(FORTUNE Magazine) – For passengers, air travel is getting worse. The number who grew mad enough to complain to the Department of Transportation rose 43% in this year's first quarter, to the highest level ever. The trouble has arisen from carriers competing for prime departure times and offering low fares that attracted more passengers than some lines and airports were prepared for. The situation may not improve soon, so passengers must plan more carefully if they hope to survive the main threat of the air wars: a fit of apoplexy. Herewith, 14 ways to get a better trip. -- Try not to fly in or out of the biggest cities on Thursday, and avoid Friday and Sunday evenings, when congestion is often bad. Since flight cancellations and delays provoke more complaints than any other airline problem, this step is your best bet for avoiding headaches. Tuesday and Saturday are often the least crowded days. -- Avoid rush hours -- early morning, midday, and early evening. For frequent travelers with access to IBM or compatible personal computers, a new program, ''Peak Delay Guide,'' predicts air traffic delays at 24 airports by tracking changes in traffic patterns during the day. When the origin, destination, and departure and arrival times of a flight are typed in, the computer displays the anticipated delay. ''Two flights departing within minutes of each other can show quite different delay patterns,'' says Wayne Dimmic, 40, a St. Louis air traffic controller who developed the program. The software costs $298; a year of monthly updates is $270. -- Book a flight before the one that shows the most convenient arrival time, leaving the later flight as a fallback. -- Ask when you make your reservation whether the flight you want is often delayed. On the day of your trip, ask when the aircraft for your flight is expected to arrive, then allow an hour for turnaround.

-- Assume you will need at least an hour to change planes, not the 30 to 40 minutes that airlines and travel agents routinely assume. -- Avoid airlines with labor problems and, until they integrate operations, big airlines that have recently merged with other big airlines. -- Request your boarding pass when you make your reservation. If flying tourist class, try for a seat on the aisle near the front for a quick exit. United issues advance boarding passes only to passengers paying full fare. Warning: An airline's request that you recheck at the airport could mean overbooking, so arrive early to assure your seat. -- Know your rights. If you are bumped despite having arrived at the gate before the check-in deadline, you are entitled to compensation; the amount depends on how quickly the airline can get you to your destination. In some cases when you are forced to make an overnight layover at a city not on your itinerary, the airline should pick up your hotel bill. But when the airline is not at fault -- if bad weather is the culprit, for example -- you're on your own. Fly-Rights: A Guide to Air Travel in the U.S. is available for $1 from the Superintendent of Documents, Consumer Information Center, Dept. P-165, Pueblo, Colorado 81009. Facts & Advice for Airline Passengers costs $2 from Aviation Consumer Action Project, P.O. Box 19029, Washington, D.C. 20036. -- Don't check any baggage you don't have to. When you make your reservation, ask how much you are allowed to carry on, and pack accordingly. -- Remove old airport destination tags and write your permanent business address and a phone number at your destination on your luggage tag. -- File a claim before leaving the airport if a checked bag doesn't show up. -- Think twice before buying nonrefundable bargain tickets; you can't exchange them if you change plans, and one major corporation's travel department reports that employee fliers change their reservations 60% of the time. If you take the risk, consider a hedge: Insurance from Travel Guard International (call 800-782-5151 or your travel agent) returns half the cancellation penalty on some fares. -- Consider business class, which is a better deal than first class and on a long flight almost as comfortable. It is available on international flights, on transcontinental U.S. flights of Pan Am, and on all TWA widebodies. -- Check your frequent-flier benefits. They aren't as easy to earn as they used to be, but most major carriers still offer upgrades to first class after 10,000 miles. Most will transfer your rewards to family members and will credit mileage flown on certain other lines. American, Eastern, Delta, and United offer the most tie-ins with overseas carriers. Ultra-frequent fliers on American and TWA may be eligible for Gold Cards entitling them to bonus miles and faster upgrades to first class. Following these recommendations is your best bet to get where you're going on time at a good price, with your possessions and composure. More than that -- such as gracious service -- seems, for now at least, beyond the competence of U.S. carriers. Seasoned international travelers usually prefer foreign airlines, most of which have the advantage of government subsidization. As long as U.S. lines remain at war, passengers must be wary.