My resolution for the new year -- and perhaps yours, too -- is to travel more and travel more comfortably.

This is much easier resolved than done. Even in the past year, airlines have scrunched basic coach seats closer together and in some cases made them skinnier. They've continued the onslaught of higher fees, penalties, prices and frustrations.

Here are my resolutions for fighting back, trading up and traveling better:

I resolve to get more elite status.

For road warriors, elite status is now considered essential for making frequent travel tolerable. It also now makes sense for infrequent fliers -- it's the single best path to improving travel. Even if you just fly to take a vacation or two, you should resolve to earn elite status.

You get free checked baggage, less-crowded check-in lines, early boarding, priority on standby lists and access to better seats reserved in advance. You might be lucky enough to get a rare first-class upgrade. You get a phone number that should, in theory, have shorter waits on hold and more experienced, helpful agents. Elite status these days is like insect repellent for many of the hassles, inconveniences and surcharges airlines throw at customers.

How to get it? Concentrate your flying on one airline, even if a fare is $30 or $50 more. Pay for cheap tickets on long flights rather than cashing in miles. (But check the rules -- some partner airlines don't give full credit for miles on cheap tickets.) Consider making circuitous connections if you have time. Dallas to Boston through Miami? More miles. Find a cheap, off-season ticket to another continent for a mileage run. An investment of $1,000 could yield 15,000 miles.

I resolve to never to buy beef jerky.

In surveys people say they want healthier options. On the road, airlines report passengers still go for the cookies and cheeseburgers. Airlines now offer fewer salads. But the quality of food at airports and on airlines has improved. There's even an airport restaurant chain devoted to healthy choices, UFood Grill, with offerings like a teriyaki chicken bowl. It's open in Boston, Cleveland, Dallas-Fort Worth and Salt Lake City. No excuses anymore.

I resolve not to pay baggage fees.

Even the lowest level of elite status, typically requiring 25,000 miles of flying a year, gets you one free checked bag, if not two. When checking one bag costs $50 round-trip and two bags $120 round-trip, the savings can add up.

No status? Get a credit card that gives you a free checked bag. The card may cost $95 annually, but you can recoup that on two round trips a year. It's an easy way to essentially buy the lowest loyalty level.

No status and no card? Carry on. But please, resolve to pack efficiently rather than attempt to drag a coffin-size bag onboard.

I resolve not to recline.

The physics don't work anymore for reclining in standard rows. Take a stand: Stay upright. Protect your fellow passenger.

I resolve to stretch my legs.