Helpful apps to navigate airports

As many times as I’ve seen an airport vendor selling a tired-looking sandwich for $10 (Rs 531), I’m still dumbstruck. I’ll often circle the terminal for 20 minutes, starved and incredulous, before ending up with that miserable sandwich because it’s the least worst option.

Next time I might be able to save some steps, and possibly some money, by using an airport guide app. In addition to helping find food vendors and shops that may not rip you off, the apps can help you avoid overpaying for ground transportation once you reach your destination.

The top three on my list are iFly Pro ($7 or Rs 371 on Apple and Android, but with free versions available), Airport Transit Guide ($5 or Rs 265 on Apple, with a limited free version) and GateGuru (free on Android and Apple).

It’s also worth downloading MyTSA, which is published by the Transportation Security Administration (free on Apple), and checking into apps produced by airports themselves, like the one for Germany’s Frankfurt Airport (free on Apple and Android).

Of the more comprehensive guides, GateGuru is a fairly good resource for those who don’t want to pay for an app.

You need to have a network connection to use it most effectively, which is especially important for those who are travelling abroad and want to avoid data charges. But many of its important elements are still available even if you’re not on a network.

The app’s best feature is its ability to quickly present a decent range of information about restaurants, shops and amenities in 105 domestic and 85 international airports.

GateGuru tracks those establishments primarily through its relationships with airport management companies, so the information is generally reliable.

Some airport features, like baggage claim areas and ground transportation locations, are included on terminal maps, but the maps lack many other important elements, like restrooms, restaurants, shops, ATMs, paid Wi-Fi zones, spas and lounges.

You can, however, browse lists of these establishments and amenities, with location details. For each particular selection on the list, you can read ratings from GateGuru users, as well as some brief and moderately useful reviews. As a bonus, GateGuru presents wait times at security checkpoints, although this information has always struck me as nearly useless to those living an hour or more away from the airport, since wait times constantly change.

The two paid apps on my list offer a much deeper well of authoritative content; of the two, iFly Pro offered the most information and features.

The app covers more than 700 airports worldwide, and it is filled with tips that save time and money. Near the top of the app’s home page, for example, is the “Airport Status” alert page for US locations. When opened, that page lists details about closures, ground and arrival delays and their causes.

IFly includes nicely intuitive features, like one that lets you search for their terminal according to your chosen airline, rather than forcing you to search elsewhere for your terminal before using the app.

Each airline has a page with extensive information about routes, baggage fees and rules, and contact information, among other items.

Once you choose a terminal, iFly’s guidance is good. Restaurants and shops are listed alphabetically, and each includes a one-line description. IFly says this, for instance, about Au Bon Pain: “Hot and cold sandwiches and croissants – everything is baked on site daily.”

More important, each shop and restaurant is shown on a terminal map, so you can save energy and time. You can also adjust the map to show only certain types of establishments, like bars or ATMs, and a GPS feature will point you in the right direction.

IFly also includes a flight tracker, layover suggestions and parking locations, with rates.

One drawback of iFly, at least for Apple fans, is that you must buy separate iPad and iPhone versions if you own both devices. As with other iPhone apps, iFly will work on an iPad, but the graphics won’t look as sharp.

The Airport Transit Guide, by Salk International, is a so-called universal app that works on tablets and smaller devices. It’s a great adjunct to iFly or GateGuru in that it offers information about how to get around once you land at one of roughly 460 airports in the US and abroad.

Frequent business travellers may rely on it the first time they visit a new city, but the app is more aimed at tourists who might want to know, for example, the best ways to reach Manhattan from Kennedy International Airport, how much to pay and how much (if at all) to tip.

For the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, the guide lists three metered taxi services, and suggests a specific desk where travellers can reserve a car to the city at a flat rate of $9 (Rs 477). “Keep receipt in hand until arrival at destination,” the guide suggests.  For an app that works without a network connection and costs $5 (Rs 265), anyone who plans to travel internationally more than once in a lifetime would do well to download the guide.

With the money and time saved, you might even feel less of a sting the next time you have to pay $10 (Rs 531) for a bad airport sandwich.