POP QUIZ (Up in the Air)

                 How much do you know about flying the friendly skies?

1. What is the cheapest day to fly domestically?
a) Monday
b) Wednesday
c) Friday
2. When is the best time to buy domestic airline tickets?
a) Sunday evening
b) Friday afternoon
c) Tuesday afternoon
3. What's the most important thing you can do to ensure your safety in an emergency evacuation?
a) Wear shoes
b) Count the rows between you and the nearest exit (keeping in mind, of course, that the nearest exit may be located behind you)
c) Pack important medications in your carry-on-bag
4. Which seat on the plane is statistically the safest?
a) Right next to the emergency exit
b) Anywhere in the first row
c) In the back, next to the bathroom
d) All of the above
5. What was the busiest air travel day of 2012?
a) Nov. 25
b) July 20
c) Dec. 24
d) Dec. 31
6. You're most likely to arrive at your destination on time if you fly on which of these days:
a) Friday
b) Wednesday
c) Saturday
7. What's the deal with your smartphone's "airplane mode" setting?
a) You can use your phone in airplane mode anytime during your flight
b) You can use your phone to watch videos or go online in airplane mode above 10,000 feet
c) You can't use your phone anytime during flight, in airplane mode or otherwise
8. According to the latest figures, what percentage of baggage is reported lost, damaged, delayed, or stolen?
a) 0.3 percent
b) 3 percent
c) 13 percent



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Answers : 1.  (b) : Wednesday is the least expensive day to fly, says Rick Seaney, cofounder and CEO of the travel-planning website : www.FareCompare.com,  though Tuesday and Saturday are also good choices.  [The most expensive days: Friday and Sunday.]  Red-eyes and crack-of-dawn first flights of the day are usually priced the lowest, but if pulling an all-nighter doesn't sound like a fun way to start your vacation, try lunch-or dinnertime flights; they're your second-best options.
                 2.  (c) : According to Seaney, airlines often kick off sales late Monday night.  Other airlines then drop their prices to stay competitive, and this price matching usually happens by 3 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday.  Be sure to act fast: By Thursday, most of the discounted fares will have been snapped up or pulled.
                 3.  (a & b) : You should pack crucial meds in a carry-on in case checked luggage is lost, but don't try to grab it in an emergency ---- doing so will only slow down an evacuation.  Counting rows allows you to find an exit by feel if visibility is low.  And don't ditch your shoes (ideally closed-toe flats) mid-flight.  "You'll need them in the event of an evacuation on the ground, potentially in rough terrain," says Emily McGee, director of communications for the Flight Safety Foundation.
                4.  (d) : "Statistically, there isn't really a way to determine where the safest seat is," says McGee.  The reason is reassuring :  "There aren't enough fatal accidents to develop any sort of trend."  It makes sense that someone sitting in an exit row would evacuate before someone sitting farther away, but that's not as much of an issue as it might seem, McGee claims, "To be certified by the FAA, the airframe manufacturer must demonstrate that everyone ---- no matter where they are sitting ----- can be evacuated in 90 seconds or less, with half of the exit rows blocked or unusable," she says.
                5.  (b) : According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), summer is typically the busiest time of year for air travel.  The most likely reason, says Dave Smallen, BTS director of public affairs, is that winter holiday travel tends to involve more driving than flying.
                6.  (c) : According to the BTS, 83.5 percent of Saturday flights arrived on time across the country in February 2013.  The worst day: Friday, with only about 79 percent of flights arriving as scheduled.
                7.  (b) : Like all personal electronic devices, your cell phone can emit radio energy even when it's not actively trying to connect to anything.  The FAA therefore restricts the use of all such devices below 10,000 feet because of potential interference with the plane's communications, navigation, flight control, and electronic equipment during the two most critical phases of flight : takeoff and landing.  Above 10,000 feet, however, you can use your phone in airplane mode to watch videos, play games, or surf the Web.  But don't expect to be able to talk or text anytime soon : In-flight cell phone use has been banned by the Federal Communications Commission since 1991.
                8.  (a) : It may seem like you're always the last person at the baggage carousel, but in reality, very few bags are reported as mishandled, which the Department of Transportation defines as "lost, damaged, delayed, or pilfered."