Airports don鈥檛 have to be the worst part of your next vacation. Whether you鈥檙e looking for a聽good meal, ways to聽make a long layover聽less boring,聽or simply a quicker route through security, there really is an app for that. Here鈥檚 how to make your dreaded time at the airport much easier and possibly even enjoyable.

Grab (Android and iOS)

Few things are worse than making do聽with tiny bags of airline peanuts because your layover is too short to wait in line聽for actual food. lets you order a meal聽for your layover聽before your聽initial flight has even聽taken off, so it鈥檚聽ready as soon as you step off the plane.

Service (Android and iOS)

syncs with your e-mail inbox, and if it detects聽a flight delay or cancellation, it automatically contacts the airline and starts working聽through the tedious steps of retrieving the financial compensation you鈥檙e owed. As a bonus, it will also keep track of your upcoming hotel stays and rebook your room if the price drops. The only drawback is it takes 30 percent of whatever reimbursements you receive.

Tunity (Android and iOS)

Your flight was delayed three hours, and now you鈥檙e left to watch the big game on the silent TV screens scattered around the terminal. Fret not:聽 is here to bring you sound while聽you鈥檙e killing those long hours waiting at your gate. Just open the app, align your smartphone鈥檚 camera with the muted TV, tap 鈥渟can,鈥澛燼nd the聽audio will start playing directly through your phone.

LoungeBuddy (iOS)

Whether you鈥檙e flying first class or economy, will indicate which airport lounges you have access to聽based on聽your credit cards, rewards memberships, and airline statuses. You can also check which lounges you can pay to enter, and in some cases, you can purchase access directly through the app.

Flightradar24 (Android and iOS)

Ever wondered where your plane was before it got to your gate? With 聽you can search any flight number and track the plane鈥檚 route and delays. Once you've taken off, you can follow your flight聽for the exact聽arrival time, to plan your layover聽or update whoever you roped into picking you up. For fun, if you catch a glimpse of a plane flying by聽your window,聽check the map to find out which flight it was and where it鈥檚 headed.

SeatGuru (Android and iOS, Free)

Input your聽airline, flight number, and travel dates before booking聽your flights, and聽 will show you the exact planes you鈥檒l be flying on and the best, most comfortable聽seats onboard.聽Plus, because users can report things like broken seat-back TVs or recliners, you won鈥檛 get聽stuck with a rigid seat sans聽in-flight聽entertainment.聽

App in the Air (Android and iOS,聽includes in-app purchases)

If you travel for business or just love to country hop, is the organization聽tool you never knew you needed. It provides a single place to hold all of your itineraries, boarding passes,聽and frequent-flier programs. You can also store聽all your past and future tickets and airline points in the app. But the best part?聽It will send flight updates and gate changes to your phone via SMS,聽so you can stay up to date even if your phone doesn鈥檛 have access to聽data.聽

iFly.com

With the of beloved airport-map app GateGuru, is the next-best source of information for navigating a new airfield. While the user experience isn鈥檛 as polished, don鈥檛 dismiss this website. It鈥檚 chock-full of essential information for over 700 airports, like estimated security wait times, on- and off-site parking locations, driving directions, rental-car and ground-transportation options, weather updates and delays, and terminal maps with gate locations, restaurants, and shops. And for some larger airports, you can indicate聽which terminals you鈥檒l be arriving and departing from, and it will provide聽step-by-step directions between terminals for your connecting flight. There鈥檚 even a section for great聽layover activities nearby.

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