Columnist Muriel Stevens: Frustrated travelers carry on

Wednesday, July 13, 2005 | 8:23 a.m.

There's no use moaning and groaning these days about the shortcomings of air travel. Lighten up your attitude and your carry-on luggage and you'll learn, as I have, to make the best of it.

I know it's boring to hang around an airport the recommended time (up to 2 hours) before departure, but it's better than hearing that your assigned seat has been given away because you hadn't checked in 30 minutes before departure.

Waiting in line at the San Diego airport baggage check-in a few days ago I kept hearing that flights to Las Vegas had been canceled, and ticket holders were being asked to brave the lines inside.

It was both good news and bad news when I was told that my flight had not been canceled. I don't know why the two earlier Las Vegas flights had been canceled, but I did know the ticket holders wouldn't have much time to get new seat assignments.

It was not a happy scene at the departure gate. In spite of all the warnings that only two carry-on pieces of a specified size were allowed, shoppers appear to believe that oversized shopping bags don't count -- they do.

And if you are one of the last ones to board it's almost a given that all overhead storage space will be taken, legitimately or not.

To avoid the hassle, whenever practical check your bags. A handbag large enough for a book and snacks is all I take on board. Not being encumbered is worth the inconvenience of going to the baggage claim area.

It took quite a bit of time to seat all of the passengers. Some never did get seats. Some opted to depart the next day after the airline sweetened the pot with a $200 travel voucher. For those who don't want to play this often frustrating travel game there's always the Travel Channel.

New edition of Warman's price guide: Warman's 39th edition of "Antiques & Collectibles," edited by Ellen T. Schroy ($21.99, PB) is a treasure of information. Now in full color, it's a terrific source for collectors of Roseville pottery, toys, carnival glass, china, furniture, Barbies and more.

Warman's also supplies info on histories, fakes, reproduction alerts, manufacturer marks, collecting trends and other vital information. As many as 1,800 photos are in full color.

Schroy has been editing Warman's since its 16th edition and is a regular contributor to Antique Trader Weekly. Invaluable information for beginning and seasoned collectors.

What women want: Cargo, a magazine for hip men, recently conducted a survey to find out what women really want. More than 800 women responded to questions about hairstyles, shoes, even underwear.

Here are some of the results:

What's hot? 58 percent of the women said men look sexiest in jeans and a T-shirt. What's not? Anything overly trendy -- 92 percent hate leather pants, 91 percent frown on chest-hair baring shirts and pleats.

Good news about hair loss -- it doesn't bother women as much as it does men. Forty-eight percent of the the babes surveyed say guys shouldn't even worry about it, and 32 percent say to go with the flow and cut it all off. Only 1 percent suggested hiding it under a cap or doing a comb-over (a la The Donald).

The full survey appears in the July/August issue of Cargo.