7 best apps for cheap flights: business and leisure

Saving money on travel costs is at the top of every travel manager’s mind. Corporate flights form a huge part of every business’s travel budget, which is why apps to find cheap flights can be a great way for businesses to save money. 

Leisure travelers also search for the best flight finder apps and cheap flights apps to help them score the best deals on air travel. So, which are the best apps for cheap flights for business and leisure travelers? 

To help travelers make the right choice for their next flight search without the need for complicated hacks or insider travel tips, we go through the best apps for cheap flights both for business and leisure travel.

Best apps for cheap flights: Business travel 

From access to negotiated corporate rates to employee rewards programs and reporting capabilities, we’ll go through the three best apps to find the cheapest price and save money on airfare. 

1. TravelPerk

TravelPerk is a dedicated online corporate travel management company that offers business travelers the an industry-leading inventory for booking corporate flights and has integrations with global distribution systems Amadeus and NDC, online travel agencies Expedia, and metasearch engine Skyscanner.

Since users have access to an extensive flight inventory and can book all aspects of their trips from within TravelPerk’s user-friendly platform, this also reduces the amount of time they spend platform-switching to try and find the best app to find cheap flights.

As well as having access to negotiated rates, companies can also use TravelPerk’s VAT recovery solution to help them save up to 25% of their annual travel budget. 

For businesses whose plans change frequently, the FlexiPerk feature also allows users to pay a 10% fee on every trip they make, which means that they can cancel any part of their trip (flights included) up to two hours before they travel. Using this feature, they’ll get a minimum of 80% of the trip refunded. 

The platform’s reporting feature also compiles price trends for a company’s trips and compares the average booking price against the booking window, further helping to save money on flight costs. 

On top of this, the TravelPerk platform allows companies to incorporate their own corporate travel policies into the travel management process, helping them save money on every travel business cost. 

Key features: 

• Access to the a massive flight inventory 
• Proprietary VAT recovery solution
• FlexiPerk for protected last-minute changes
• Access to corporate flight rates
• Manage and book all aspects of business travel from within one platform

2. Kayak for Business

Kayak for Business is the corporate version of travel platform Kayak, and is a free tool to help business travelers plan and manage travel. 

It’s a free platform that processes over 2 billion flight queries annually, and displays flight search results from airlines and third party sites. 

Kayak’s Hacker Fares, which are combined one-way tickets on different airlines, can help businesses money on travel costs. Users can also use their travel towards their preferred airline’s loyalty program. 

Travel policies can be added to the flight search so that users stick to travel budgets, while travel managers can track overall travel costs via reporting features. 

Key features: 

• Access to corporate flight rates
• Integrated travel policies as part of the flight search
• Hacker Fares
• Track travel spend
• Streamlined approval process 

3. Booking.com for Business

Booking.com for Business is a free online booking tool for corporate travel that’s geared towards small businesses without managed travel programs. 

The platform offers access to over 150 airlines, from low-cost carriers to business class long-haul flights, and automatically tracks business travel spend to highlight where companies can make savings.

AI personalization features help tailor flight results to individual business traveler preferences, and the solution’s reporting features help businesses cut down on admin and costs. 

Key features: 

• The app is free to use 
• Access to over 150 airlines
• Reporting capabilities to help reduce corporate travel spend
• AI personalization tailors flight preferences
• 24/7 access to customer support

Best apps for cheap flights: Leisure travel 

Whether they’re looking for domestic flights or international flights, individual travelers are always looking for the best flight deals to help them save money. Below, we go through four of the best flight booking apps for leisure travelers looking to help them land a great deal on their next getaway.

1. Kayak

Kayak is a metasearch engine for travel deals that scrapes third-party travel sites to show customers the best deals available. 

The platform’s Price Alerts function allows travelers to track flight prices to get the best ticket prices, while its Explore function shows travelers everywhere that they can fly within their budget. 

Add-ons like FlexSearch allows users to see whether they could save money on flights by being flexible with dates, Private Deals allow them to save money on flights just by signing into the platform, while Price Forecast highlights the best time to book or wait for a flight. 

Key features:

• FlexSearch helps users save money with flexible travel dates
• Price alert function
• Explore function keeps travelers within budget
• Price Forecast indicates the best time to book flights for the best price 

2. Orbitz

Orbitz is a travel fare aggregator website that searches for and sells flights. Booking flights with Orbitz allows users to earn frequent flyer miles. 

The platform also offers a flexible dates option that helps users identify the cheapest day or price for a range of dates. 

When travelers join Orbitz’s free-to-join rewards program, they earn 1% of the flight price in “Orbucks”, which are worth $1 each. However, Orbucks can only be redeemed on hotel bookings. 

Key features:

• Free-to-join rewards program
• Travelers earn frequent flyer miles
• Flexible dates option for cheaper flights 

3. Expedia 

Expedia is an online travel agency for flights, hotels, rental cars, and more. 

Expedia’s free rewards program enables travelers to not only earn points with every flight booked, but they can also access airline miles and credit card rewards. Guests earn two Expedia points for every dollar spent. 

Travelers can also enjoy free cancelation on flight tickets within 24 hours of booking if plans change or travelers find a better offer. 

Key features:

• Expedia Rewards points
• Free flight cancelation policy
• Access to airline miles and credit card rewards

4. Priceline

Priceline is a flight booking and travel app that helps guests find flight deals. 

The platform offers a best price guarantee policy, where travelers can get a refund on any flight booked if they find a better price. 

The platform’s Express Deals also allow guests to save up to 50% on airlines, however, travelers won’t know the full details of their flight until after they’ve purchased it. 

Priceline also offers a flexible dates option to help travelers identify the cheapest flight prices for a range of dates.

Key features:

• Best price guarantee
• Express Deals 
• Flexible date options 

So, which are the best apps for cheap flights for business and leisure travelers? 

While business travelers need flight apps that give them access to corporate rates, individual travelers are a bit more flexible. 

When searching for the best apps for cheap flights for business travel, however, using apps that aren't designed with business travel in mind can cause multiple issues, such as invoicing mistakes, out-of-policy bookings, and planning errors. These types of mistakes can ultimately damage a business’s bottom line.

A dedicated corporate travel management app is the best app for businesses looking not only for cheap flights, but to maintain proper travel booking, management, and reporting processes, save time, and remain compliant.