In today's fast-paced post-COVID world, air travel has increasingly become an integral part of our lives. Whether for business or pleasure, we all rely on technology to enhance our travel experiences. From booking flights and travel accommodations to navigating new destinations, travel tech has revolutionized how we explore the world. One of the most significant advancements in travel tech is mobile applications (apps). These apps have streamlined every aspect of traveling, making it easier than ever before. As we approach the holiday travel season, let's look at some handy mobile apps before you jet off! ✈️

Car apps can make it easier to get to the airport or get around at your destination.
tip - don’t sit in the car like the young lady on right!

Car Travel 🚗 to and from the Airport: You may want to take a taxi to and from your home or office. But taking a taxi can seem so last millennium. 🙄 Uber and Lyft are ridesharing services that have apps to allow you to plan ahead and schedule your car pickup or request a pickup when you are ready (depending on availability). They can be cheaper and more convenient than a traditional taxi service. You can pay through your app (with a credit card), easily split the cost with other riders, and monitor your ride's progress. But before you leave for your trip, check and make sure your flight is still on time, and when you call for a ride from the airport that you have your luggage, know your airport's ride-sharing pickup spots! 🚔

Airline mobile appls can offer powerful travel information in real time to its customers!
Copyright © 2024 United Airlines, Inc. All rights reserved.

You should be using Airline Mobile Apps before, during, and after your flight: The airline you are traveling on should have its own mobile app. American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue, and United Airlines, to name a few. Those that have mobile applications not only allow you to book your flight, pick your seat, check-in online 24 hours in advance, buy your luggage tickets, track your luggage, and provide you with a mobile passenger ticket but also allow you to check the status of your flight and receive alerts if there are going to be delays – some airlines have smartwatch apps that sync with your phone. These smartwatch apps allow you to pull up some of your air travel itineraries and even check in at the gate! Upon landing, you can check your app for the gate of your connecting flight, or, if you've reached the end of your air travels, find what carousel your luggage is located. The airline apps may also have maps of the airports you're traveling through!

DOwnload MYTSA App to help you move through airports with ease!

Government Applications: Most airports should also have mobile apps where you can find airport maps and lists of services at the airport (pre- or post- Transportation Security Administration check-in). The MYTSA App provides helpful information, including standard wait times for security checkpoints and identifying which lanes are open. For those traveling in the United States, check the Federal Aviation Administration website to check for airport status and delays and see what is happening in the region and across the country.

My wife and I were flying back from a vacation in Canada when we were on the plane at the gate for what I thought was a little too long. I looked at my FAA app and discovered that the region we were flying through had been closed due to fog. I knew before the airline "made the announcement" that we were going nowhere. Once I knew for sure our situation, I used a hotel app (below) to book a hotel room and a car-service app (as discussed above) to get us to our hotel and settle us in for a couple of days– we ended up having a fun mini-vacation in Toronto! 🍁

Hotel and Car Rental Apps. Most major hotels, regardless of pricing and size, have mobile apps that allow you to reserve your room, check-in, and even serve as your room key through wireless access. Likewise, most major car rental services have apps that allow you to book, check in, and update car reservations – suddenly stuck at your departing or transfer airport, arriving late, or even if your flight is canceled, you can instantly update your hotel and car rental reservations.

Tripit’s free version offers powerful tools to aggregate your various trip criteria like car rental, air line and train tickets, and hotel reservations

Travel Itinerary Apps. Switching from one app to another to keep track of your trip itinerary can be confusing. This is where a travel aggregator mobile app comes in handy. I use the free version of TripIt. TripIt's free version has both a mobile and desktop app. I can send travel receipts to it, and the app will automatically organize everything into the different trip itineraries I set up. I can send my travel itinerary to let others know my travel details. And I can review all the necessary travel information in one handy spot! There is a TripIt Pro version if you want a little more from the app -- I've been quite happy with the free version over the years. 🤗

Embracing these mobile applications can save you time, money, and stress during your holiday travels.

Happy Lawyering!!!