No one really knows what Thanksgiving travel will be like this year. Chaotic? Frustrating? Totally awesome? Hard to say. But what we do know is that the air travel industry has changed dramatically since last year, with numerous bankruptcies, countless new fees, industrywide capacity cuts between 10 and 15 percent, and the disappearance of beloved traditions such as free snacks and beverages. The question on everyone’s mind, then, is how these changes will affect travel on what is traditionally the busiest travel holiday of the year.

And if you happen to be flying this Thanksgiving, you may be asking yourself how you can make things go a little more smoothly. Well, you’ve come to the right place. Here are a few tips:

• If you’re flying home with a pie, keep in mind that while pies and cakes are permitted through security, they may be subject to additional screening. Now, by “screening,” does the TSA mean its security officials will eat the pie? That’s not for me to say. But yes.*
• Do not wrap any gifts, because security screeners may have to unwrap them for further inspection. (What’s that, you say? Don’t security screeners have X-ray machines that can see through luggage, and should therefore be able to see through wrapping paper? Thus negating any need to unwrap presents? Well … ) Instead, just wrap them when you get where you’re going, or ship them ahead of time.
• Check in online, thus allowing you to skip the long, torturous line at the check-in counter and proceed directly to the long, tortuous line at security. Hey, it’s one less long, torturous line. Let’s focus on little victories, OK?
• Get to the airport early, at least by a few hours. Why? Do I even need to explain it? How about those long lines, the potential for weather-related delays, the difficulty of rebooking a canceled flight during the busiest travel period of the year, and the awesome shops at the airport mall. Yeah, get there early.

Nothing is less smile-inducing than going to the movies and choosing a seat, only to realize it doesn’t recline. Or maybe finding the remnants of someone’s Cherry Coke and Junior Mints stuck to the floor where your feet are supposed to rest. For whatever reason, you feel no compunction about standing up and moving to a more appealing part of the theater. Would that it were so easy on flights! Well, with AirTran’s new onboard upgrades to business class, a little of that movie magic may be coming to a plane near you.

AirTran, the low-fare carrier that was recently named the fourth-most-reliable airline by Forbes, has now begun offering $49 to $99 seat upgrades after passengers have already boarded. While most airlines routinely allow upgrading at check-in or the gate, AirTran’s move puts upgrades where they have the most immediate appeal. Because you never crave a better seat more than when you’re faced with any one or all of the following:

• Trying to squeeze your adult-sized body into a space clearly made for a doll.
• A hygienically challenged seatmate who may just fall asleep (and drool) on your shoulder.
• The latest issue of SkyMall as your sole source of in-flight entertainment.
• Having to shell out money for every little mediocre amenity, from a one-ounce bag of pretzels to half a can of Sprite or a mini-pillow.

For fifty or a hundred bucks it’s not like you’ll be getting a private cabin a la Singapore Airlines. But when you first stretch out your legs, take that sip of gin and tonic, and look at the person next to you (as opposed to on top of you), that economy-class frown will just melt away.

Forbes.com recently released a report on what it considers to be the most reliable airlines in the industry. Southwest came out on top, with JetBlue third and AirTran fourth—meaning low-cost carriers (LCCs) took three of the top four spots on the list, ahead of all the “big” airlines except for Continental, which placed second.

Here’s how Forbes came up with the list. The website “collected five years’ worth of data relating to on-time arrival, cancellations, complaints and mishandled baggage from the Aviation Consumer Protection Division of the Department of Transportation. Delays and cancellations, the factors most likely to ruin a flier’s day, were given double weight.” Forbes also included rankings from J.D. Power and Associates’ consumer satisfaction reports, and factored in each airline’s financial strength.

The result, as I mentioned above, puts Southwest firmly on top overall, as well as in several individual categories (particularly punctuality and cancelations). AirTran was the best at not losing its passengers’ luggage, while JetBlue fared very well in customer-service topics.

What makes this list interesting is that LCCs, while typically successful from a price standpoint, and in some cases known for their customer service, don’t necessarily have a reputation for good performance. After all, Forbes prefaces its own results by writing, “Budget carriers aren’t always considered smooth-running operations offering a consistent level of service.” As this report shows, however, the LCCs are doing more than holding their own in the hostile, turbulent airline industry.