The Best Travel Tools & Apps
A collection of genuinely useful tools: live flight trackers, airport lounge access, compensation claims for delayed flights, seat maps and guides to sleeping in airports. Bookmark them before your next trip.
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7Sleeping in Airports sleepinginairports.netVisitGuides to surviving layovers and overnight airport stays.
How can I track a flight in real time?
Flightradar24 and FlightAware show every flight on a live map, with its route, altitude, aircraft type and estimated arrival time. They're handy for checking whether your inbound plane is running late, picking someone up from the airport, or simply watching planes overhead. FlightAware also shows airport-wide delay information.
Can I get compensation for a delayed flight?
Often, yes. Under EU and UK rules (EC 261), passengers can claim up to 600 euros for flights delayed by more than three hours, cancelled at short notice or overbooked, depending on the distance and cause. AirHelp checks your eligibility and handles the claim for a share of the payout, or you can claim directly from the airline for free.
How do I get airport lounge access?
Priority Pass gives access to more than 1,700 airport lounges worldwide through a membership, which is also included with many premium credit cards. Lounges offer quiet seating, food, drinks, Wi-Fi and sometimes showers, which makes long layovers and delays far more comfortable. Day passes can also be bought for individual lounges.
How do I choose the best seat on a plane?
SeatGuru and aeroLOPA show detailed seat maps for each airline and aircraft, highlighting seats with extra legroom, misaligned windows, limited recline or bassinet positions. Check them before paying for seat selection.
Other useful tools
- Sleeping in Airports reviews airports for layovers and overnight stays.
- Time and Date shows time zones, public holidays and daylight hours for any city.
- Packr builds packing lists based on your trip length, activities and weather.