As the number of air travelers grows, and most flights at maximum capacity, the chance of delays, cancellations and denied board continue to increase. Knowing your passenger rights can go a long way in dealing with air travel pitfalls.

Your ticket is a contract to get you from point A to point B, but not necessarily on time. If a delay creeps into a cancellation, in most cases the airline will only rebook you on its next available flight. Don't expect compensation for the inconvenience of lost time.

When a delay is the airline's fault, it may offer stranded passengers meal vouchers and even foot the bill for a hotel stay. Mechanical problems and flight-crew staffing issues (but not strikes) usually fall into this category.

Unfortunately, weather and air-traffic-control delays - two of the most common reasons for schedule troubles - do not apply. These are considered force majeure events outside the airlines' control, along with labor disputes, wars and natural disasters.

Airlines may provide additional amenities to stranded passengers, but only if delays are under airline control. These vary by carrier and are spelled out in their contracts of carriage.

The term bumped means that even with a confirmed reservation and ticket, there is no room on the flight for you. Most airlines oversell flights to offset no shows. If all the passengers show up, the airline's first move is to ask for volunteers to take an alternate flight.

Airlines must first ask for volunteers and usually try to entice travelers to give up their seats with flight vouchers, often worth $200 to $400. Before volunteering, find out when you will get a confirmed seat to your destination, whether a hotel will put you up overnight and details of voucher restrictions.

If enough travelers don't volunteer, the airline will choose passengers to bump, typically based on who checked in last, the amount of the fare paid and frequent-flier status. Compensation depends on the length of the delay and the price of your ticket.

Get to the gate early. If you absolutely cannot afford to be bumped, arrive as early as possible to the airport. If a passenger is not at the boarding area (gate) 15 minutes prior to departure, even if they’ve checked in through the web, ticket counter, or kiosk, that’s when their seat may be reassigned to another customer. This can also be done if they have not obtained a boarding pass at least 30 minutes prior to departure, in some stations that time is 45 minutes.

According to the Dept. of Transportation Consumer Guide to Air Travel: The airline must give you a written statement outlining your rights and explaining who gets on an oversold flight and who doesn't. If the airline arranges alternate transportation that gets your to your final destination within one hour of your originally scheduled arrival, there is no compensation.

If your arrival is one-two hours late on a domestic flight and one to four hours internationally, the airline must pay at least the equivalent of your one-way fare to your final destination, up to $200 maximum. For longer delays, or if the airline does not make substitute arrangements, the compensation doubles, up to $400. You can demand payment on the spot, and if you feel you are entitled to more, you can try to negotiate with the Airlines' Consumer Affairs Dept.