By hannagreeman Last updated:
Aldous Huxley aptly summed up some of the biggest downsides of traveling when he said…
“For the born traveler, traveling is a besetting vice. Like other vices, it is imperious, demanding its victim’s time, money, energy and the sacrifice of comfort.”
What Aldous didn’t know is that there would one day be a host of travel apps that could help alleviate all these issues.
With flights being one of the biggest upfront costs of a trip, it’s no surprise that an abundance of flight booking apps have appeared on the scene.
In this post, we’ll look at 10 options to help you find the best app for flight booking.
And the best part? All the apps on this list are free!
Contents
- 1. Skyscanner
- 2. Kiwi.com
- 3. Momondo
- 4. Skiplagged
- 5. Hopper
- 6. Kayak
- 7. Aviasales
- 8. HolidayPirates
- 9. Dollar Flight Club
- 10. ExpertFlyer
- Why Use a Flight Booking App?
- They help you save money
- They’re easy to use while traveling
- All your information is in one place
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
1. Skyscanner
Best for: Covering all your travel needs
Skyscanner’s flight search tool is reliable and easy to use. It searches for the best deals on the web and sends you to external sites to complete bookings. You can filter your flight search by stopovers, flight duration, times and airlines.
With this app, you can also book rental cars and hotels, meaning it’s a great app for organizing your entire vacation, not just your flights.
The app’s features make it easy for you to compare prices for different cities and dates.
Maybe you know you want to take a trip in December but need a little inspiration to decide on your destination. Use Skyscanner’s “Everywhere” feature.
Or maybe you know you want to go to Costa Rica. But should you use your vacation days at the beginning or end of the month? Select “Whole Month,” and Skyscanner shows you ticket prices every day that month.
2. Kiwi.com
Best for: Covering your missed connections
Kiwi.com often finds cheaper flights by searching each leg of a journey individually.
That means two flights on the same journey might not be with the same airline or partnered airlines. If this is the case, you could have to re-check your bags at your first airport and have separate boarding passes.
This booking method also usually means you lose your flight security should you miss your connection due to delays or cancellations.
But Kiwi.com outperforms other services with its Kiwi.com Guarantee. The company promises that any connections missed due to delays and cancellations will be replaced for free and offers compensation for hotels and food.
3. Momondo
Best for: Finding the cheapest, quickest and best flights
Momondo is a nicely designed, easy-to-use app with an effective search function for both flights and hotels.
The best thing about this app is that search results are automatically categorized into lists of cheapest, quickest and best flights, which are displayed in individual tabs at the top. The “best” category tends to combine good prices with convenient timings.
If you’re looking for inspiration for where to go, the app also has a cool interactive map displaying flight prices from your location to various destinations.
4. Skiplagged
Best for: Finding a hidden city
Skiplagged has a unique (and controversial) feature called “hidden-city.” The app finds cheaper flights by turning your final destination into a layover.
For example, let’s say you wanted to fly from Los Angeles to New Orleans, and the cheapest direct flight was $250.
Skiplagged might find a flight from Los Angeles to Atlanta, and there’s a layover in New Orleans. This flight only costs $190.
You book the tickets from Los Angeles to Atlanta, but you stay in New Orleans. You never go to Atlanta.
The app ensures that this is perfectly legal, although certain airlines (specifically United Airlines) have been unhappy about it.
Just remember, if you find a flight through “hidden-city,” don’t check in any bags. You don’t want to get off in New Orleans while your luggage flies off to Atlanta!
Also, don’t use your frequent flyer number because some airlines may penalize you for this flight tactic. Skiplagged addresses more issues and questions about “hidden-city” on their website.
5. Hopper
Best for: Discovering the best time to buy
When you’re choosing your flight dates, Hopper shows you a useful color-coded calendar indicating the cheapest dates to fly each month.
Once you select a journey, the app’s trademark bunny offers you advice on whether or not now is a good time to buy.
Hopper predicts if the prices are likely to fluctuate in the next few weeks and how much you could save by waiting. You can then request to be alerted when prices for a certain trip drop.
6. Kayak
Best for: Tracking your flights
Kayak is another great app that searches for cheap flight prices.
You can also book hotels and rent cars through the app, then check all your trip information in the “Trips” tab, even if you don’t have an internet connection.
Kayak also has a live flight tracking feature. As your vacation approaches, easily see if your flight is on time and receive updates about gate changes to put your mind at ease.
7. Aviasales
Best for: Identifying the cheapest routes
Previously known as Jetradar, Aviasales provides a high-quality flight search tool. But its main strength is that it shows the cheapest flights available to various destinations from your location.
Do you live in Sydney? Find the most affordable places to fly from there.
The interactive map shows prices for each destination. When you click on a country, it brings up a list of all possible airports and shows the cheapest routes.
This feature doesn’t take dates into account, so flexible travelers can snatch up the best deals. It is, however, an excellent research tool for identifyingthe cheapest routes to different places.
For example, if planning a trip to Japan, you can infer whether it’s generally cheaper to fly into Tokyo or Osaka from your hometown.
8. HolidayPirates
Best for: Finding deals for flexible travelers
Calling all free spirits and adventurers! If you’re looking for a bargain but are flexible about where and when you go, HolidayPirates has some insanely cheap deals.
The app’s flight search function is good, but here’s where it really shines: its “All Deals” feature.
It offers a multitude of trips at great prices you can browse through. Just click “All Deals” and see what looks good!
Do you want to spend a week in Croatia? How does staying in Poland for Christmas sound?
Some trip offers consist of just flights. Others include accommodation and other benefits.
9. Dollar Flight Club
Best for: Getting big savings on flights
Dollar Flight Club doesn’t have an app, but the website is free to use.
By signing up for a free account, Dollar Flight Club emails you any time they find cheap flight deals for your favorite destinations. Simply select which airport you want to depart from and where you want to go. Then wait while the site finds the most budget-friendly routes.
In some cases, the flights Dollar Flight Club finds are up to 90% off the original price.
According to their reviews, many users have saved up to $1,800 on roundtrip flights by taking advantage of Dollar Flight Club’s alerts.
10. ExpertFlyer
Best for: Booking the best seats on flights
ExpertFlyer is a website instead of a downloadable app, just like Dollar Flight Club. But it’s definitely worth using if seating is important to you when you fly.
The free version of ExpertFlyer lets you identify which seat you want on your flight, then sends you an alert when it’s available.
With a Pro Account, you can search for flights, book flights, search for awards and flight upgrades, get in-depth details on flight availability and more.
The Basic plan costs $4.99 a month, and the Premium plan costs $9.99 a month.
Why Use a Flight Booking App?
They help you save money
Traveling the world can be expensive. Apps do all the hard work of comparing flight deals so you don’t have to.
Apps also personalize your experience. Once you’ve filled out the details of the flight you want, apps find you personalized and relevant deals.
If you set flight alerts for a specific route, you’ll receive notifications straight to your phone when prices drop. This way, you won’t miss out on a bargain, even if you’re on the move.
They’re easy to use while traveling
Apps are designed specifically for phones and tablets and have an incredibly user-friendly interface. That means wherever you are, it’s quick and easy to browse and book flights.
If you’re backpacking or on a longer trip where you need to organize travel on the move, using an app can be a huge relief.
All your information is in one place
It’s super annoying to scroll through countless emails to find flight confirmations from six months ago. But booking through an app makes managing your flights much easier.
Once you’ve created an account for an app, you can access all your booking information, past and present, at the click of a button.
Many apps also have options for booking accommodation, trains and rental cars, meaning you have the potential to keep all your holiday information in one place.
No more long hours checking every travel website for the best deals. With these top apps, you can easily book your vacation knowing that you’ve found the best price and most convenient route.
Maybe you’ll even stumble across an irresistible deal on one of these apps and find yourself somewhere you would have never imagined!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
