Back in the day, airplanes were just on paper and limited to airports. Well, with the IT sector on the boom, everything is simpler, easier, and on the verge of our fingertips. Global boundaries are blurred with easy reach to every corner of the world. Also, the hassle of standing in the queue to buy tickets, by going all the way to the airport is also eradicated with the advent of flight booking app development. Travel is no longer limited to travel agents and their offices. With the facility of online booking, any user can check their travel mode, rates as per dates, availability, and everything else.
The convenience that online flight booking apps provide has increased the demand for these apps. This is clearly evident from the growth of the online travel market size from the year 2020 to the year 2030. Plenty of people are switching to online booking as each and every detail can be viewed from the comfort of your couch, price comparisons can also be made between different platforms and save not just money but time and effort as well.
What is Flight Booking App and How Does it Benefit Users?
Flight booking app is just like its name suggests used for booking flight tickets online. It is a part of the travel app category. This category is becoming highly popular because of its ease of usage. The benefits of the flight booking app are not limited to added ease, there are several others as well.
Self Planning
With the help of flight booking apps and all the information available on the go, the user can plan their own trip, and decide the time of departure, days of stay, and time of arrival as well. There is no dependency on other travel agents. It changes the traditional booking system.
Better Research
There are multiple mobile apps for flight booking which help to conduct better research for their travel.
Price Comparison and Discounts
With multiple mobile apps available on the app store, users can compare prices on all these apps and check which app offers better deals and discounts, and book their flights at the best rates.
Track Online
Booking tickets online helps to track the schedule of the flight online and know about any changes in the schedule and work accordingly.
Easy and Faster Check-ins
Mobile apps help online check-ins which avoid standing in a long queue at the airport, saving time and making the travel experience convenient and enhanced.
Travel Personalization
Mobile apps for flights deliver higher flexibility and tools that help select flights according to the user’s preference. They can also pick their preferred seat along with in-flight meals and entertainment.
Improved Experience
Applications have made things really easy whether it is reservation, search, booking, and check-ins. This has resulted in enhancing the overall user experience. With the mobile app, the process becomes simplified and stress-free. Users can get real-time notifications and updates about the flight they have booked.
Platforms To Pick For Developing Flight Ticket App
There are three platforms to develop a mobile app with. Check all the platforms and know which one works best for your project.
1) Native Platform
Native app development means developing two separate apps for two top operating systems Android and iOS. It means coding for two different apps for two platforms. Java and Kotlin are the top programming languages used for Android app development. Swift is the leading programming language used for iOS app development. Native is suggested to develop apps that run faster and provide a seamless experience to the users. However, it does add up to the cost of development.
2) Cross-platform
Cross-platform app means developing one single code for both platforms. This helps save time, resources, effort, and cost as well. With cross-platform, the apps can be developed faster at a lower cost. Flutter and React Native are two popular frameworks used for developing cross-platform apps.
3) Web
The demand for web apps is also rising high. Web apps are basically similar to mobile apps only but it runs on your device’s browser. The web app runs on desktops, laptops, and mobile phones as well. Web apps adapt to the interface based on the screen of the device.
Features to Consider For Flight Booking App Development
There are three categories in the flight booking application. Let’s explore each of the categories and jot down the must-have features in all the categories.
1) User Panel Features
Here is a list of must-have features in the user-side mobile application.
Signup
This feature helps users to sign up by filling in the basic details like email id or contact number. Once you finish signing up, you can login and use the app anytime you want. The app must also provide an option for logging in with social media.
Search Flights
Through this feature, the user can insert the location they want to travel from and the location they want to reach. The app will show all the flights available for that route. Users can know about the flights and book the one they find preferable.
Add Filters
User can enhance their search by adding filters and get results as per their requirements. The filter can be set based on the date, prices of tickets, time of travel, or available deals and discounts. This makes the booking faster and enhances the user experience.
Flight Booking
Once the user finds what he has been searching for an okay with it, he can proceed to make the final booking. The user needs to select the date, flight, whether it is a one-way or round-trip, name of the passengers, their age, and gender, and make the payment.
Booking Status
Once the flight is booked, the user can get an update about the flight on their app. They can check the booking status and know there are not any changes.
Flight Tracking
The user can log into the mobile app and get track of the arrival of the flight whether it is on time or it is delayed. Users can stay updated about the status right from their homes.
Cancellation
The user can also cancel their flight ticket through the application. Based on the policies, a certain amount will be deducted and the rest will be transferred into your bank account.
Online Check-ins
The mobile app for flight booking also allows web check-in without actually having to wait in the line at airport. It can save you energy, time, and effort.
Rate & Review
Users can rate and give reviews about flight booking services or service providers. This can help other users to make wise choices before booking their flights.
2) Agent Panel Features
Agent panel features consist of the services an agent or aggregator delivers to the end users.
Book Tickets
The agent can directly make the booking from their account according to the orders coming to them. They actually have a properly organized panel with the commission and B2B rates on the booking of tickets.
Flight Information
Booking agents can check all the available flights on a similar route provided by different airline service providers. An agent is therefore able to suggest the best possible option to their customer.
Wallet Payments
Agents have a wallet for payment which they need to keep recharged to book their flights quickly in the blink of an eye. As soon as the agent receives the confirmation from the customer, he can book the flight from his wallet and receives the payment from the client later.
Cancellation of Tickets
The agents can not only book tickets but can also cancel the ticket according to the instructions given by the customers. They can send the information about the cancellation charges and the amount to be refunded.
Seat Layout
This feature shows the seat which is vacant along with the seats that are already booked which helps them pick the best seats for their customers. It is based on the live-status method.
Commission Tracker
The agent can track how much commission they have earned so far and how many bookings they have made with this feature.
3) Admin Panel Features
The admin panel works as a control center for the application. It helps in managing different activities in the app.
Push Notifications
It is one of the most useful features of mobile application development. It helps to update the users about their bookings, cancellation, offers, deals, discounts, and every other thing.
Creating Offers
Through this feature, the admin can create new offers, discounts, deals, festival specials, and any other thing they deem fit. Admin can also create offers based on the category.
Settings
Depending on the need of the business, the admin can make different settings through this feature. He can apply general settings, payment settings, ticket settings, theme settings, and many more.
Booking Status
Admin can keep track of the ongoing flight bookings, completed ones, or on the base of monthly bookings, quarterly bookings, or yearly bookings. They can also make a booking report and see the facts statistically.
Chatbot Integration
Chatbot is not a feature that is compulsory but a good addition to the app. This is to give instant replies to the users and solve their issues at any time. Admin can either use a pre-developed chatbot or create a customized chatbot from scratch.
Process of Flight Booking App Development
The process of developing a mobile app is very simple and easy. It is just important to follow all the steps properly and not miss out on the important ones.
1) Research
The first stage of developing a mobile app is to research apps of similar categories and know what they have done so far to be the best. Check their features, their USP, and essential functionality, and think of how can your app do better. Learn about their marketing strategy as well which helps make their app so much more popular.
2) Requirement Gathering & Planning
The second step of developing an app is gathering all the requirements of the project. It is important to know what the client is expecting from the project. Also, it is necessary to plan the phase of the app and work accordingly for a successful app.
3) App Design
It is imperative to create a user-friendly design that also follows all the requirements of the client. Mobile app design should be done based on the targeted audience and targeted countries. The colors used for an app targeted at UAE would be totally different from the colors used for an app targeted at the US. Hence, create your design considering the nation and audience. Also, the navigation of the app should be simple and easy for the users to understand and operate.
4) Development Phase
The next phase is integrating the design into development. It is imperative to build an app that is compatible with multiple devices and functions smoothly without any errors or glitches. The app must run well on all devices and give proper performance to the users.
5) Testing Phase
However well an app is developed, there are high chances of existing bugs which makes it more than important to test the app, find out the existing bugs, and fix them. Any user using the app who experiences any bug or crash might abandon the app and switch to another one. To avoid this, having an app that is bug-free is really important.
6) App Launch
After the mobile app development is completed, there are several things to take care of before making the app live in the store. Create an appropriate description for your app that helps users understand all about your application. Also, choose a relevant category for your app to publish it under. Follow all the App Store guidelines and then make the final launch.
Conclusion
You are now educated about all the important factors of developing a flight booking mobile app. Now, it’s time to consult a professional and take your project to the next phase. No need to consult a bulk of companies and waste your time, connect with 360 Degree Technosoft, a leading mobile app development agency, and get the desired output.
FAQs
1) Which are the top flight app booking applications in the market?
Some of the best flight booking apps include Skyscanner, Kayak, Travelperk, Kiwi, Momondo, Priceline, and omio are some of the popular apps in the flight booking category.
2) How much does it cost to develop a flight booking app?
The cost estimation differs from project to project. It is determined by various factors like features and functionality chosen, mobile app development company hired, time to develop the app, complexity of the project, and many more.
3) How much time is needed to build a flight booking application?
The time just like the cost depends on the project requirements. It differs based on the features and functionalities of the project, the complexity of the project, and the skills of the mobile app developers.
4) Which platform should be targeted for app development?
Both Android and iOS have immense popularity and users which makes it imperative to target both the leading platforms to develop and launch your app.
5) Do mobile app development companies assist in app deployment?
Yes, the company you hire is not just your partner in development but also assists you in launching the app and making it live in the Google Play Store as well as Apple App Store.
