How Much Does it Cost to Build a Travel App Like Air France?

In today’s fast-moving digital landscape, building a travel app that mirrors the features and performance of established platforms like Air France has become a strategic necessity for airlines, travel agencies, and mobility startups. With user expectations skyrocketing and mobile-first behavior dominating, the need for a robust, scalable, and intuitive travel app has never been more pressing.

Whether you’re aiming to offer real-time booking, seamless check-ins, travel insurance, or fintech integrations like payment gateways and loyalty wallets, you must understand the financial and technical requirements involved in travel app development.

So, how much does it really cost to build a travel app like Air France? Let’s dive deep.

Why Build a Travel App Like Air France?

Apps like Air France are a benchmark in the travel industry for their user experience, reliability, and feature-rich environment. These apps offer:

• Flight booking and rescheduling
  
• Mobile check-ins
  
• Real-time flight updates
  
• Frequent flyer program management
  
• In-app customer support
  
• Payment integration and invoice management
  
• Multilingual support
  
• Loyalty points and financial wallets
  

Combining travel and financial functionality, these apps blur the line between mobility solutions and financial mobile app development.

Core Features of a Travel App Like Air France

To estimate cost and development time, it’s essential to break down the core modules:

1. User Registration and Profile Management

• Sign-up/log-in via email or social accounts
  
• Personal details, passport info, travel preferences
  

2. Flight Search and Booking

• Search engine with filters (price, stops, duration, airlines)
  
• Seat selection, flight comparison, fare breakdown
  

3. Secure Payment Gateway Integration

• Credit/debit cards, UPI, e-wallets, reward points
  
• PCI-DSS compliance and tokenization
  

4. Itinerary and Booking History

• View upcoming and past trips
  
• Download invoices and e-tickets
  

5. Push Notifications and Alerts

• Real-time updates on delays, gate changes, and offers
  

6. In-App Check-In

• Digital boarding pass generation
  
• Luggage management
  

7. Loyalty Program Integration

• Miles accumulation, redemption, status upgrades
  

8. Customer Support (Chatbot + Live Support)

• 24/7 support with AI and live chat hybrid system
  

9. Multilingual and Currency Converter Support

• Essential for global accessibility
  

10. Admin Panel

• Dashboard for managing flights, users, promotions, and reports
  

If you’re planning to add financial tools like ticket financing, split payments, or loyalty wallets, you enter the realm of fintech mobile app development, increasing the app’s complexity but also its value.

Technology Stack for a Travel App

Selecting the right tech stack is crucial. Here’s what powers an app like Air France:

Frontend:

• iOS: Swift
  
• Android: Kotlin
  
• Cross-platform: Flutter / React Native
  

Backend:

• Node.js / Python / Ruby on Rails
  
• RESTful or GraphQL APIs
  

Database:

• PostgreSQL / MongoDB
  
• Firebase for real-time data
  

Cloud & Hosting:

• AWS / Google Cloud / Azure
  

Payment Gateway Integration:

• Stripe, PayPal, Braintree
  
• Regional gateways for localized payments
  

APIs:

• Amadeus, Skyscanner, or Sabre for flight data
  
• Twilio for messaging
  
• Google Maps for airport navigation
  
• Currency and language translation APIs
  

Development Team You’ll Need

Creating a travel app like Air France isn’t a solo job. You’ll need a full-stack team with deep experience in financial mobile app development and travel tech. Here’s a typical team setup:

• Project Manager
  
• UI/UX Designer
  
• Frontend Developer (iOS/Android/Hybrid)
  
• Backend Developer
  
• QA Engineer
  
• DevOps Engineer
  
• Financial API Integration Specialist
  
• Travel API Integration Specialist
  

For those looking to launch fast and smart, it’s advisable to hire financial software developers who specialize in travel-tech fusion.

Cost Breakdown: Building a Travel App Like Air France

The cost to build a travel app depends on several factors:

1. Development Approach

• Native apps are more expensive than hybrid ones
  
• Backend from scratch vs. third-party SaaS integrations
  

2. Feature Set

• Basic flight booking: ~$15,000 – $25,000
  
• Advanced features like in-app check-ins and loyalty programs: +$15,000
  
• Financial features like wallets and invoicing: +$10,000 – $20,000
  

3. UI/UX Design

• Standard UI: $3,000 – $6,000
  
• Custom UI/UX with animations and micro-interactions: $8,000+
  

4. API Integration Costs

• Flight data APIs: $3,000 – $5,000
  
• Payment gateway: $2,000+
  
• Loyalty and CRM systems: $5,000+
  

5. Maintenance & Updates

• Ongoing cost: $2,000 – $4,000 per month for updates, security, and bug fixes
  

Estimated Total Cost by App Complexity

Complexity Level	Estimated Cost	Timeframe
Basic MVP	$20,000 – $35,000	3–4 months
Mid-level App	$40,000 – $70,000	4–6 months
Advanced Full-scale	$80,000 – $120,000+	6–9 months

These figures vary based on the region of your development partner. Developers in the US/Europe charge $80–$150/hour, whereas companies in Asia can offer comparable quality for much less.

Financial Considerations for Travel Apps

Travel apps are increasingly integrating financial features like:

• Installment payments for expensive long-haul flights
  
• Dynamic pricing engines tied with financial intelligence
  
• Expense tracking and invoice management for business travelers
  

These integrations demand developers skilled in fintech mobile app development, not just general mobile app creation. For apps that handle sensitive customer data and transactions, compliance with standards such as PCI DSS, GDPR, and PSD2 is non-negotiable.

Monetization Models

Once your app is live, here are several ways to monetize it:

1. Commission on Bookings
   
2. Subscription Plans for Premium Users
   
3. Partner Promotions
   
4. In-App Advertising
   
5. Travel Insurance Upsells
   
6. Financial Products (EMIs, credit cards, currency wallets)
   

Why Choose ProtonBits?

ProtonBits is a seasoned player in the field of financial mobile app development and travel software solutions. Our team brings years of experience in integrating fintech features with user-centric designs to build powerful, scalable, and intuitive travel applications.

Whether you want to hire fintech software developers for a specific module or outsource the entire project, ProtonBits offers unmatched flexibility, quality, and speed.

Here’s what we offer:

• Custom Android/iOS/Flutter travel app development
  
• Integration with global travel APIs (Amadeus, Sabre, etc.)
  
• Fintech functionalities like in-app wallets, payment gateways, and loyalty systems
  
• Compliance with PCI-DSS, GDPR, and PSD2 regulations
  
• Agile development with weekly sprints and demo reviews

Conclusion

Building a travel app like Air France is a rewarding venture—but it demands a well-thought-out strategy, skilled developers, and a reasonable investment. If you’re aiming to merge travel functionality with fintech features, choosing the right partner becomes even more crucial.

ProtonBits, a leader in fintech mobile app development, offers end-to-end development services tailored to your business needs.

We charge just $25 per hour, making us an ideal partner for startups and enterprises looking for cost-effective, high-quality app development.

Let’s help you take off in the digital travel space. Get in touch with ProtonBits today and bring your travel app vision to life.