Web Buzz: SeatGuru by TripAdvisor

For fliers on the go — seats, flights and real-time alerts

Name: SeatGuru by TripAdvisor

Available for: iPhone, iPod touch, iPad

What it does: Provides more than 700 color-coded seat maps for nearly 100 airlines. You can get seat advice and recommendations (yes, some seats have drawbacks), search and book flights, and check your flight status with real-time alerts from FlightAware.

Cost: Free

What’s hot: By using the app while I was in the air, I was able to find the terminal and gate of my connecting flight. I used that info, along with the restaurant info on my GateGuru app (no affiliation), to plan where to eat on my short layover.

What’s not: People are accustomed to using the comparison charts on SeatGuru.com, but I couldn’t find the website on the app. You must access it with your smartphone’s browser to get the information. You could, however, sort route info by time of day and compare planes and seats that way before booking.

Worth it: I bet Android users wish they had their own version.

—Jen Leo