The Chicago Tribune shook down a travel expert from American Express and uncovered ten dirty little secrets to getting deals from the airlines. Some highlights:

• Ever flown first-class? Me neither, but there are plenty of ways to do so without paying more. Last-minute tickets (especially international) as well as booking through travel agents are a couple ways where you won’t pay a penny more for the upgrade.

• Book over the holidays and save up to 20%. I guess the airlines are in a festive mood? Or they’re just trying to make up for the inevitable drop in sales post-holiday.

• Check out round-trip prices even if you’re flying one-way. Airlines hate booking one-way, so oftentimes you’ll slash the price by over half even if you’re not using the return ticket.

The Times ticks off the Top 7 airliners that are preparing edible in-flight meals, a miracle in it of itself, with British Airways topping the list with their lasagna (”layers of velvety pasta in a creamy, tangy sauce”) and chocolate mousse cake with mandarin sauce.

Surprisingly, Virgin Atlantic comes in second with their “chunks of chicken in a sweet, orangey barbecue sauce with paprika wedges.” (Surprise, remember this unhappy Virgin passenger that caused an international uproar?)

My favorite food, well drink, on a plane would have to be the pineapple/orange juice served by Colombia’s Avianca Airlines. I got completely hooked to this stuff, bad news for those stuck sitting in the aisle and middle seats next to me. As far as food: no comment. I’ll let you know when it happens.