Entrepreneurs are stepping up to profit from the airlines' shortcomings. Considering that the typical passenger arrives more than one hour early to check in, and that waiting in line is a top source of travel stress, it's no wonder CAPS's haul has jumped from 1,000 bags a month early last year to 13,000 today. The company has managed to get bags to the right planes on time, though that record will be tested, beginning later next month, as CAPS prepares to expand to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, and Miami. But these days, CAPS is being courted by city officials and hotel operators worried that travel hassles are cutting into their tourism dollars.
Overcrowded airlines face intense pressure to move more passengers to more places in less time.
The FAA predicts U.S. ridership will soar 57 percent by 2012, to nearly 1.1 billion passengers. Congress has warned airlines that if they don't cut down on delays and cancellations, lawmakers will do it for them. CAPS didn't invent this business. The U.S. Department of Transportation 's Aviation Consumer Protection Division publishes an Air Travel Consumer Report . Find out what general policies airlines must abide by or browse passenger rules by airline .