Here are his top tips for maximum flying efficiency and minimum misery:
1. TripIt.com
The best part: You can subscribe to your own Tripit feed, meaning that your computer or cell phone calendar will record those flight details automatically. If you’re still typing your flights and travel details into your computer calendar or phone by hand, you’re wasting a lot of time.
2. FlightTrack Pro
It auto-syncs with Tripit.com. Once again, you’re spared having to do any manual data entry at all.
3. Check in from your phone
There are some advantages with certain airlines: with the Delta app e.g. you can open the app — the day before your flight or even on the way to the airport — and it automatically shows the flight you’re about to take. It’s much smarter than most airline kiosks, which make you manually enter your flight information before printing out your boarding pass.
No matter which airline’s app you’re using, you handle your phone just as you would handle the boarding pass. For example, you show it to the security person who monitors the entrance to the security line. When you get to the actual Transportation Security Administration rep who checks your ID and boarding pass, you put your phone face down on a little glass scanner at the rep’s little desk, and you’re ushered right on through.
Also, there’s little chance that you’ll lose your boarding pass.
4. Kayak
Kayak (free for iPhone and Android) offers a beautiful, fast app for searching flights — all airlines. It doesn’t sell tickets, just helps you find out what flights are
5. FlightAware
FlightAware.com tracks a flight’s progress. (Similar: The Flightwise app for iPhone or Android.) This isn’t necessarily a benefit to you, the traveler — but if you’re the one who’s supposed to pick up somebody at the airport, it’s a must. You’ll see exactly where that plane is (on a map),
More information on this topic can be found on Pogue’s Posts.
Wibke