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.

Last week, I reported on how Southwest is teaming up with a Mexican airline to offer south-of-the-border flights. As if we needed more proof that the LUV airline is making a power play with the economy down, financially secure Southwest is set to buy ATA and muscle into the Big Apple’s LaGuardia airport. In these tough times, Southwest is particularly appealing to those of us with less cash to spend on expensive flights. It’s like travelers are hearing an old blues song being turned on its head: “Somebody knows you when you’re down and out,” and that somebody is Southwest Airlines.

Why hasn’t Southwest, with its household-name status, gone Broadway in the past? Well, for one thing, it’s tough to find a slot at New York airports. The Wall Street Journal cites Department of Transportation statistics that link 75 percent of all the country’s delayed flights to New York Airports. Southwest counts on efficiency and probably doesn’t want to be associated with tardiness, sort of like that friend of yours who always shows up to your dinner parties two hours late—but is really sorry about it!

Currently, Southwest is flying out of MacArthur Airport on Long Island, which is some 50 miles from the bright lights of the City That Never Sleeps. This is the equivalent of leaving the quiet confines of suburbia and seeking your fortune in the big town. And what better place to do that than New York?

Southwest Airlines has come a long way in the 40 years since it was first sketched out on a paper napkin as a carrier to serve the Texan triangle of Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. Its commercials compete with Budweiser for face time with America’s football fans. And just about everyone knows someone who’s gotten some super-cheap flight home for the holidays, even if it meant touching down at an airport that’s not exactly “in” that person’s hometown.

But what’s most amazing about this household-name airline is that Southwest has never needed a passport for any of its travels. Sticking to the Lower 48 has undoubtedly paid off as a business plan thus far, but it looks like the LUV airline may be getting restless. As evidence I would cite the fact that Southwest has just inked a deal with Volaris, a low-cost Mexican carrier, to provide codeshare service south of the border.

I’m just wondering what will happen once Southwest tastes real Mexican cooking or lies on a sandy Acapulco beach. Will other “foreign relations” be far off? Which of course leads to the next thought: Who would Southwest hook up with? My first bet is on Ryanair, which is evidently considering transatlantic service to complement its European domination. Ryanair, with its ultra-cheap reputation and tendency to charge extra for every little thing, makes Southwest look like the Armani of airlines. But I digress. For flights to Australia, could that country’s Virgin Blue be a possible mate? I think it a better match than Qantas, but the real struggle would be over who would spring for the fuel, since I’m quite sure Southwest isn’t interested in picking up the tab on a 15-hour flight to Sydney, and I dare say Virgin Blue feels the same way.

Southwest and its potential partners might even someday create an alliance comprised of just low-cost carriers, which would really shake up the flying experience. If you thought the glamour days of air travel went out with Pan Am in the 1970s, welcome to the new no-frills flight. Forget meal service—you’d be lucky to find some Chex Mix under your seat on one of these planes. And baggage fees? Oh man, there’d be some serious carry-on cramming on a Ryanair trip from Boston to London. So no, it probably won’t be much to write home about. But that’s not why you’ll buy a ticket. You’ll pony up your $99 and get on that flight to Paris because it’ll cost you ninety-nine dollars. In a time of capacity cuts and high fares, I’ll take the cheap flight, thanks.