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If you're planning for next year's trip, perhaps it's time to start exploring your mileage options. The Wall Street Journal shares smart tips for travelers looking to stay ahead in the airlines awards game:

• Redeem by phone. It's more effective to book travel with mileage points over the phone than online because you don't always get access to full inventory of award seats online for most airlines.
• Be flexible with airlines. Sometimes you can get a better deal for an airline through its partner airline rather than buying it straight from the airline itself. The WSJ cited Eli Portnoy as an example. Portnoy redeemed American Express credit card points on Air Canada, then booked trips on its partner airlines Lufthansa and United. The trip cost him a few hundred dollars in fees and 125,000 miles, while the same trip was listed as 295,000 miles on United.
• Book early and keep on checking. For the best bang for your mile, be sure to book ahead of time and keep checking because the availability of mileage seats will fluctuate. Many airlines will let you book up to 11 months in advance. Use ExpertFlyer.com to set alerts that will let you know when an award seat opens up.

The FAA's announcement that American Airlines pilots can use iPads in the cockpit at all times in flight, including takeoff and landing, is just one example of how airlines are evolving with technology. Virgin America, an airline known for tech partnerships like gate-side Chromebook rentals, also makes sure the people flying the planes have the latest gear as well.

During a recent press trip on the airline's inaugural flight to Puerto Vallarta, the staff showed off the geeky details of the Airbus A320 that make it one of the industry's most state-of-the-art birds. The A320 planes all lack the steering wheel, or "yoke" as it's actually called, that most people have come to expect to see when imagining how planes work, with Airbus instead opting to design a joystick steering mechanism reflective of the video games popular in the '80s at the time it was first created. Geek factor aside, the side-stick control is a practical option, as it gives pilots a more comfortable in-flight experience and the option for a pull-out tray just like cabin passengers.

It may not be an iPad, but the gadget of choice for Virgin America pilots is the NavAero tPad, which serves as an Electronic Flight Bag, replacing the heavy and cumbersome paperwork and maps that pilots once carried constantly. The EFBs are the navigation tools for a crew of the 21st Century.

Peep another angle of Virgin America's side-stick and tablet-powered cabin after the break.

The holidays are coming up, and traveling is definitely in the plans for a lot of people. A handy travel tip is to "hold" the airplane seat once you find a good buy. Many airlines provide you the option of reserving the seat for a full 24 hours before canceling it with no fees incurred. For example, if you buy Continental tickets from continental.com or by calling reservations, you will qualify for their 24-hour booking policy, which will let you make changes to your purchased flight without any penalties. Remember to check the policies of different airlines before you decide to go ahead and hold a seat.

This service is great for comparison shopping. As a consumer, you can reserve your seat and hold it for a day while checking to see if other airlines have better deals.

Got a cost-saving travel tip? Join our Savvy Travel Tips group and share your expertise!

Staying entertained and connected on Virgin America flights will soon be even easier than before. Starting in late 2012, Virgin America will be rolling out a new in-flight entertainment and technology system called BoardConnect, which will feature larger, HD touchscreen seat-back monitors with full WiFi connectivity and the ability for passengers to connect their personal gadgets to the system before takeoff, while in the air, and even postflight.

This means that passengers can get their curated content, games, and connectivity via the seat-back screen, or connect and use their smartphones and tablets instead. Additional details are scarce, but these new features and benefits could soon make other airlines, who are still jumping on the in-flight WiFi trend, much less desirable.

The TSA announced today that it will be launching a pilot program that aims to reduce the hassle passengers have to experience when going through customs. It's called the Trusted Traveler Program, and it's only being tested on select passengers of American and Delta airlines who are flying out of a couple of airports.

Passengers who are enrolled in the program have to agree to release private details about themselves, in addition to the usual information people provide when going through customs, which includes a full name, date of birth, and gender. This extra information will give security more assurance that you are who you say you are.

If this move lowers the possibility of going through body scanners or invasive searches, would you participate in the program?

Have you ever bought a ticket for an airline, only to step onto a different airline and wonder what's going on? An airline selling other flights by partner airlines as their own is apparently a common occurrence these days and it's called codesharing. Although the disclosure is required, it's often stated in a way that makes it hard to notice. CNN says:

In fact, if you book a ticket on one airline, say United, it's possible you'll never set foot on a United plane. Let's say you want to fly from Philadelphia to Krakow, Poland. You can book United flight 2216 connecting to United 9254 in Newark before finally getting on United 8756 in Munich. But you're never stepping foot on United.

The first flight is actually operated by Piedmont Airlines. Piedmont is a regional affiliate of US Airways, so it will say US Airways Express on the side of the airplane, but it's operated by Piedmont. Since US Airways and United are partners, United sells it with its own flight number. The second flight is operated by United partner Lufthansa. And the last flight is operated by Lufthansa CityLine, a regional subsidiary of Lufthansa. Confused yet?

For those who care about what airline they actually get on, there are several things you can do. Take notice of the flight number, and if it's a "high flight number (like United 9254), it's probably operated by another airline." Codesharing will be revealed before you purchase the ticket, so be sure to keep an eye out for it. If you are concerned about the safety of the partner airline, check out aviation-safety.net to see what accidents have occurred and the reasons behind them. Does it matter what airline you fly on or are you OK with codesharing?