By Dean Whittaker

Those of us who travel frequently are always looking for an edge. Here are a few ideas that appeared in an article in the New York Times on April 7.

If you haven’t yet discovered www.sidestep.com , you will find it to be a helpful way to compare fares among multiple carriers. Its easy-to-configure preference section gives you a quick way to decide whether a few extra hours of sleep before the flight are more important than the dollars saved by getting up before the crack of dawn.

Have you ever wondered which route is more likely to get you there? Well, www.flightstats.com may be the answer for you. It rates airports relative to likely delays, and also provides weather and security line delays for last-minute travelers.

Are you trying to take your family to an exotic destination using your frequent flyer miles? You may want to check out www.milemaven.com . This site will help you maximize your frequent flyer miles by taking advantage of special promotions.

If you’re already headed to the airport, you may want to know about Google Mobile’s text messaging services at http://www.google.com/intl/en-us/mobile/sms/ . Using your mobile phone to send a text message containing the airline and flight number to 466453 (Google on the key pad), you can receive flight arrival and departure information.

Happy traveling.