This could be the best travel tip you will ever receive: You need an itinerary management app. If you travel by air, you definitely need an itinerary management app. Not just any program, you need one with real-time alerts and notifications.

It could mean the difference between being grounded, or getting on with your travels.

For example, I’m sitting in the lounge at Halifax International Airport, basking in my good fortune at dodging a nor’easter headed this way. But mostly, I’m feeling grateful for Kayak ‘Trips,’ an itinerary management feature that’s part of the free Kayak app.

What’s an itinerary management app?

An itinerary management app converts all of your bookings into a well organized itinerary. It places them in chronological order by date of the actual activity.

A decent itinerary management app has a dependable system of notifications. It lets you know of delays and cancellations, as well as gate changes and baggage carousel(s) assigned to your flight.

Why Kayak ‘Trips’ is my favourite

• It’s free, and you don’t need to use Kayak as a booking service to use Kayak ‘Trips.’
• Its alerts and notifications are timely and efficient. On so many occasions, I’ve received a message from Kayak before the information has been posted by the airline or airport systems. This has enabled me to catch flights I might otherwise have missed. It’s also facilitated bookings on alternate flights while seats were still available.
• TripIt, a popular itinerary management system, also offers flight alerts. However, this feature is only available with an annual subscription of 49 USD. With Kayak ‘Trips,’ alerts and notifications are free.

Kayak ‘Trips’ saved the day yesterday

It was the day before the departure of a month-long trip to Europe. I was almost packed, and there were a few pre-trip tasks left to wrap up. I’d one eye on the weather reports of a nor’easter that might interfere with my travel plans.

My 16:55 Air Canada flight from Halifax to Boston connected to a late-night SWISS flight from Boston to Zurich. They were the first two flights of an itinerary booked on Aeroplan frequent flyer miles. Weather reports suggested 10 to 20 cm of snow and 100 km/hr winds were headed my way. It didn’t look good for the small plane plying the Halifax to Boston route.

Just as I was thinking about switching to a U.S. station for the Boston weather, I received an alert from Kayak. It was around 5:00 pm, approximately 24 hours before my first flight. The alert indicated that the Halifax to Boston flight was cancelled. Kayak suggested I contact Air Canada to verify the information.

A “quick” call to Air Canada indicated a 37 to 45-minute wait to speak to an agent. I hung up and called Aeroplan. Connection with an agent was immediate.

As mentioned, it was late afternoon, roughly 24 hours before my first flight. The northern edge of the storm wasn’t expected in Nova Scotia until early afternoon the next day. With a little luck, I could make the three-hour drive to Halifax to beat the weather. The Aeroplan agent confirmed that the cancellation was due to the weather forecast for Boston.

Thanks to Kayak, my window for driving to Halifax, and finding an alternate route had widened.

The agent set to work. My final destination was Malta. Was I tied to the two-night Zurich stopover on my existing itinerary? If I was, she indicated that Halifax to Montreal to Zurich was a possible route. 

I couldn’t believe my good fortune to hear that award seats were available. I attributed this to another advantage of redeeming frequent flyer miles for travel in business class.

The agent offered a couple of Halifax to Montreal possibilities. One resulted in a 6-hour connection time, the other more like 90 minutes. I neglected to ask where she was based. If it was at the other end of the country, chances were she wasn’t up to speed on the nor’easter barrelling down on the Maritimes. Instead, I asked for the departure times of each flight. One was late morning, the other mid-afternoon. I chose the earlier flight. I figured it would put me ahead of a possible cancellation of a flight scheduled for just as the nor’easter was predicted to pick up speed in Halifax.

A new plan, a new itinerary

Within an hour of receiving the Kayak alert, I had a new itinerary, and boarding passes printed.

Public transportation is non-existent in my area of the province, so trips to Halifax are by van shuttle or private vehicle. My spouse was driving me, and we decided to leave at 04:00. This would give him time to make the return trip to and from Halifax ahead of the storm.

Today, thanks to Kayak ‘Trips’

Strangely enough, I received an email from Air Canada at 00:02. It contained an invitation to check in for a flight that had been cancelled 8 hours earlier.

This is another reason to use a third party system, and not rely on that of a carrier to stay updated on flight arrangements. Online systems fail, and it was clear that Air Canada had experienced a glitch in theirs.

Travel plans unfold

My story continues to Montreal. I’m now sitting in Air Canada’s new Maple Leaf International Lounge, catching up on news of the storm creating havoc in Boston.

All flights leaving Logan International Airport appear to have been cancelled.

The lounge has an expansive view of the tarmac. It’s clear, and the weather is a pleasant contrast to what the east coast is experiencing.

My spouse made it home before the northern edge of the nor’easter hit the southwest coast of Nova Scotia where we live. Thank you, Kayak.

The SWISS Airbus A330-300 for Flight LX87 has just pulled into Gate 57. It’s on time for its departure for Zurich.

Thanks to Kayak ‘Trips,’ I’ll be on it and not snowbound somewhere in Nova Scotia.

If you found this useful, you might be interested in My favourite itinerary management app. It provides an overview of Kayak ‘Trips’ and how to use it. If you’re an Aeroplan member, Finding Aeroplan flights: a step-by-step guide describes the process I followed to book this particular trip while minimizing fuel surcharges.

Care to weigh in? Do you use an itinerary management app with real-time flight alerts?

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