surfing “in the air.”

And speaking as a bona fide web aficionado, I think I can safely say that what we really want on planes is high-speed wireless Internet access that can be used with any Internet ready device. Of course, this also means no bandwidth limitations, and the ability to surf the Web just as we would at home. Considering how the airlines have dragged their feet when it comes to in-flight Internet though, this may be asking a lot.

At any rate, at least JetBlue is making an effort. And with American Airlines and other carriers hot on their heels, hopefully it won’t be long before we are all just as “wired” in the air as we are on the ground.

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