On transcon flights I routinely see FAs do their best to keep 17HJ open; they really like having this area to work and rest. They may ask the gate agent to reassign the passenger, or ask the passengers themselves to move once they're on board. I saw one couple refuse once, and they ended up with about three carts placed in front of them - less leg room than coach without MRTC! I'd never take this seat assignment, because more than likely you're going to be pressured to move and then you get your choice of all those great leftover seats nobody else wanted.

I've got to say that this Greenberg guy is a lot of hot air. He doesn't say much that the experienced traveler doesn't know, but he says enough to get inexperienced travelers into trouble. Things like using FLIFO to time your airport arrival can be disastrous, as noted by others. He also says the airlines absolutely *won't* offer you the lowest fare unless you specifically ask, which I think is a bit disingenuous.

I'm another who thinks there are pros and cons to both paper tix and e-tix. Losing a paper ticket is an expensive proposition these days; no danger of that with an e-tix. As for skipping the line if your flight is canceled and you have a paper tix, this may or may not be true depending upon the type of ticket you have. If you're not flying full fare, you'll be lucky if another airline takes your ticket without an endorsement. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but I'd hate to make a long walk to another terminal only to find out my ticket needed to be endorsed. Also, the endorsement rule applies only if you're changing airlines. If the change of plans keeps you on the same airline then there's no need for a paper tix - calling the 800#, your elite desk, visiting the airline club, or simply going to the gate of the next departing flight can often take care of the problem faster than standing in line at the front counter.

My favorite (not!) "idea" of Greenberg's today was his method for skipping curbside or counter baggage check-in. He suggests tipping the porter an extra $10 and asking for your luggage to be taken directly to the gate, even if it's over carry-on limits. Porters, according to him, can bypass security and those pesky baggage templates (if this is true, I'm highly alarmed at the possibility of security breaches!). Once arriving at the gate, simply ask for all your bags to be gate checked, and guess what - yours will be the first off the plane at your destination! First of all, I think you'd have a hard time finding a porter who'd even consider schlepping your bags all the way to the gate, even if he can bypass security. Secondly, if 1% of the people watching Oprah today give this a try, the airlines are going to flip out!

Yes, it's important to know your rights, and as with anything, the more practice you have the better you get at playing the game. But throwing out info like this is really a disservice to many people. Play by the rules, be polite to everyone you interact with, and roll with the punches when things go awry. That's *my* best advice for any traveler, frequent or not! Maybe I should write a book and go on Oprah, too... ;-)