Five mobile apps to reduce airport hassles

Introduction

Some days, I feel like I live at the airport. Between speaking engagements, consulting projects, vacations, and weekend getaways, I am constantly on the go. One of the things I have found during my travels is that a number of mobile apps can make dealing with airport chaos a lot easier.

Note: If you'd prefer to view this information as a blog post, check out this entry in our Five Apps blog.

Photo: iStockphoto.com/Bim

Skyscanner

When a flight gets canceled, you might find yourself scrambling to find an alternate flight. This is where Skyscanner comes into play. Skyscanner, available for iPhone, iPad, Android, and Windows Phone, is designed to help you to find airline tickets based on your search criteria.

Skyscanner

The thing that makes Skyscanner unique is the fact that the interface shows you how the price changes as you pick alternate flights or travel dates. The interface takes a little bit of getting used to, but it will help you find the flight you want at the price you want.

FlightPredictor

Every day, numerous flights are delayed or canceled. FlightPredictor helps predict whether your flight will be on time. It considers a number of factors, including the flight's statistical record and delays at other airports. It's available for WebOS devices, Windows Phone, and Android.

FlightPredictor

As cool as flight status prediction is, my favorite feature is the collection of airport maps. The app contains maps of many major airports, and they show everything from gate location to airport restaurants.

Flight Status

Flight Status is a simple yet useful app for Windows Phone 7 devices. It provides status information for your flight, including departure and arrival times and gate information.

Flight Status

Flight Status even features a live tile that displays real-time flight information on your device's start screen.

Car Locator

When you travel as much as I do, all the trips start blurring together. I often find myself wondering whether I parked my car in Long Term 1 or if that was the trip before. Car Locator is a Windows Phone 7 app that can help.

Car Locator

Car Locator lets you mark your car's GPS location and then guides you back to your car after your trip.

Airport Codes

You might be able to get through life without needing to know the codes for the various airports, but having an airport code list available can be handy. Airport Codes is a free app that makes it easy to look up that information.

Airport Codes

Airport Codes lets you look up codes for airports around the world, and it maps the airport's location. I use the Windows Phone 7 version, but similar apps are available for iPhone and other mobile platforms.

My Charlotte Mobile App

I'll be the first to admit that My Charlotte Mobile App is a niche tool -- useful only to those who fly in or out of Charlotte, NC, on a regular basis. Even so, I wanted to include it in my list as a bonus because it is so useful -- and because other cities offer similar apps. Even though I live in South Carolina, Charlotte is the closest airport. The My Charlotte app provides crucial information about the airport and other services.

My Charlotte Mobile App

My favorite thing about this app is that it provides real-time parking status information. It reports which lots are open, which lots are closed, and which lots have relatively few parking spaces left. It also includes a map that shows which of the nation's major airports are experiencing delays and it includes traffic and weather information so that I know what I'm in for on the trip home from the airport.