How can I ace security?
1. PACK WITH CARE. Your electronics should sit cleanly in one layer in your bag. "A tangle of wires can get you a bag check," says Transportation Security Administration spokesman Christopher White. Store valuables in your carry-on, so they don't sit exposed on the conveyor belt.

2. CHECK YOUR METAL. Detectors are set off by an aggregate amount of metal, so a quarter in your pocket isn't going to put you in the beep zone, but a western snap shirt combined with enough foil gum wrappers could.

3. MANAGE YOUR BINS. Put your coat and shoes in the first bin. Use the last bin for your laptop so it's closest to you when you pass through the metal detector.

4. OR SKIP THE LINE with Clear, a new members-only, security-line-hopping pass. You go through a security check when you apply for the pass, pay $128 per year, then breeze through exclusive security lanes at airports like JFK and Denver (flyclear.com).

How should I book my ticket?
1. BUY IN ADVANCE. The first rule of travel still stands. Worried that you'll get screwed by last-minute fare drops? Many airlines, like US Airways and United, have a guaranteed-airfare rule, which entitles you to a travel voucher if a lower fare becomes available.

2. Fly between 9 A.M. AND 3 P.M. "Security lines are shortest in the middle of the day, when business travelers are at work," says Ann Davis, spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration. And Saturday is the slowest air-travel day of the week.

3. GO DIRECT. In case you haven't noticed, missed connections are becoming more common. If you have to connect, make sure you have at least a two-hour layover.

4. FLY ON CHRISTMAS OR THANKSGIVING. "The actual holiday is the one day during the peak season when it's going to be easier," says Todd Curtis, founder of the air-travel-statistics Web site AirSafe.com and a former safety analyst at Boeing.

5. USE SMALL AIRPORTS. Flights leave less frequently, but the security lines are shorter and delays are less likely.