TripIt Pro update tells business travelers when to leave for the airport

I’ve been a TripIt Pro user since 2011 and have saved hundreds of dollars with low fare alerts. Last month I wrote about the new TripIt Navigator feature that added transportation options, airport maps, and airport lounge details.

Today’s release of TripIt for iOS and Android adds a Go Now feature. This is available only for TripIt Pro customers, but it’s only $49 a year for a subscription and if you travel for business it is an easy cost to justify.

The Go Now feature figures out the best time for you to depart for the airport, based on your current location, flight status, and local traffic conditions. Google Now has a similar capability, but it has often been terribly wrong so I can’t trust it for my travel.

TripIt Pro’s Go Now feature appears as a large countdown clock that clearly shows you how long you have before it is time to leave. The time remaining is in green until the last 10 minutes before departure, when it turns red. Go Now is activated a day before your departure.

This is the first version of Go Now, so there are some limitations. The feature currently targets a time to get you to the airport 90 minutes before your flight. Only US domestic flights are supported by Go Now. Ride share services, time to park in airport parking and shuttle to the terminal, and navigation within large terminals (some require long shuttles or trains) are not accounted for at this time.

I did suggest some of these and hopefully we see even more intelligence, including the ability to specify a time different than 90 minutes, included in future updates.

I’m heading out on a quick trip to New York this morning, but plan to try out this new feature on my return trip.