Q. Ugh! My flight was canceled due to the hurricane and I was re-booked, then canceled, then finally re-booked again. It's been days. Why can't they just add more flights now that the weather has cleared up? How am I gonna get home?

A. We're sorry to hear about your dilemma. Unfortunately, since the airlines don't make any money when their airplanes are sitting idle on the ground, they tend to schedule their planes to be in the air as often as possible. This doesn't allow for extra service due to cancellations, because they simply don't have enough airplanes to add more flights. As far as getting home, it is best to rebook as soon as possible once you hear that your flight is canceled, especially during peak travel times, because many flights are already pretty full. If there is a line to see an agent at the airport, you may want to call the airlines 800 number while you wait in line in order to make sure you talk to someone as soon as you can. If there aren't any seats directly to your destination, consider flying an alternate routing. This may be easier if you know your airlines route map, as you can ask about any unusual connections that may not come up in their computer system. Sometimes, you can get re-booked on other airlines so don't forget to ask. Also, consider flying from or into alternate airports to get you as close as possible to your destination and then travel by land. Of course, this is not the most desirable solution, but if you absolutely need to be at your destination, it may be the only option when flights are overbooked for days. Most importantly, remain calm and courteous when speaking to an airline agent. Politeness can go a long way, especially when the agents are swamped with re-booking passengers.