Book Last-Minute Flights with Air Ticket Arena

Last-minute travelers and adventurous types who like to book air travel tickets a few days before they plan to jet off can savor the perks of a new app that advertises unsold seats at discounted prices. Air Ticket Arena — a U.K.-based startup — allows airlines to publish unsold seats 24 to 48 hours before their scheduled take-off time, and seats are awarded to the highest bidder.

To use Air Ticket Arena, travelers can download the mobile app and start searching for flights based on destination, dates of travel, airline preference and the number of seats desired. Up to two weeks in advance, users can enter a bid on specific flights based on what they are willing to pay (in euros) for a certain seat. If seats are still available one to two days prior to departure, Air Ticket Arena will automatically book the seat for the winning bidders and deliver an electronic boarding pass to the traveler via the app.

There is a clear risk in bidding on flights that cannot be confirmed for up to two weeks, so travelers should ensure they have no prior commitments during the days they bid on travel. The app is available for iOS and Android devices, and there is a web-based version as well, currently in beta testing.