Our pilgrimage to Boracay this year was marred by an unwelcome change in flight plans. We booked a direct, afternoon flight to Caticlan only to be diverted to Kalibo Airport and inconveniently shuttled to Caticlan by van like livestock. We were scheduled to take off at 3:00 p.m., but it was already dusk when our turbo prop left ground. The delay was caused by NAIA air traffic but the diversion to Kalibo was blamed on "sunset limitation" — a term travelers to Boracay are familiar with.

Pilots rely on daylight for visibility and since Caticlan is not equipped with navigational facilities that make night landing possible, flights are either moved earlier, cancelled or diverted. Lesson learned? Avoid afternoon flights, if you hate surprises.

These airline surprises are a true test of mettle. Passengers are subjected to delays, customer disservice and other indignities—costs too steep to pay for the sin of loving promo fare. A flight delayed, cancelled or diverted? Missing bags? No snacks? No accommodation? No explanation?

And once upon a Supermoon when frustration outruns self-control, fists can fly at baggage claim as we have recently witnessed on TV, in a spectacle by wayward celebrities and off-loaded baggage — the root of it all.

But "off loading baggage" is a legit airline industry practice when using smaller planes in short runways. Being "weight conscious" is a chilling lesson from 2003 when a US Airways plane crashed in North Carolina, killing all 21 passengers and crew. The plane, a 19-seater Beechcraft took off beyond weight limits and crashed less than a minute after take-off.

Check-in clerks at that time estimated the weight of a passenger based on an outdated formula, at 200 pounds per person. But with the world going obese, the real weight could be over the scales that's why getting the actual weight of the passengers, is now a matter of life and death. And on a heavy plane, baggage is first to go, unless you can shed off the extra pounds in 10 minutes?

Another common cause of delay is "the late arrival of the turn around aircraft", fueled by the ambition to conquer hundreds of routes, using just a handful of planes. The "late arrival of the turn around aircraft" is the sum of all delays from earlier flights using the same work horse.

Planes also need some servicing after a few flight cycles, hence, the other common cause of delay: additional servicing of the aircraft.

Unfortunately, delays due to "additional servicing of the aircraft" is also a "fits all" excuse which could mean anything from plane maintenance: to fixing actual mechanical problems (that airlines don't want to alarm you about); to replacing aircraft for safety reasons; to slow cargo handling, cleaning the cabin and a thousand other "hard-to-explain-on-the-PA-system" reasons. It's their way of saying "ah, basta delayed!", nicely.

Bus boarding. Have you ever wondered why you board your plane by bus and ramp while there are several, perfectly idle jet tubes at the airport longing for company? Apart from big savings from not using fancy facilities, bus and ramp boarding also saves time because airlines can use all plane doors to get people in or out as fast as humanly possible.

NAIA 3 Gates 131 to 135. It is the bad news a passenger receives as soon as his boarding pass is printed. NAIA 3 Gates 131 to 135 is a dungeon of misery — a parallel universe of the old domestic airport. Cramped, chaotic and uncomfortable. Originally intended as a pre-departure area for a few bus-boarded flights to smaller planes, gates 131 to 135 is now used by most airlines whose flights are generally bus boarded anyway. Most domestic flights now use these gates.

My rules of thumb when traveling domestic as flight delays are the norm than an exception:

1. Never take afternoon flights. I can't stress that enough, unless you're in the mood for a pre departure area picnic that could last through the night. Always take first flights out of your destination as these often leave on time.

2. Know your aircraft. Small planes off-load baggage more than bigger planes hence it's wiser to travel with just carry-on bags or one small trolley to ensure you and your bags arrive in one piece.

3. Always bring entertainment with you; a good book, an iPad or a game console especially when traveling with kids. You may not have control over flight delays but you can still up your Anrgy Birds score.

Keep your cool and your bomb jokes to yourself. No matter how infuriating the delays, never give others the Supermoon, or it will be etched on Youtube forever.*