With the busy year-end holiday season arriving, most senior travelers are looking for ways to beat the high cost of flying. So, we consult with Priceline and Expedia and look at all the airline ads, hoping we can find the best prices aloft. However, we should be careful that we don’t choose the wrong airline for our holiday flying, and here are some ways to know when that happens:

1. The pilot and co-pilot stagger aboard, arms around each other, singing, “Sweet Adeline”.

2. Just before take-off, out the window you can see a mechanic kick one of the aircraft’s tires and sadly shake his head.

3. The flight attendants are all older than you, but the pilot and co-pilot look like they haven’t started shaving yet.

4. The passenger in the next seat is praying while writing his will.

5. After take-off, the voice on the intercom asks, “Anyone aboard know how to fix a doohickie?

6. Flight attendants come up the aisles begging for fuel money because the airline has just declared bankruptcy.

7. After take-off, the intercom announces: You are now permitted to use your cell phones for last farewells to your loved ones.

8. A sign on your seat reads: keep your head and arms inside while the aircraft is moving.

9. When the aircraft is at cruising altitude, the intercom announces: You are now free to run up and down the aisles while screaming in panic.

10. The only books aboard are “The Hindenburg Story” and “Tale of the Titanic”.