10 Apps Flight Attendants Should Download Right Now

 

1. WinBid — This delightful app is the flight attendant's best friend. Airline crews prepare their bid for their monthly schedule. It displays all monthly lines and their associated trip pairings (and we all know what a pain in the patoot this can be to try to do manually), so there is no need for bulky “bid packages” to carry around. WinBid automatically downloads and stores all your airline’s line and associated pairings off-line. You can view, search, filter, score, list, and more.


2. GateGuru— Enter an airport code and up pops everything you could ever want to know about food, shopping, and any services offered, along with reviews, ratings and maps. Enter your flight number and access flight status, delays and weather conditions all in the same place.


3. Tapped Out— Think of the Sims, only with the Simpsons. Mind blown? The key is patience—the only way to advance in the quests, etc, is to keep playing daily. Darcy got me hooked on this, and I'll never look at a donut the same again.


4. FlightView— Another absolute diamond of an app. It tracks flights and shows you their delays, when they take off and land, etc. You can actually see a real time map of the flight path, in addition to ground information such as the gate numbers where the flight will land or take off from.
   
   [caption id="attachment_554" align="alignnone" width="300"] Where my flight at?[/caption]


5. Amazon Kindle— My sweet parents bought me a 8.9" Kindle Fire HD for my birthday, and its a delightful little gadget to be sure. I rarely (if ever) watch TV, but I read like a fiend, so you can always find me thumbing my way through some new tome. This has made such a difference while away long hours of downtime on flights, or layovers. If you're a big reader, definitely download this app on your phone, laptop or tablet.


6. Mint— Considering whether or not to by that impulse $13 hummus at the hotel because its the cheapest thing on the menu and the nearest restaurant is 9 blocks away? Mint is a wonderful app that sets monthly budgets for you based on your income, debts, bills and expected needs. It categorizes your spending, and you can set it up to text you when you're reaching your limit. In such a busy lifestyle, it helps to know Mint has got your back. I love how all my bank accounts/student loans/expenses are neatly categorized, and I have goals set for my savings and repayment plans.


7. FAAWait—During a oncoming weather delay a flight attendant who also works part time as an air traffic controller told me about FAAWait. It's his favorite app. One click and we knew which airports across the country were also experiencing delays, how long the delays were averaging, and what had caused the delays. In other words, win, win and win.


8. WhatsApp—An Emirate's flight attendant from Bosnia based in Saudi Arabia told me about this app on a flight from Miami to New York. WhatsApp makes it possible to send text messages to friends and family out of the country free of charge. There is virtually no cost to stay in touch with loved ones. You can even share audio and video messages.


9. HappyHourFinder—nobody is better at finding a deal than a flight attendant. Period. We will find out every discount, sale and maneuver to pinch a penny in the book. Just the other day a flight attendant told me that she cooks herself a grilled cheese sandwich with a clothes iron ( albeit well cleaned)!! It doesn't get more Jenny-on-the-spot than that. This is why we take advantage of happy hour specials, particularly ones that include half priced appetizers! Check it out, and see who has specials in your area!


10. Ride—My sweet roomie, Belle, told me about this one a few days ago, and I'm a believer. While its currently for iPhone users only, Ride is a rewards network that gives you points for travel. When you have it installed on your phone, it records the numbers of miles you travel and you accrue Ride points (pretty simple so far, yeah?) They are redeemable for real rewards through Ride, such as gift cards to companies like Amazon, Starbucks, Redbox, etc.
    And who doesn't love free stuff for shameless self promotion?