Flight Booking App Development Cost: Everything You Need to Know

As per recent reports, there are approximately 6.6 billion active smartphone users globally, making mobile apps ubiquitous in today’s digital ecosystem. The exceptional revenue generated by these mobile apps has made them an important aspect of modern business.

Interestingly, flight booking apps are also gaining instant popularity in the travel and tourism industry, whose market size is expected to witness a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 9.0% from 2022 to 2030. The apps can offer a seamless travel experience to users worldwide while helping them effectively handle their traveling processes.

Furthermore, the trend of booking tickets online is gaining momentum due to the increasing use of mobile devices. This has resulted in eliminating third-party tools, reducing the overall costs for travelers. Additionally, IT firms benefit from the flight tickets booking app development, which is becoming the next dominant force for grabbing opportunities.

This article will help you understand everything related to the flight booking app development cost and the multiple factors that are associated with that cost. In addition, we will look at an extensive feature list for flight tickets booking app development and multiple monetization strategies that can be implemented to earn money with your flight booking apps.

To give you a brief idea, the cost to build a flight booking app varies between $40,000 to $200,000. Several factors ultimately affect the cost, such as the location of the app development agency, its UI/UX design, the platform used for developing the app, etc.

Before looking into the multiple cost-affecting factors in detail, let us first look at the multiple market statistics that can help you understand the gaining popularity of custom flight booking app development and how it can be a beneficial investment for your business.

Deciphering the Custom Flight Booking App Development Cost

As mentioned earlier, the flight booking app development pricing varies between $40,000 to $200,000. Several factors directly impact the overall budget for development. Still, the overall complexity of the app is simply the major factor that can help you decipher the impending cost of the flight booking app.

For instance, the higher the complexity of the app and the number of features it has been integrated with, the more will be its overall cost. Similarly, an app with a simple user interface and a minimal feature list will cost you less. Let us try and offer you the estimated cost to build a flight booking app per multiple complexities.

Since every business has its requirements and the development process varies across different agencies, to get a clear estimate of the cost to build a flight booking app, let us try and offer a sure-shot formula.

Here the development hours are the time frame used to complete the app’s wireframing, design, code, code, quality assurance, maintenance, etc. The hourly rate of development further varies according to the hired app development organization, the details of which will be discussed later in the blog.

Factors Affecting the Flight Booking App Development Cost

Before diving into the factors that affect the airline reservation app development cost, it is important to determine the business model you wish to adopt. Once you have a clear idea of the business model, hiring a flight booking portal development organization that can offer you maximum ROI is recommended. It is important to consider all of these factors when setting aside a budget for your custom flight booking app development:

1. UI/UX Design

A well-defined UI/UX strategy is the key deciding factor that defines the success of the flight tickets booking app development. Since a seamless app design can enhance user engagement and maintain customer retention, multiple testing procedures are carried out by the development team to ensure the same. Thus, the overall cost to build a flight booking app varies per the number of testing tools used, and the number of quality assurance iterations carried out to check the app’s proper functioning.

Factors that affect the cost of UI/UX design of the software include:

• Visual elements
• Typography
• Color psychology
• Content writing
• Button placements
• Branding
• UI optimization
• Portrait or landscape mode

2. Underlying Platform

The selection of the app development platform significantly impacts the budget. The budgetary requirements vary for iOS, Android, and cross-platform apps. Starting with a single platform is recommended to optimize the budget initially. Once the app gains traction in the market, switching to a cross-platform app is advisable. This approach can help minimize budgetary requirements and maximize the app’s reach.

3. Team Size

It is crucial to consider the trade-offs between cost and quality when selecting a team size for software development. The team size to build a flight booking app significantly impacts the custom flight booking app development cost. While hiring freelancers may reduce the flight reservation app development cost, the quality of the software may be compromised due to their lack of professional expertise. On the other hand, outsourcing the project to a dedicated software development agency like Appinventiv can optimize the airline ticket booking app development cost while leveraging their years of expertise.

The minimum team requirements for flight tickets booking app development:

• 1-2 project managers
• 1-2 business analysts
• 2-3 frontend developers
• 2-3 backend developers
• 1-2 designers
• 1-2 quality assurance analysts

4. Location of the Software Development Agency

The location of the software development agency directly impacts the cost of building a flight booking app. For instance, the hourly rate of development in areas like Asia is comparatively less than in the UAE, UK, or US. Let us try and offer you the estimated hourly rates across various parts of the world.

5. Maintenance

Adequate app maintenance is essential for its overall growth in this digitally growing economy. Thus, taking necessary actions is imperative to ensure that the app runs seamlessly across all platforms and offers optimal performance. The maintenance cost can sneak up at the end of the development process and includes the charges required to offer app upgrades or implement new technologies in the app as per market requirements.

6. Tech Stack

Incorporating modern technologies is crucial to make the app stand out from its competitors in the travel industry. A robust tech stack backed up by a dedicated flight booking app is imperative to achieve traction in the market. However, the cost of integrating these technologies can vary according to the time frame required to implement them.

7. Feature List

When developing a custom flight booking app, it is important to analyze the feature list that will be integrated into the app as it directly correlates with the overall cost. A well-defined flight booking app features set is crucial for distinguishing the app from competitors and gaining traction in the market. Carefully considering the necessary features and prioritizing them accordingly will ensure the app’s success.

Features to be Integrated into a Flight Booking App

The features that a flight booking app has to include can greatly enhance user experience and speed up the booking process. By searching for flights using a variety of parameters and filters, users may quickly locate the finest options that meet their needs and interests.

Users can be informed of any changes or disruptions to their travel arrangements via real-time flight schedules and alerts, allowing them to make backup plans if necessary. A handy tool for frequent travelers, flight booking, and management via an app can also save consumers time and effort.

Customer Panel:

• User-friendly interface: The app’s interface needs to be simple and user-friendly so that users can look up and book flights with ease.
• Easy sign-up: The app should allow the users to sign up with the app with their official email id and a contact number. Furthermore, the app should also allow sign-ups via a social media account.
• Profile verification: Once the users have registered with the app with their official email id, they should be able to validate either credential using a security pin sent to their email id or phone number.
• Flight search: The app has to provide search options, including destination, date, and price range, to help customers locate the best flight options.

[Also Read: Intuitive Search Specs that Separate the Best from the Rest]

• Secure payment gateway: The app needs a secure and dependable payment gateway to conduct transactions.
• Notifications: The app needs to alert users when their flight’s status changes, gates move, or if there are any departure or arrival delays.
• Loyalty program: The app ought to have a loyalty program that offers loyal users discounts, freebies, or other benefits.
• Ratings and Reviews: The users can check the reviews related to multiple airlines, their accommodations, and more to make informed traveling decisions.

Admin Features:

• Flight management: With the app, administrators should be able to control flight data, including timetables, availability, and costs.
• Booking management: With the app, administrators should be able to control user reservations, cancellations, and refunds.
• Payment management: Via the app, admins should be able to control payments, including commissions and refunds.
• Customer support: The app needs to provide admins with phone, email, and chat help options.

 Advanced Features:

• Multilingual support: The program must support several languages to serve consumers from various countries.
• In-app chat: The in-app chat feature should allow users to chat with customer service agents.
• Artificial intelligence (AI) integration: The app should employ AI technology to find the greatest deals and give personalized vacation suggestions.
• Virtual Reality: To improve the user experience, the app should provide tours of airports and airplane cabins in a 360-degree view.

[Also Read: Virtual Reality – The New Marketing Strategy For Business]

• Social media integration: The app should allow users to submit details about their travel plans and experiences on social media platforms.
• Accounting APIs: Integrating accounting APIs allows the admin to easily track their overall finances.

Types of Business Models Available for Flight Tickets Booking App Development

Users now have a simple and convenient way to book tickets thanks to the explosive growth of the flight booking mobile app sector in recent years. The two main business models for flight booking mobile apps are the aggregator and specialized models.

• Aggregator Model:

The aggregator model is the most popular business model for travel booking apps. Users can easily and affordably book their desired flights by comparing rates and airline itineraries. With this business model, the app serves as a middleman, introducing customers to various airlines while taking a cut of every reservation made on their website.

Providing users with a wide range of options, including domestic and foreign carriers, is one of the aggregator model’s main advantages. Also, the aggregator model allows airlines access to a bigger client base, opening up a new sales channel for them.

Dedicated model flight booking applications like Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Emirates have grown in favor among frequent travelers since they can offer a hassle-free booking and travel experience.

Dedicated Model:

The dedicated approach, in contrast, relies on a single airline or a group of airlines collaborating with an app to provide consumers with their services. According to this idea, consumers can use the app to manage their reservations with the associated airline (s).

One of the primary advantages of the dedicated model is the capacity to provide passengers with a seamless booking and travel experience via the airline’s dedicated app. Airlines may create a loyal customer base by gathering customer data and offering targeted discounts and services.

Dedicated model flight booking applications like Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Emirates have grown in favor among frequent travelers since they can offer a hassle-free booking and travel experience.

It is further important to understand that the custom flight booking app development cost varies according to the dedicated business model you have chosen for your project.

How Can You Earn Money with Your Flight Booking App?

Monetization is essential to any business, including companies that provide ticket booking services. Flight booking apps are a typical choice for travelers in the present era when internet travel bookings are becoming increasingly prevalent. The choice of the proper monetization approach will determine the flight tickets booking app development success while ensuring a proper income stream for your business. The following is a list of some of the most prominent income techniques used by flight booking apps:

• Merchant Model:

The merchant model makes sense for flight booking apps with a big user base because it can benefit service providers by introducing them to new clients. Under this concept, the app acts as a marketplace for airlines and other providers of travel services. Service providers must pay the app to list their offerings there. A flat fee or a percentage of the transaction value could be charged for this fee. The app makes money through commissions by giving service providers a platform to contact a huge customer base.

This concept is advantageous to airlines and customers that are alike. Airlines can target a wider audience, and passengers can access numerous travel service providers from one platform. Well-known flight bookings apps like Expedia, Priceline, and Orbitz use the merchant business model.

• Commission Fee:

According to the commission fee model, the flight booking app charges a commission for each reservation booked through the app. A fixed percentage of the booking amount or a variable proportion depending on the type of booking, could be the basis for this commission. This business model is suitable for apps that let users book flights and other services like lodging, transportation, and travel insurance.

The software offers clients convenience by acting as a one-stop shop for booking trips. By offering new services, the app increases its commission income. Many flight booking apps like Booking.com and Hotels.com employ this technique.

• Advertising:

The advertising strategy is appropriate for travel apps with a large user base and the ability to generate revenue for sponsors by concentrating on certain regions or demographics. By displaying advertisements to consumers, the flight booking software uses this tactic to monetize. These advertisements may appear as banners, pop-up windows, or sponsored content. Every time a user clicks on an advertisement or watches it for a predetermined time, the app is paid.

The app makes money via advertising by giving companies a platform to access a wide audience. Additionally, the app offers clients relevant information by presenting customized adverts, improving the likelihood of conversion. Major flight bookings applications such as Skyscanner and CheapOair use this advertising strategy.

How Can Appinventiv Help You Build a Robust Flight Booking App?

The flight tickets booking app development is one of the most popular trends that have impacted the travel industry immensely, all thanks to the increasing global demand for easy and convenient travel. Business owners are now looking for ways to invest in this sector so as to leverage its growing market share, build their brand value and offer something unique to their user base while catering to their custom needs.

Distinct features in mobile apps serve the primary purpose of simplifying people’s lives. Their roster of features is one of the notable factors that affect the custom flight booking app development cost. However, for accurate estimation, it is recommended to pen down the idea and discuss it with a mobile app development company that has a similar portfolio to ensure the best outcome.

Appinventiv is an aviation software development company dedicated to delivering high-quality products exceeding client expectations. We pride ourselves on our innovative approach to software development and our expertise in the industry. Our apps are designed to provide a seamless user experience and help streamline your business operations. With our commitment to excellence, we guarantee that you will be satisfied with our artificial intelligence services.

Get in touch with our experts to build a flight booking application that is easy to scale and custom to your business requirements.

FAQs

Q. How does a flight booking app work?

A. Flight booking apps are the solutions capable of ensuring the path of the passenger, all the way from itinerary search to purchasing the tickets and check-in procedures. Users can simply sign up on the flight booking app with their email id, search through multiple flights and airlines available for their destination, modify their search according to their preferences, choose the right flight for their travel, and simply book their flight by paying through an online secure payment gateway.

Q. What are the key features of a flight booking app?

A. The various flight booking app features include the likes of:

• Social Login or Sign Up
• Flight Schedules
• Flight Booking
• Frequent Flier
• Booking Status
• Flight Status
• Check-In
• Ratings and Reviews
• Chatbot
• Information Management
•  Customer Support
• View Searches
• Manage Booking

Q. How much does it cost to develop a flight booking app?

A. The cost to build a flight booking app varies between $40,000 to $200,000. Several factors ultimately affect the overall development budget, such as the development platform, the location of the app development agency, the design process, the app’s maintenance, etc.

Q. How long does it take to build a flight booking app?

A. The time frame to create a flight booking app varies according to the app’s overall complexity. For example, developing a highly complex flight booking app can take around 9+ months. On the other hand, a simple app with minimum features can take around 3 to 4 months to develop.

THE AUTHOR

Sudeep Srivastava

Co-Founder and Director