I've been fortunate to have a travel adviser like Pepsipal to frantically call or text when the situation gets rocky. Two examples: March 2015 and the plane had windshield issues. Run not walk to the service counter and ask for your original flight (I was on standby for an earlier flight). And last October, waiting in Chicago for a flight that continued to be delayed over the period of several hours. He said to just wait it out, the last thing the airline wants to do is to cancel. 

Here are my practices - I don't fly in holiday season without expecting delays. Bad weather creates delay, and the law of supply and demand means the flights will be full, i.e. less chance of being rebooked. I pack light, carry light (laptop, toothbrush and essentials, reading material, food) and plan ahead. Unless my flight is nonstop, I study the layout of the airport in advance. (In the back of the flight magazine, many airport terminal maps are pictured.) In my suitcase, my destination address is written on a piece of paper, with contact information for me and the destination. 

If the flight is canceled because of a mechanical issue (like the windshield) or circumstances within the control of the airline, you may be accommodated with hotel lodging and meals. However, the weather and air traffic control issues (which you do not control) are also not accepted by the airline as in their control. Significant disruption may result with the airline automatically trying to rebook you on another flight - if you have listed your cell phone in contact information, remember to check for messages. If you have checked baggage, ask about having it rerouted also, and provide your baggage slip. This is what airline staff would do automatically, but help them as they are dealing with many more passengers than just you by asking.

Onboard, you are entitled to your own seat - and only your own seat. A very large woman once was seated next to me, as she was about to sit down, she raised the armrest between our seats. I put it right back down, and put my elbow on it. If the person seated next to you can't completely fit into their own seat, they can't take up part of your seat. Be polite but be firm - they have surely been in this situation before. If said person doesn't fit into their seat, then they will need to ask to be reseated. 

And speaking of "neighbors with issues," last week I attended a wonderful performance of Swan Lake by the San Francisco Ballet, preceded by a "Meet the Artists" lecture. Featured were Davit Karapetyan and Vanessa Zahorian of "proposal fame" after a Romeo and Juliet performance in May 2010, which can be found on youtube. Anyway, ten minutes into the first act, I begin crocheting, my hands and work in my lap, working in the dark by feel, completely, while watching. I am over halfway through the first row when the woman next to me whispers that I am distracting her. Let me counter this by saying that she has a bag of snacks which rustles as she rummages and munches, also that she whips her binoculars up and down, up and down, up and down like a chain smoker with cigarettes plural. I am barely moving my hands! She repeats, "I'm sorry but what you're doing is very distracting" so I move my hands even less and finish the row. At the intermission I leave my seat and ask the usher if I can be reseated ("The woman next to me is really bothering me"), for the record, although I know the section is sold out. The next act, I soldier it out in the standing room only section; the third act, an usher shows me a vacated seat. Beware - if you sit in the balcony section, seat L17 on a Sunday matinee - tell her to put her toys away!