COMING AND GOING

* Airports and airlines have added extra staff, additional kiosks and baggage check areas, but passengers should "prepare well" for the onslaught, May said, by arriving early, printing out boarding passes at home and knowing security rules. (If you haven't flown recently, check rules at http://www.tsa.gov.)

* Book ample time between connecting flights. If you've already bought your tickets with tight connections, you can ask your carrier to make a change, but CoGo is hearing that airlines are charging hefty change fees. But if connections are tight on tickets already bought, consider flying standby earlier in the day. On the day of the flight, a $25 fee will get you a confirmed seat on an earlier flight, if seats are available, on most airlines.

* Bring or program into your cellphone contact numbers for your travel agent and airline, and sign up online with your airline for alerts about delays, suggested AAA President Robert Darbelnet.

Drivers: "Wednesday will be the commute from hell" as holiday travelers join commuters, said AAA spokesman John Townsend. Rush "hour" in the Washington area will begin about noon, said Townsend, who recommended that if you can't leave Wednesday morning, rest up and leave after 8:45 p.m. His advice about driving home: Ask for an extra vacation day and return Monday, but avoid normal rush hours.

TRAVEL TICKER

You can now reserve a specific seat and get priority boarding on Greyhound and Peter Pan buses on select routes, including from Washington to Baltimore and New York. The $5 fee is paid at the ticket counter, even if you buy tickets online at http://www.greyhound.com. . . . If you're in midtown Manhattan between Nov. 23 and Dec. 2, check out the "Gift on 5th," where holiday displays are presented, along with free gift wrapping, free coffee and cocoa, a play area for kids, bathrooms and a deck for resting. Sponsored by BankAmericard Rewards, the center is at Fifth Avenue and 36th Street.

BARGAIN OF THE WEEK

Fly from BWI or Reagan National to Manchester, England, for $498 round trip (including $170 taxes) with a deal from US Airways. Travel through Dec. 20; three-day advance purchase required. Some dates are sold out. Fare on other airlines starts at $588. Purchase at www.usairways.com by Nov. 19, or pay $35 more by calling 800-622-1015.

Reporting: Cindy Loose

Help feed CoGo. Send travel news, road reports and juicy tattles to cogo@washpost.com. By mail: CoGo, Washington Post Travel Section, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071.