4 must-have travel apps for dealing with delays and cancellations
By Doug Aamoth
If you haven’t traveled for a while, let me share some unsurprising news: It hasn’t improved. Lines are longer. Flights are more expensive. Delays and cancellations seem to be the norm now, not the exception.
And with the holidays coming up, things certainly aren’t going to get much better. Luckily, these four apps can help you outmaneuver your fellow travelers in the face of such setbacks.
LoungeBuddy
If you’re going to get stuck in an airport, you might as well get stuck as comfortably as possible.
LoungeBuddy helps you locate nearby airport lounges and even lets you book day passes directly, although you’ll need to be an American Express cardholder to do so.
There’s an iOS app available for download, but no Android version I’m sorry to say. That being said, the mobile site works just fine either way.
HotelTonight
The ultimate app for dealing with canceled flights, HotelTonight serves up deals on same-day hotels.
Enter your city and you’ll get a list and map of nearby hotels that have vacancies, including special discounts on regular room rates.
I had to use HotelTonight after getting stuck in Dallas recently and I can tell you firsthand that the app makes it almost too easy to track down a room on short notice. It sure beats calling around, scouring cumbersome booking sites, or paying full price when you don’t have to.
Grab
You’re in the airport. It’s busy. Your flight’s been delayed. You’re starving. The restaurant lines are unbearable.
Time to download Grab. Available at most major U.S. airports, the app lets you order food right from your phone and head to the pickup line once it’s ready. No need to wait in line with everyone else.
Better yet, if you’re traveling for work and use Concur for expense reporting, Grab can forward your restaurant receipts to make getting paid back that much easier.
Dayuse
So your early morning flight got canceled but they put you on the red-eye later that night. You’ve got an entire day to kill. Now what?
Check out Dayuse, which offers up day rates for unused hotel rooms at a fraction of their overnight rates.
Take a nap, hit the pool, get some work done—whatever. It’s better than spending 16 hours at the airport, and it won’t cost all that much anyway.
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