CLEVELAND -- A lot of travelers will be hitting the skies for the holidays, and family members and friends will be greeting them at the airport.

With the chance for snow and bad weather across the country, don't head for the airport without some important information.

The best advice is to call your airline and check your flight status.

Get the latest airport delay times here.

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Cleveland, Akron Airports

If you are picking up passengers at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport or at the Akron-Canton Airport, set up a free e-mail account with the airline or monitor the Web site that the person is flying to check the status of a flight.

In Cleveland, you can download flight tracker information to your computer or handheld device to keep an eye on the progress of a flight.

You can also check arrival and departures at akroncantonairport.com.

Travelers can find the layout of the airports. Maps can help in Akron and Cleveland.

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Flight Delays

Are you picking up passengers at the airport or taking off yourself? Check online before you leave the house for airport delays. The information comes from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Thousands of flights are in the air over the United States right now. Check out a real-time flight tracking tool that allows you to continuously and visually track a commercial flight from take-off to landing with this site.

You can also view any commercial flight currently in progress or track a specific flight. A map shows you the plane route and tells you the departure and arrival time. Track your flight here.

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Travel Weather

Weather is always a big factor when traveling. Before you hop a plane to the most populate destinations from Cleveland, check their forecasts. This page lists detailed forecasts for the following cities.

• Baltimore
• Chicago
• Houston
• Las Vegas
• Los Angeles
• New York
• Orlando
• Phoenix
• San Antonio
• San Diego
• San Francisco
• Seattle

Check out these weather maps for the latest conditions in other cities:

• National weather maps

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Travel Rules

There are some things you should remember before leaving home.

Check with your airline. Several flights can be delayed or cancelled due to weather or mechanical problems.

Also remember to bring a boarding pass, ticket or ticket confirmation, such as a printed itinerary and a government-issued photo ID.

Airports are asking passengers to arrive two hours before their departure time.

Remember, there are several items you should not bring with you to the airport:

• No wrapped gifts -- screeners will have you unwrap them at the airport.
• Pack film in your carry-on bags -- the screening equipment for checked bags can destroy film.
• Leave lighters at home.
• Limit the amount of metal you're wearing in your shoes, belts and jewelry.
• Liquids, gels and aerosols must be in 3 ounce or smaller containers and in a 1 quart, zip-top bag.

For a list of new security rules, click here.

Newsnet5.com is your guide to airport travel. You also can check here to find out about travel weather, deals and get printable councourse maps.

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Travel Deals

If you want to get the best travel deal for your dollar, avoid peak hours. The busiest times at the airport are 6 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. And the busiest day is Monday. Find out what days to get the best deals here.

There is a lot of competition online for travel sites. They all want your business.

• For last-minute deals, try Site 59.
• Check just-released travel offers at Lastminutetravel.com.
• Search all airlines for the best airfare on Expedia.com.
• Check for deals and offers at Travelocity.com.

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Airline Contacts

If you want to speak to a representative at the airlines, check our list of phone numbers for your airline. Get airline Web site contacts.