It's Still the Same Old Story

US Airways "may" attempt to book you on another airline. Delta will book you on another airline "at our sole discretion." United will book you if a delay exceeds two hours, and "at United's discretion" if the airline changes its schedule. American will book you "in extreme circumstances," and the airline defines that to mean when a flight is diverted to another city and is then canceled. Continental will book you if the delay exceeds two hours and the fare rules of your ticket allow it.

6. Wanting to change a nonrefundable airline ticket.

Example: My kids have the flu so I really don't want to fly to Tucson tomorrow, but the ticket says nonrefundable, and I don't want to lose all that money.

Whatever the reason for missing or changing a flight, you will not get back cash. But play the rules right and you can get credit for a future flight equal to the cost of your original flight, minus a penalty fee in most cases.

First thing to know: What's your airline's deadline for making a change? Policies differ among carriers. For domestic flights, AirTran requires that you call one hour before scheduled departure. Spirit: 24 hours before. American and United require that you call before the scheduled departure date, which means that if you have a last-minute problem the day of your flight, you're out of luck.

Continental, Delta and JetBlue require that you call before the scheduled departure time. US Airways is more generous: Call before midnight on the day you were scheduled to leave. Northwest sets no deadline, but you have to book using the credit within 90 days of the date the original ticket was issued, for a flight within a year. Southwest doesn't set a deadline for calling in.

All airlines have rules about how long you have to book a new ticket and how long you have to complete a trip using your credit, so ask your airline for details when you call to say you missed your flight.

Most airlines charge a $100 fee for changing the date or destination of a nonrefundable domestic ticket. Exceptions: AirTran $60, Spirit $50, Delta $50 (on most tickets), JetBlue $25 to $30.

Those are general rules, but some airlines might match the change fees of more generous airlines in markets where they fiercely compete.

Penalties for changing nonrefundable international tickets are higher, usually either $200 or $250. And the deadlines are often tougher. Delta, for example, requires that you cancel, rebook and have a ticket reissued 24 hours before departure.

7. Hating a hotel that you prepaid for online.

Example: I used an online booking site to reserve a so-called three-star hotel billed as being in downtown Rome near the Vatican, but the place was a dump, miles from St. Peter's. Isn't this false advertising, and shouldn't the booking site refund my money?