Try taking just one bag

Travel is one of those things that you'd get really good at if you did them all the time. Unfortunately, few people get to do it all the time—including the staff of Budget Travel. So we're pooling our knowledge: We ask you a question, you share your advice, and then we spotlight the most helpful tips in a future magazine issue. This week's question is:"My husband and I are planning a trip to the Finger Lakes region of New York and would like to know which wineries to visit." —Amy Helin, Creative Director EARLIER: Readers answer a question about what to do on a first-time visit to New Orleans.

President Bush announced on Thursday that the Pentagon will open unused military airspace along the East Coast to commercial planes from November 21 through November 25, in the hope of reducing delays during the notoriously busy Thanksgiving travel period. (The plan is to bring back the express lane at Christmas.) The Federal Aviation Administration, meanwhile, has put a holiday moratorium on nonessential maintenance projects. Its website, fly.faa.gov, will be providing real-time updates on airport delays that can be sent to your mobile phone. Orbitz and some airlines, including Continental and United, also allow travelers to sign up for flight and news alerts—we recommend doing so! While we welcome any steps, however overdue, that might improve the flying experience, it's tough not to be skeptical about the impact of a holiday express lane. (One blogger, The Cranky Flier, is so unimpressed that he's bestowed the Cranky Jackass Award on the Department of Transportation.) We want to hear from you: What's your reaction to the temporary express lane? And how do you think the government should reform the airline industry? RELATED: Better care for bumped passengers and Sign up for those flight alerts.

Travelers who are involuntarily bumped from a flight when it is oversold may start receiving better treatment next summer. The Department of Transportation says it will propose doubling the fee that airlines must pay to travelers who buy tickets but wind up without a seat. The proposed increase would make the fee $400 to $800, depending on long the passenger has been delayed. The rule may go into effect next summer. First, though, the airlines and other industry players will have a chance to talk with government officials about the fairness of the proposed rule change. Meanwhile, for passengers who are involuntarily bumped on domestic flights, the rules are as follows: If you're on another flight within an hour, you get nothing; within two hours, the airline pays you the equivalent of your one-way fare ($200 max); more than two hours later, you get 200 percent reimbursement ($400 max). These compensation rules are based on decades-old guidelines, and have not been adjusted for inflation over the years. Passengers who relinquish seats voluntarily face different rules. There's no federal standard for that compensation. You're only guaranteed something, usually a flight voucher.

Virgin Atlantic is making it easier for passengers to donate money to climate-friendly projects, such as tree-planting. Virgin's website has a carbon offsets page, to help calculate the correct donation to make based on one's amount of air travel. And during flights, passengers are encouraged to buy carbon offsets. Budget Travel has been following this industry-wide trend, reporting on SilverJet's program, Delta's new program, and the efforts of other airlines. (See our story, "On Flier's Remorse.") Are environmentalists unfairly targeting airlines? We posed that question to Richard Havers and Chris Tiffney, authors of Airline Confidential: Lifting the Lid on the Airline Industry an exposé on the industry as a whole (not just the environmental angle). Here's what they had to say: (Richard) I think airlines are a soft target for Governments and others to have a pop at. Big aircraft flying around the place look like they are doing an immense amount of damage, but for the distances they cover and the numbers they carry it is pretty efficient way of transporting people. The fact is that our society has developed in the way that it is and flying is a fact of life. If we are to change it then we have to consider every aspect of the way we live. I'd sooner see people's discretionary car journeys limited. Let's also not forget that vast amounts of our food are flown around the world. Chris thinks Carbon offsetting will expand - but whether it does any good is a whole different question. Never forget that someone is making money out of carbon offsetting. Added to which it's playing on our guilt. I've heard that some airlines are getting into the Carbon offsetting game on board. You're sitting in your seat and the guy next door says ,"I'm going to off set my journey." What do you say? "Good for you." Then carry on drinking your gin and tonic with the lemon slice in it that was probably flown from some long way off? It's a really serious issue but politicians and governments are in danger of opening Pandora's box. What do you think?