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Now that iOS7 has shipped and is already installed on nearly half the active iOS devices worldwide, we thought this would be a good time to go over some of the apps redesigned to take full advantage of the operating system’s new user interface sensibilities. Each of these will not only fit perfectly alongside the built-in iOS7 system apps, but should prove invaluable to many travelers! Let’s take a look:
American Airlines
The American Airlines app benefits from a substantial makeover that not only changes the visual flair of the app but also improves on its feature set in many ways. The app can retrieve boarding passes and save them to Passbook for easy reference, allow you to monitor your place on the standby list for flights, set a parking reminder, view terminal maps and even play Sudoku.
Better yet, the app builds in a variety of other tools that are sure to prove useful to regular American flyers and miles-earners. You can book and check into flights, create flight status notifications, access your AAdvantage® account and see your miles and elite status balances, enroll in AAdvantage and much more.
Hipmunk
The Hipmunk app brings all the power of Hipmunk.com to iOS, making it possible to use one of our favorite booking engines on the go. Hipmunk is perhaps best known for its “Agony” rating for flights, which takes not just price but also travel time, long layovers, red-eyes, number of connections and more into consideration when presenting you with flight possibilities. For many trips, a far better flight might be just a few dollars more but end up buried under many results on other travel search tools. Hipmunk pulls these to the top.
Hipmunk also offers hotel bookings, TripAdvisor reviews, last minute hotel deals, Airbnb and HomeAway integration and much more.
LoungeBuddy
LoungeBuddy helps you find the perfect place to relax in airports around the world. By telling the app what memberships (Priority Pass, American Express, etc) or elite status you may already have, the app is able to identify what airport lounge might suit you best. Even better, it’s possible to sort by amenities, such as shower facilities, meals, conference rooms and more.
LoungeBuddy can point you in the right direction, providing information on hours, specific location within the airport, reviews, photos, access requirements and guest privileges for each lounge. Loungebuddy already supports more than 50 airports, and their list is continuing to grow.
SPG: Starwood Preferred Group
The Starwood Preferred Group app puts the power of SPG’s program at your fingertips.
It’s easy to search more than 1,100 Starwood hotels and resorts by destination, airport code or your current location. Rooms can be booked directly from the app.
You can view full, up-to-date information about your account, including SPG point balance, and also browse exclusive experiences like Moments by SPG.
The app also offers discounts at over 1,000 restaurants and bars and provides a gateway to SPG’s Instagram, Facebook and Twitter environments, so you can see what’s new with SPG worldwide.
Hotel Booking with Travelocity
Rather than build all of their features into one app, Travelocity is taking a different approach, splitting hotel, flight and car reservations into three different apps each tailored to provide the best experience for the subject at hand.
Hotel Booking with Travelocity is the first of these new apps to ship, and comes tailored for iOS7. That doesn’t just mean support for the new visual language; the app also supports credit card scanning, advanced location services and the ability to AirDrop reservation information to other users. This app is a great look at where travel apps are headed as a category in the future.
OpenTable
OpenTable is the leading service for making reservations at restaurants worldwide.
With more than 20,000 restaurants in North America alone, OpenTable allows travelers to find great dining experiences and earn reward points on every meal.
The app offers a powerful search function based on location, cuisine category, time and size of party, as well as reviews, menus and pictures from each restaurant OpenTable services.
OpenTable is also compatible with Siri, so it’s possible to find great restaurants and book a table through voice command with the app installed. Overall, we consider OpenTable essential for every traveler.
Hotel Tonight
Hotel Tonight focuses on doing one thing well: offering fantastic last minute deals to travelers. Hotel Tonight’s prices are bottom dollar deals, typically well below the advertised list rates for the properties involved. In many areas, especially larger cities, this includes stays at very nice properties at a tremendous savings.
Hotel Tonight offers a summary of all the best perks of each listed hotel and pictures of common areas and rooms so you can be sure you’re getting a great deal. The app also supports multi-night stays, so if you need a room right away and plan to stay, Hotel Tonight’s still for you.