Do higher fares, new baggage check fees, and the inevitable long lines at the security checkpoints have you dreading your next trip to the airport?

Maybe I can help: here’s a link to the Well-Mannered Traveler summer refresher course posted today on MSNBC.com. There’s even a chance to earn extra credit.

Column illustration by Duane Hoffman at MSNBC.com

People leave a lot of unusual things behind at airports. Lost and Found offices have logged in everything from ash-filled urns to prosthetic limbs and entire car engines.

But kids?

According to Canwest News Service report, today “a family forgot their 18-month-old toddler after clearing security and boarded a flight to Winnipeg without him.”

An Air Canada spokesperson said the “child’s parents and grandparents were seated in different sections of an Air Canada flight from Vancouver to Winnipeg Monday, and each thought the child was with another family member.”

As you’ll see in the story, everything turned out fine and the family was reunited. But we can all imagine a different ending.

So next time your family is at the airport, take frequent head counts and put a copy of the itinerary in everyone’s pocket.