I rely on apps as part of my everyday life, and travelling is no exception. In fact, the days of printing out a boarding pass have passed, and now all you need is a QR code to board a plane – pretty amazing really! Here are my three favourite apps I use whenever I’m on the go, or planning a trip.
Plane Finder
In a recent post, How To Tell ANY Plane Apart, Le Chic Geek asked in the comments what the best plane-spotter app was. Without a doubt, the prize goes to Plane Finder. The app will set you back ~£3, but it is well worth it. Not only does it track every commercial flight around the globe, but it gives you a huge amount of information about any plane you click on, including age of aircraft, route progress, speed and altitude. You can also add filters to the map, so that it only displays specific airports/airlines/aircraft.
I often use the app when at the airport to test my plane-identifying skills, as well as for seeing where the inbound flights are coming from. I also love to track my friends’ flights, and see there progress, especially if I’m picking them up from the airport. It always gives them the spooks when I can tell them the age of the aircraft, and where they’re flying over!
LoungeBuddy
I’ve mentioned this app before, but here’s a full, detailed review. Loungebuddy allows you to browse all the lounges available at an airport, so you can make up your mind about which one to visit. It lists all available amenities, as well as price, a quality rating, peer reviews and photos. You can also share your experiences, comments and photos of the lounge. What’s great is that you can input any airline statuses you hold, as well as credit cards (e.g. American Express Platinum, review here), and your specific itinerary (including cabin class), and LoungeBuddy will automatically list all the available lounges for you.
Don’t have the status/ticket to get in for free? Fear not, you can pay for lounge access through the app for certain lounges. LoungeBuddy have also offered new readers of ThatAirlineGuy $10 off your first lounge visit by entering the promo code airlineguy in the ‘credit’ section.
ITA Matrix
Powered by Google, the ITA Matrix is a powerful and comprehensive flight search tool. Think of it as Google Flights on steroids! This is always my number one go-to app when I’m looking for cheap cash flights on-the-go. The ITA Matrix doesn’t have low-cost carriers (e.g. EasyJet), but rather only national flag carriers, who are often far superior to fly on for price and service. It also means that, seeing as I have frequent flyer accounts with both oneworld and Star Alliance, I can almost always accrue miles somehow. I have managed to pick up some KILLER deals on the app, including Business Class on Cathay Pacific from Oslo to Sydney (6 flights!) for £1,600. I reviewed that flight here.
Final thoughts
Of course, everyone will have their favourite airline apps for booking/check-in, but these are the best universal apps that I think anyone could benefit from. Let me know if there are any other travel apps that you swear by, or would like me to review.
Hi. Had come across Loungebuddy but never used it and will try it next time now. Plane finder was super. ITA Matrix seems like one of the normal aggregator sites. Also said cannot be booked ITA I tried I Singapore to Colombo, Sing to Delhi) so maybe not that good for Asia? (though you had used it for Sydney). had you booked your Oslo-Sydney through ITA?
Yes I booked OSL–>SYD with ITA. Strange, because I’ve never had any problem, and I often book Asian flights through there…
Have you seen the reviews for Plane Finder on the App page? Clearly not. 1 out of 5. A wast of time and a rip off
What don’t you like about it? I have never had any problems, and consider it a good investment personally
Tripit pro (comes with $25 loungebuddy credit) is my go to travel app. Basic version is handy as well, give it a try.
Cheers, Anshul; Will do.