Stuck at the airport? Don’t become a victim of delay rage.

If the click of the public announcement system in the boarding area is all it takes to make your heart skip a beat, maybe you’re susceptible to this summer’s travel epidemic: delay rage.

Have you felt it? A recent survey by TripIt of air travelers found that more than a third (36%) had experienced a delay of an hour or more, and 10% had a flight canceled.

Evidence of delay rage seems to be everywhere. It’s passengers tackling agents, destroying ticket counters, and tussling with employees. It seems as if a fight could break out before every flight -- and sometimes, it does.

“Air travel these days can stir up a storm of emotions,” says Logan Jones, a New York psychologist. “The frustration of a disrupted schedule, the anxiety of a missed connection, the dread of an endless wait -- these can combine to ignite flames of anger in all of us.”

Fortunately, there’s a fix for delay rage. You need to understand your rights as a passenger. (Your airline might claim you have none, but that’s wrong.) There are a few coping mechanisms you can use. But also, there’s a bigger fix that could help address the most vexing flight delays.

What are your passenger rights during a flight delay?

The problem: If an airline delays your domestic flight, it owes you practically nothing.

There’s no requirement that an airline keep to its timetable in the United States. For longer delays, the airline must offer a full refund or it can rebook you on a future flight. But if you want compensation for your delay, or if you want the airline to book you on another airline, you’re probably out of luck. And passengers find that infuriating.

And that brings me to the most important advice for anyone who wants to avoid delay rage this summer: Know before you go.

“Familiarize yourself with your rights as an airline passenger and review the airline’s compensation policy for canceled flights,” advises Bob Bacheler, managing director of a medical transport service.

One of the best resources for your rights in case of a delay caused by something that is within the airline’s control is the Department of Transportation’s airline customer service dashboard. For flights to or from Europe, you may be eligible for additional compensation under EC 261, the European airline consumer protections. I have more information on your consumer rights in my free guide to canceled or delayed flights.

But in-the-know passengers always turn to their airline’s contract of carriage, the legal agreement between them and the airline. It describes, in painstaking legalese, what the airline will do in the event of a delay. Airlines usually differentiate between a delay caused by something within their control, like a mechanical problem, and an event outside of their control, like weather.

If the delay is caused by an outside event, the airline doesn’t have to offer you overnight accommodations, meal vouchers or transportation to your hotel -- and often it doesn’t.

How do you deal with delay rage?

You don’t have to be a victim of delay rage. Here’s what psychologists recommend:

Take a deep breath. Anger and aggression are normal, says Bruce Friedman, an associate professor in the department of psychology at

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