Getting Bumped

Over-booked flights are a necessary evil of air travel. With so many passengers and not enough seats to go around, business travelers can find themselves "bumped" from a flight. While you can't place a value on wasted time, it's good to know that passengers may be entitled to financial reimbursement for this inconvenience. Yet, airlines are only required to give you compensation when you are involuntarily bumped.

Depending on the length of the delay, passengers may be able to collect between $200 and $1,000 if they are bumped from a flight that is over-booked.

Other airline amenities in such cases include flight vouchers and discount coupons for future air travel. So, if your schedule allows for an unexpected layover, take the next flight out - and take the cash

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Duty Free

If you decide to make a duty-free purchase in an airport make sure that you pay with a credit card. In several countries, including the United States, duty-free purchases are handed to you as you board the aircraft for your international flight.

There have been reports in the news lately regarding a duty-free scam taking place at Washington Dulles, JFK, and O'Hare airports. A customer makes a duty-free purchase, pays cash and gets his receipt, boards the plane and waits for his purchase, which never arrives.

If you have paid by cash you have very little recourse if this type of incident happens. If you've paid by credit card, you can tell your bank and dispute the charge.