Over at the New York Times, the Practical Traveler column just devoted some space to the extremely practical question of what to do after being bumped from a flight. The suggestions of Times columnist Michelle Higgins? First off—know your station. Software used by airlines such as American, US Airways and Delta is designed to dole out alternative itineraries to certain classes of travelers first (full-price paying passengers, elite fliers) while neglecting holders of tickets purchased with frequent flier miles or special promotional offers. Then get used to a wait—with airline budget cuts causing flight service to be reduced, alternate routes are more scarce nowadays. So yes, the tips are pretty gloomy, but the Times suggests fliers reduce the risk of being bumped by flying on Continental, JetBlue and Southwest (which all manually rebook bumped passengers without using software), by calling airlines or travel agents as soon as flights are cancelled, or, lastly, to invoke the mysterious "Rule 240." What is Rule 240, exactly? Well, you'll have to read the article to find out.