10+ Best Flight Apps For Hassle-Free Travel
Are you looking for the ultimate tip to make your next trip unforgettable? While packing and choosing the right backpack are essential, pay attention to the pre-flight procedures, like waiting in line for check-in. The secret to a smoother travel experience is using a flight app.
But with so many app store options, choosing the right one can be overwhelming. That's why we have compiled a list of the best flight apps for hassle-free travel.
Our guide includes in-depth information and detailed reviews to help you find the perfect flight app for your needs. So, explore your favourite options and seize the opportunity to buy the cheapest flight tickets!
How Can Flight Apps Enhance Your Travel Experience?
Technology has made almost anything possible; using a flight app can significantly improve the air travel experience.
First, monitoring the status of the flight is just a tap away. A flight app will help you stay updated with real-time changes to your flight, such as a delay, a change in your gate, or a cancellation, through push notifications. As a result, you can make the appropriate alterations to your itinerary.
You will also save time by using it to check in, choose your seat, and pay for your bags in advance. By doing so, you can skip the check-in counter and other lines at the airport.
In addition, travel apps may fill you in on the latest weather forecasts, upcoming activities, and must-see sights at your final destination. You can better use your time there by carefully planning your itinerary with this information.
A flight app can also make your trip more manageable and less hectic. Mobile boarding cards and airport maps help passengers breeze through security and find their gates without any hassle.
1. Kayak - Best All-rounder
Website: kayak.com
Download: Google Play | App Store
Kayak was founded in 2004 by Steve Hafner and Paul English. It debuted as a travel search engine before launching its mobile app in 2009. Since then, it has become one of the best flight apps for people looking to compare prices and plan trips.
The app allows users to search for flights across multiple airlines and provides detailed information on flight times, prices, and amenities. Moreover, it gives information on baggage fees, airport maps, and travel restrictions, saving you time on research. You can also set up price alerts for specific routes to receive notifications when prices drop.
Kayak's "Guides" is the best feature they have. It allows you to create a personalised travel guide with places to visit, restaurants to try, and activities to do. You can add notes, photos, and access guides created by other users for insider tips. Sharing your guide is easy, too.
2. Hopper - Best For Budget Travellers
Website: Hopper.com
Download: Google Play | App Store
With over 70 million downloads and valuable features, Hopper has quickly become one of the best flight apps available today. Its strongest feature is its ability to accurately estimate future travel rates, allowing you to book flights at the optimal time to save the most money.
Using innovative technology, Hopper predicts flight prices and lets you know if the price is below, on par, or above the average. Many deals save you up to 40% on travel costs, making it an excellent tool for budget-conscious travellers.
The app is user-friendly and initially designed for flights, but it now offers more travel options. Best of all, it is entirely free to download so that you can access its best deals for every trip.
3. Skyscanner - Best For Flexible Travellers
Website: skyscanner.com
Download: Google Play | App Store
Skyscanner is the best flight app among travellers, which can monitor pricing and notify you when a good deal is found. The app's customer support is also top-notch, with helpful assistance available via chat or email.
The "Everywhere" feature lets you conduct open-ended searches, making it easy to find the best deals on flights to a wide range of destinations. Using its calendar and charts, you can easily compare hundreds of flights to international and domestic destinations.
In addition to flights, Skyscanner offers a comprehensive search for hotels and rental cars, with the ability to filter results by price, location, and other factors. The app also provides a wealth of information on destinations, including recommendations for things to do and see and reviews from other travellers.
4. Omio - Best For Multi-Modal Travel
Website: omio.com
Download: Google Play | App Store
Omio is a leading flight app specialising in multi-modal travel planning, offering a seamless experience for travellers who want to combine flights with other modes of transportation. With Omio, you can effortlessly search and book flights, trains, buses, and even ferries all in one place.
More than just flights, it’s a one-stop app where you can also book trains, buses, ferries and rental cars to get to your destination. Just select a location, and Omio will provide every cost-effective transportation option.
Omio also provides real-time updates, ensuring you stay informed about any changes or delays in your journey. Whether exploring multiple cities or embarking on an adventure involving various modes of transport, Omio is one of the best flight apps to consider.
5. Expedia - Best For All-In-One Travel Solutions
Website: expedia.com
Download: Google Play | App Store
For over two decades, Expedia has been one of the best flight apps for travellers. Expedia has a significant user base with over 50 million downloads on the Google Play Store alone.
The app offers a comprehensive search function; you can search for flights, hotels, car rentals, and vacation packages in one place. Furthermore, it has partnered with various airlines, providing access to flights from hundreds of airlines and thousands of cities worldwide. Therefore, you can easily find and book flights to your desired destination at competitive prices.
What’s more, Expedia is on the cutting edge of travel innovation. Customers can now book vacations by chatting with a chatbot that uses OpenAI's ChatGPT, thanks to a new service the company just launched. This demonstrates Expedia's dedication to innovation and customer satisfaction.
6. Kiwi.com - Best For Cheap Flights Tickets
Website: kiwi.com
Download: Google Play | App Store
Kiwi is another great flight app that offers a range of valuable features for travellers. Its "nomad" mode is perfect for those who love exploring different destinations at an affordable price. You simply enter a starting point and time frame, and it finds you the cheapest flights to multiple destinations worldwide.
The app's intuitive search function lets you easily search for flights and compare prices across airlines and dates. Its interface also breaks down the total trip cost, including fees and taxes, making it easy to budget and plan trips.
More than that, it offers a "virtual interlining” feature, so you can save money by combining flights from multiple carriers. This feature makes it the best flight app for those who want to visit some less popular locations.
7. Skiplagged - Best For Hidden City Ticking
Website: skiplagged.com
Download: Google Play | App Store
Skiplagged is recommended as one of the best flight apps for its unique approach to finding the cheapest flights. Its founder, Aktarer Zaman, created the app to help users save money by finding "hidden city" flights, which have a layover in the user's desired destination but are cheaper than direct flights.
Skiplagged also includes many other valuable features, such as setting up price alerts for specific routes and dates and a "Nearby" search function allowing users to find the cheapest flights from nearby airports.
You can often find flights at a fraction of the cost of direct flights to their desired destination by taking advantage of hidden city flights. Fun fact, United Airlines sued them back in 2014 for this practice. Beware that you may save hundreds of dollars in plane tickets but may get on the airlines’ bad side.
8. Travelperk - Best For Bussiness Travellers
Website: travelperk.com
Download: Google Play | App Store
If you are a frequent business traveller looking for a seamless and comprehensive platform to manage your travel needs, TravelPerk is an excellent choice. As a SaaS-driven corporate travel management and booking platform, TravelPerk allows businesses to plan, book, and manage their travel easily.
First, it offers an AI-driven search tool, which quickly finds the best flights and hotels that match your preferences. Its direct connection to airlines and hotels helps to save both time and money, which makes it the best flight app available.
Beyond its powerful search capabilities, TravelPark also offers a range of other valuable features, including the ability to book rental cars and airport transfers and access to a 24/7 customer support team. This ensures business travellers have peace of mind, knowing their travel plans are in good hands.
Over 6 million people worldwide rely on the app to take control of their travel plans. This provides a wealth of collective knowledge and experience and allows users to discover the best deals and travel tips from other travellers.
9. Momondo - Best For Cheap Flights
Website: momondo.com
Download: Google Play | App Store
Momondo has consistently been recognised as one of the top flight apps, boasting an impressive 4.8 out of 5 rating on the Apple App Store (over 29,000 ratings).
Thanks to its outstanding features and exceptional customer service, it has also earned accolades, such as the Focus Money Award 2020. One of the benefits of using Momondo is its ability to find flights that other apps may miss.
The app's robust search algorithm scours various sources to find the best flight deals. With its "Explore" feature, the app makes it effortless to find flights based on your interests, whether by region or activity and discover new destinations.
Meanwhile, the "Trip Finder" feature lets you search for flights based on your budget, travel dates, and preferred activities. Moreover, the "Mix and Match" function allows you to combine flights from various airlines, creating a personalised itinerary that can result in significant flight savings.
10. Google Flights - Best For Travel Planning
Website: googleflights.com
With its intuitive interface, advanced search capabilities, and exhaustive flight information, Google Flights is regarded as one of the best flight apps ever. How to use Google Flights is relatively easy with its sleek user interface.
Google Flights offers other valuable features such as price alerts, which notify users when ticket prices change, and a "Best Flights" feature highlighting the cheapest flights for the selected route.
Additionally, the app features a calendar view that displays the cheapest flight options for each day, simplifying the planning process.
The app's user-friendly design is another excellent feature that makes navigation and information retrieval a breeze. It provides clear and concise information about each flight, including departure and arrival times, layovers, and duration.
Furthermore, Google Flights seamlessly integrates with Google's other travel tools like Google Maps and Google Trips, providing a comprehensive platform to plan and book your entire trip. With the Google Assistant integration, you can search for and book flights using voice commands.
11. FlightAware - Best For Flight Tracking
Website: flightaware.com
Download: Google Play | App Store
FlightAware is highly regarded as one of the best flight apps for travellers. It excels in providing real-time flight tracking and comprehensive flight information. With FlightAware, you can easily track flights worldwide, whether you're following your journey or keeping an eye on the flights of your loved ones.
You may be overwhelmed at first with so much aircraft and flight tracking information. FlightAware's map interface allows you to visualise flights in progress, making it easy to monitor and plan your airport pickups or drop-offs accordingly.
Additionally, FlightAware offers push notifications and alerts to keep you informed about any changes or delays to your flights (even gate and terminal changes). With its extensive flight data, accurate updates, and intuitive interface, FlightAware is the ultimate tool for travellers who value real-time flight tracking and reliable information.