With one airline after another experiencing meltdowns this summer in the wake of bad weather and labor-shortage problems, what's a passenger to do?

First, it's best to arm yourself with up-to-date information and be prepared to advocate on your own behalf if a problem arises. Be proactive, not reactive.

Even if the day is sunny outside, never leave for the airport before getting status updates both on your flight, as well as any circumstances that might affect its departure or your ability to get to the gate on time.

You can call your carrier, but increasingly that can be a frustrating experience as the automatic information is often outdated and it's difficult to get a live person to find out more.

Most airline Web sites make it easy to check on estimated departure times, and Pittsburgh International maintains its own helpful Web site, www.flypittsburgh.com, which provides departure and arrival times for daily flights, based on updates from carriers, as well as status reports on security lines and on-site parking.

But flight information can be limited, not up to the minute and won't include warnings about weather and air traffic conditions that may affect flight schedules at your connecting or destination airports.

A better option is to check with another Web site, Flightstats.com. Its computers automatically assemble, assimilate and analyze real time data from airlines, airports and the FAA's Aircraft Situation Display to Industry, as well as weather services to produce a more predictive portrait of pending factors that might affect your journey.

In addition to informing you about flight delays at your local airport, you'll learn when weather conditions in Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, Charlotte, Atlanta and other airports will affect your connections there. What's more, it offers provisional status forecasts up to three days before your departure. You can access this free information from your computer, PDA or cell phone.

Other proactive tips to take to increase the chance you'll have a smooth trip:

Schedule flights early in the day, before afternoon storms cause delays or cancellations.

If flying somewhere to join a cruise or tour, consider arriving a day early to make sure you don't miss it if your flight is canceled or delayed.

If you have paid a lot of money in deposits for these arrangements, buy trip interruption insurance.

If catching a connecting flight, make sure you schedule extra time between them in case your first flight is delayed.