For the most of us, a delayed flight or a big layover in the airport represents a really stressful travel experience. The endless waiting, the uncomfortable chairs, the actual fact that you don’t know what to do in that transit location is enough to drive anybody to despair. Even though there are a couple of hours to spend around, if you didn’t plan something to do there, you will get bored very fast.
This limited time can be exploited and transformed into a memorable part of your trip. Instead of killing time doing crosswords or browsing stores from the airport, why don’t you think about taking a little excursion or going to a brilliant restaurant? For this reason, we thought about making your spare time in the airport more enjoyable and we brought together some applications that can help you do a lot of things.
Mobile apps to use in airports
If you haven’t already planned something to do in your layover, then you will get bored and do the same things that you always do: shopping, browsing through Internet, sleeping on the chairs and so forth. It’s time to get the best out of the time you stay airports and go explore the city or just take a good lunch somewhere else.
Luckily, many developers have created a lot of stunning applications that can come to your help and offer opportunities to create that unwanted waiting into a memorable moment. You can also have a look at our collection of six apps and services to help you know your flight’s status.
FlySmart
FlySmart is an all-important application that makes you an airport insider, offering detailed information about everything that is happening around the airport. Combining the latest features from the market with an easy-to-use interface, this application comes into user’s help by giving important information and real-time data about flights and more.
The most important thing about this airport app is that it permits users to track their flights and connections by simply entering their flight details and saving them. Additional information is also provided, like gate assignments, location of the luggage or changes in the schedule. After doing this, every user can really enjoy at maximum their spare time because the app shows the best choices regarding food and shops. It is also possible to browse every airport without entering flight details.
As we said, FlySmart offers a lot of necessary information and additionally it offers Bing airport venue maps (over 60 airports supported), ground transportation options, local weather conditions, parking lot availability and much more. Having all these information for over 90 international airports makes this application a must have when you travel and you want to make the most of your free time in the airport.
FlySmart is created for Android, iOS and BlackBerry devices and it can be downloaded for free.
Smart Layover
Smart Layover is an application specifically designed for people who travel a lot and want to enjoy the most of their spare time between connections. Developers are trying to transform everybody’s layover from a boring and perpetual time into interesting and enjoyable activity. Through the app, they offer good content and information about activities in over 140 different international airports.
The best part of it is that now you can leave your laptop home and use you mobile device to plan every part of the little time you have in the airport. Furthermore, developers have reached an agreement with local businesses so that they offer exclusive discounts for tours, hotels, shops and more through the app.
Another thing that is truly astonishing is the possibility to rent a room at a hotel and pay only for the time you stay there. In case you get lost in the huge airports, the app comes into your help by providing accurate maps and guiding you to your terminal. Also, it has real-time information about the security wait times so that you will never have to wait at a long queue.
This helpful airport application can be downloaded and used for free for the mobile devices with the following operating systems: Android, BlackBerry and iOS.
Roadtrippers
Roadtrippers is an application thought to represent the best guide when you travel in USA. It’s made to offer a different perspective when you travel in USA because instead of providing well-known solutions for restaurants or places, it will show only independent and interesting things that are nearby your location.
By doing this, developers are supporting small businesses which adorn the local culture and environment by offering users all of these at just fingertips. The application has everything organized in different categories to be explored, like attractions, accommodation, entertainment, food and drink, history, shopping, scenic drives and more.
This airport app represents the best way to discover some awesome independent places that usually aren’t available on the biggest traveling sites. Using it, the user can plan road trips which automatically sync between the app and the website account. For each place you want to visit the app offers details, such as photos, telephone number, description, maps and a rad-o-meter.
So, next time when you will have a lot of time to spend in an airport, download this application and rapidly plan your adventurous little escape before your next flight takes off. The good thing is Roadtrippers is free and is only available for iOS devices. It can be download from iTunes store.
AroundMe
AroundMe is an utility app which offers information for multiple categories so that you will never lose time in searching for the closest business or service. When searching for a facility, the app shows a list of services that are sorted according to the distance.
The available categories are banks, bars, gas stations, hospitals, hotels, movie theaters, restaurants, supermarkets and many more. Tap on the one you are interested in and an info screen provided by Google will appear. For every listing, the app will provide information about the location of the service or business, the possibility to view the route or to add it to the contact list.
A good feature is the one that permits users to search not only nearby businesses, but they can also be searched by Zip code, city or neighborhood name. All in all, the application can be transformed into a reliable partner when traveling, due to its accurate information that is constantly updated.
You can enjoy this marvelous application on your Android, iOS and Windows Phone device by downloading it for free from their respective stores.
Travel Channel Layover Guide
Travel Channel Layover Guide is an useful application made by The Travel Channel which offers the possibility to explore great places in exciting cities around the world. It’s based on tips and experiences of the chef, Tony Bourdain, who makes a travel TV series for the same channel.
It’s the perfect application whether you are a frequent traveler or you just want to kill time between your planes connections, because it offers great content which is organized in four categories: Layovers, Inspiration, Getting There and Dos & Don’ts. Besides all of these, when you choose for a location (it covers most of the major airports) it will provide a great video with the overview of the city.
When deciding on a business or location and tap over it, the app will show real-time directions, price range, hours where applicable, photos, videos and more information, including the phone number. Earn badges when you check-in at destinations and share them over your favorite social networks.
In conclusion, if you are interested in this application you should know that is entirely free and can be downloaded only for iOS devices (iPhone, iPad and iPod touch).
GateGuru
GateGuru is an award-winning (One of top 5 Air Travel Apps by CNN) application especially created for travelers which offers information for about almost 100 USA airports and over 120 airports worldwide. With this app, an user can create itineraries for his flights using simple or complex methods. The simple ones are referring to searching by flight numbers and the complex ones are referring to sending the itinerary to the program which will automatically add it your account.
This application can help you maximize your time that you spend in an airport by providing valuable information about flight delays, gate changes, security wait time, airport weather or time adjustments. When you first enter the app you will see that the information is organized in categories, like AirportCard. JourneyCard or Rental Car.
Browsing through sections you will see that JourneyCard is a section of the application which offers detailed information about your flight and that in AirportCard you will have all the info needed about the services and businesses from the airport. Also, it can point to an ATM, bar, restaurant or a place to take a coffee and each of them is accompanied by rankings, pictures and user reviews.
The app permits users to check-in on their favorite social networks, like Facebook, Twitter or Foursquare. All in all, GateGuru is a nifty app, and can be downloaded for free on Android, iOS or Windows Phone mobile devices.
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