Travel Apps to Make Your Trip Easier

Sept. 8, 2010 — -- A couple of weeks ago, my editor at FareCompare found herself wandering around a parking garage at Los Angeles International Airport. At midnight. Looking for her car.

"I am a total idiot," Anne McDermott later told me, "but I'd been up real late helping my daughter pack for college and we'd only had about two hours sleep before we left for the airport. Where'd I leave the car? I had no clue."

If only she'd had the new American Airlines iPhone app that allows you to set a parking reminder. Her response? "If only I had an iPhone."

Well, you don't need an iPhone (though it can help) but fliers do need technology. In fact, I'd go so far as to say, ignoring technology is the dumbest thing you can do, because it can save you time and aggravation.

Mostly though, using technology can save air travelers money.

For more air travel news and insights visit Rick's blog at: http://farecompare.com

You say you're not much of a techie? Not a problem. We are not talking about terribly sophisticated technology from the user's endpoint. In fact, the smartest tech tool an air traveler can use to save money, is one of the simplest.

I'm talking about tools to set airfare alerts, so you know when the price drops on a trip you want to take. Yes, my air travel site has such alerts, but others do, too.

Tip: when you do get alerted to a price you like, pounce on it. These cheap seats don't last, and you're not the only one smart enough to set an alert. And it is smart: why spend more on a flight if you don't have to?

Twitter is another great technology tool, and no, you don't have to be a tweeting maniac like, say, Justin Bieber in order to rake in the deals. In fact, you don't have to tweet at all or do much of anything, really. Just open an account and follow your favorite airline.