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When I buy a ticket online, it's quick and painless. But when I check in, it still takes forever. Just what is that check-in person doing?

"That's a good question," says Macky Osorio, a spokeswoman for Continental Airlines. At the counter, the airline representative must check the passenger's information and documents and confirm destinations. If the passenger is traveling abroad, the ticket representative will verify visa requirements. This all requires computer work.

Want a first-hand look at what the ticket representative is doing? Many airlines, including Continental, have installed computer kiosks that allow you to bypass the ticket rep and punch in your own data. You can even check your bags. Nobody knows your own information better than you, so expect to get to the gate sooner. Osorio says the system gives travelers everything needed to bypass the lines in the airport, pass through security and go directly to the boarding gate. The computer service is still largely restricted to domestic U.S. travel.

What's more dangerous, taking off or landing?

You're pretty much safe in the air, but if you are a worrywart by nature, the time to stress out is during take-offs. Engines could fail or birds could fly into the cockpit window and startle the pilot upon takeoff. Maintenance errors could occur just prior to departure. Such events are unlikely, but if they do happen don't expect to go down in flames, says Stuart Klaskin, a former pilot and aviation consultant in Miami.

Multi-engine aircraft can fly safely even if one or more engines fail. Windows won't break if birds or other debris crash into them, whether on take-off or landing. "I wouldn't characterize either one as dangerous," says Klaskin. "The riskiest part is the risk of heart attack or a stroke while waiting in security lines."

Rest assured that a successful takeoff Hill lead to a successful landing, Klaskin says. Feel a little worried that a rogue breeze will swoop in and send the plane in a fiery barrel roll? Don't. When landing, a sideways rocking motion is common before touchdown. It's just the pilot adjusting for the wind. He's actually doing it throughout the flight, although passengers tend to feel it during landing.

"Typically, [it's] the sort of minor correction that's not normally felt in most phases of flight," says Klaskin. There are always a few passengers who think they can stabilize a commercial aircraft by digging their fingernails into the forearms of their fellow passengers. It doesn't help. And there's little reason to worry. Air travel is much safer than highway travel, says Klaskin.

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