Hey, Fliers! What iPhone Apps Would You Most Like to See? Let’s Talk

July 13, 2009 | Posted in: Airplanes, Favorites, Forecast, Gadgets

There are thousands of apps out there – and I’ve seen figures that show another 500 to 1,000 new apps are released each week.

Apps, of course, is “applications” – simple tools, for the most part, that you can download for free or for just a few bucks, for use on your phone – such as Flashlight, which lights up your screen so you can navigate a darkened plane aisle or maybe a hotel corridor.

Yelp is very popular (according to Time.com) – it gives travelers all those great, local reviews of dining/drinking establishments, and uses the phone’s built in GPS to lead you to them.

Then there’s Stanza, which basically turns your phone into a Kindle, thanks to free book downloads – and now you have something to do on the plane.

There are tons of “top app” lists out there (here’s the Time.com list, and here’s one from MSNBC) – but you tell me the ones you like best.

And then tell me what hasn’t been dreamed up yet, that you’d like to see – what do flying travelers really need? Then let’s see how quickly someone makes it a reality.

5 Responses to “Hey, Fliers! What iPhone Apps Would You Most Like to See? Let’s Talk”

1. Vince says:

   July 13, 2009 at 8:08 pm

   We still need a good app for finding air fares — tough to do well on a small screen. The Kayak app does okay, but could be better.
2. Vince says:

   July 13, 2009 at 8:08 pm

   Oops….can I say “Kayak” on here?
3. Rick Seaney says:

   July 14, 2009 at 1:19 am

   Vince,
   You don’t need an app for airfares, not with FareCompare around!
   Here are three simple steps you can take to ALWAYS get the best airfare, first.
   1. Follow FareCompare’s deals “from your airport” on Twitter. No one else has this service, that delivers real-time alerts on deals from your home airport. Sign up is easy, just follow this link: http://www.farecompare.com/twitter
   2. Use FareCompare’s Deal Finder; it’s so easy and gets raves from our shoppers: http://www.farecompare.com/dealfinder/
   3. Sign up for FareCompare real-time email alerts: http://www.farecompare.com/signup/
   And remember, great deals don’t last. If you see something you like, jump on it!
   Hope this helps,
   Rick
4. Elliot Campbell says:

   July 14, 2009 at 1:38 am

   Well, obviously, a farecompare app would be great. But I think a lot of frequent flyers would like to see their airline have an app, kind of like the BA app (though I admit, I have never tried that one, so don’t know how functional it is).

   For me, that would mean a UA app, that is developed by them for their customers. Maybe it would only be a quick iPhone GUI with access to features, a la some of the banking applications are (like BofA, Chase, Citi, etc.). But it would include timetables, an ability to log into your FF account to check miles, scheduled itineraries, and perhaps an ability to book flights. Actually, probably the ability to link your copy of the app with your FF account for background features (described below). It would be great if it could also tap into info. like that is currently available on CO’s mobile Website, where when you check flight status, there is a link to check the status of the inbound flight, so you know if the plane you are scheduled on is supposed to arrive on time.

   Another useful function could be “next available flight,” which might be able to use the phone’s GPS to determine your location to find the next available flight with seats to the destination you need to go to, which could be a great help in situations where you all of a sudden need to go somewhere, or there is a cancellation/long delays.

   In addition, with iPhone OS 3.0’s capability to send messages in the background when the app isn’t technically running, perhaps the app could automatically alert iPhone users to any changes to itineraries (schedule changes, automatic rebooking due to cancellation, etc.) without you having to call or wait in line with CS at an airport.

   I know, I’m probably dreaming a bit here, but you asked….
5. Vince says:

   July 14, 2009 at 10:50 pm

   Actually, we’re talking about the iPhone here, right?
   I have to be honest — I just tested out FareCompare from my iPhone and unfortunately it fails the usability test. ” title=”Kayak”> Kayak.com is better because it automatically formats it’s page for the mobile device.

   On the PC, I did the same comparison yesterday, searching for flights from Tokyo to Bangkok, and Kayak.com still wins for outright usability to hone in on the perfect flight timing and price.

   However, I do like FareCompare for finding out about new deals, price drops, and price trends. I’m trying to get some friends from LA to join me in Bangkok, so FareCompare’s Cheap Travel Deals blog was perfect when I saw Cheap International Flight of the Day: Los Angeles to Bangkok. Rick, Twitter is way overrated and hard to scan for useful info. Give me the same “home airport” filter on the Cheap Travel Deals page via RSS feed and I’m a buyer. Even better if I can include/exclude certain regions/destinations.

   I’ve tried a lot of websites and if you know exactly where and when you want to go, I still recommend Kayak to my friends — especially for complex itineraries (anything more than “just get me there and back at the lowest price”). I also like the “buy now or wait” feature of Microsoft’s Farecast, but unfortunately does not have good coverage of international destinations for me to go back there often.

   My two cents.