Organizing trips has gone digital, and flying is no exception. Thanks to the power of apps, much of flying’s stress has disappeared. From checking in to conquering your fear of flying, these seven apps make the chaos that is air travel easier.
1. Your Airline’s App
If it’s a good one, your airline’s app will provide some of the most seamless parts of your airport experience. This app is all about the ticket: within it, you can book the ticket, check in and download a scannable boarding pass. Airline apps also offer frequent flyers instant access to loyalty accounts. The Fly Delta app, for example, tracks how many miles you earn on each flight and tracks your SkyMiles member status. These apps are currently evolving to add entertainment you can stream on the plane.
iOS: Free
Android: Free
2. Mobile Passport
If you’ve traveled internationally, you know that U.S. border customs is a nightmare. Mobile Passport makes the customs experience suck significantly less. Simply fill in and submit your passport information ahead of time and the U.S. Customs and Border Protections will send you a receipt. If you’re traveling with family, everyone’s information can be on a single receipt. Once you land, the receipt is a godsend: show it to a customs officer and you’ll be escorted to the front of the line.
iOS: Free
Android: Free
3. Flying
Flying combines essential information and social media for an app that’s equally useful and entertaining. Connect with your friends and earn badges to determine who is the best traveler of them all. Flying also turns your trip data into fun trivia with calculations such as how much time you’ve spent in the air and how many times you’ve traveled the distance to the moon.
iOS: Free
4. TripCase
TripCase allows users to organize vacation plans down to every last detail. In the app, you can get as specific as you’d like, with space to fill out lodging, car rental, activities, dining, attractions and even meetings. When you’re done, you can email the itinerary to a travel companion through the app. Along your journey, TripCase will update you with any changes to your schedule.
iOS: Free
Android: Free
TripCase.com: Free
5. FlightStats
FlightStats gives you the information you want without the fuss. Here, users can check an airport’s probability of delays or follow up on a flight with little distraction. To track a flight, plug in the flight number or search by the plane’s route. The app’s flight tracker is perfect for paranoid parents or passengers who like to know where they are at all times.
iOS: Free
Android: Free
6. Synchronize
Flying often means jumping time zones. Keep track of time on your trip and back at home (and anywhere else in the world, for that matter) with Synchronize streamlined international clock and never make an important phone call at a terrible time again.
iOS: Free
7. SOAR
Nervous flyers, this one’s for you. SOAR holds an array of techniques to combat your fear of flying, claustrophobia or panic attacks such as downloadable videos, relaxation techniques and anxiety management courses. SOAR also lets you know of any turbulence up ahead and assures that in-flight bumps won’t kill you with a G-force detector.
iOS: Free
Android: Free
Sarra Sedghi is a freelance writer and magnet collector based in Athens, Ga. She runs an Athens-centric travel blog for locals, and mostly tweets musings on junk food and whatever she’s watching on Netflix.