New apps aim to guide travellers through new security procedures

Air travel iPhone apps are being touted in response to tightened security restrictions from American authorities following the attempted Detroit bombing.

Travel blog Flying With Fish featured the "Homeland Security News Reader" app (€0.79/$0.99) as its app of the week last week, as a way to track the fast flow of news coming out of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Released in November, it allows travellers to ensure they are informed before they reach the airport through reading breaking news, press releases and speeches coming out of the TSA.

SURVEY ON THE SPOT, originally designed for restaurants and hotels, has expanded to include airport screening. The free app uses GPS to identify the current airport and then enables US-based users to answer a survey quickly and anonymously about their security screening, which will be passed back to the Transportation Security Administration.

"Our hope is that the feedback gathered through SURVEY ON THE SPOT will help the TSA improve its current system," said Ken Kimmel, president of On The Spot Systems. "SURVEY ON THE SPOT also allows travelers to add photos and comments that they feel will help the TSA improve the national security system."

The US Airport Status app, released December 31 and priced at €0.79/$0.99, is the latest airport monitoring addition to iTunes, and provides up-to-the-minute information on the status of US arrivals and departures. It lists current flight delays for all major US airports, along with weather conditions with real-time data from the Federal Aviation Administration.

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http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/us-airport-status/id348545067?mt=8