No one is immune to airline delays and cancellations, even if you're an aviation producer who just spent two days telling the story of how airlines try to keep planes flying on time.

My recent trip to Turkey was plagued with problems: a broken engine part on one aircraft, a broken lock on the cockpit door of another, a whack from the tow bar used to push planes away from the gate on a third, plus a canceled flight and a missed connection. Altogether, these snafus delayed my arrival in Istanbul by 12 hours.

GIven my luck, I wasn't surprised a couple of days later when one of my domestic flights within Turkey was canceled. And on the the way home to the United States, a broken exit sign in the cabin caused a three-hour delay and near cancellation.

As the projected 5.6 million Americans take to the sky this holiday season, it's a safe bet they are all hoping not to hear the dreaded words "cancellation" and "delay." But we all know that there's no avoiding delays sometimes.

CNN put together some travel tips to help you get to your destination and back with the least trouble possible. 

Know your options

A key to surviving a delay or cancellation is to consider your options even before you book.

Take note of flights your airline offers that could be backup options in case of disruptions, and perhaps most importantly, make sure there are actually alternative flights.

Flying early in the morning gives you a buffer if your flight gets delayed or canceled. Delays tend to pile up later in the day and ripple across the country to other airports.

If you are booked on the last flight of the night and that flight is canceled, you won't have any way to get to your destination until the next day. Flights this time of year are also very full, so seats are limited for rebookings.

Passengers who book flights that land only minutes before a cruise departure, wedding or other important event risk missing it if there is a delay. It might be worth taking an extra day off from work or spending an extra night in a hotel; the trade-off is the security of arriving with plenty of time to spare. 

Book nonstop if you can

Nonstop flights can be more expensive, but they also can be less risky. 

If a flight from your hometown to your destination is delayed or canceled, you always have the option of going home and spending a night in your own bed and trying again the next day.

Getting stuck in an unfamiliar city when you can't get to your connection leaves few options and could easily cost you more in food and hotel expenses than simply taking the nonstop. 

Watch the weather

Airline staffers sometimes joke that no matter how hard they try, they can't control the weather. 

You can, however, control where you are going. 

For example, if you see it's going to be snowing in Atlanta when you are supposed to make your connection there, you probably don't want to try to connect there.

Threats of nasty weather often prompt "travel waivers," posted on airline websites, that allow rebooking of flights for little or no cost.