How to Develop a Cheap Flight Ticket Booking App Like Pegasus?

In an age where digital convenience defines how we travel, flight booking apps have revolutionized the way people find, compare, and book air tickets. One standout example is the Pegasus Airlines mobile app—an intuitive, secure, and feature-rich solution that allows users to book cheap flight tickets with ease, earn loyalty points, and access travel-related services like hotels, insurance, and rentals—all from a single interface. If you’re looking to enter the travel-tech space, to develop a cheap flight ticket booking app like Pegasus can be your gateway to attracting cost-conscious travelers and building long-term brand loyalty.

If you’re an airline, travel agency, or entrepreneur aiming to develop a budget-friendly flight booking app, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know—from features and tech stack to cost estimation, team structure, and monetization options.

What is Pegasus?

Consumers today prioritize affordability, ease of use, and speed when it comes to travel planning. Traditional booking methods—calling agents or searching countless websites—have been replaced by smart mobile apps that deliver fast results, personalized offers, and complete travel services. Want to develop a Cheap Flight Ticket Booking App Like Pegasus?

The Pegasus app stands out among budget airline apps due to its highly functional design, affordability-focused features, seamless user interface, and integration with loyalty programs like BolBol. The app not only makes it easier to find the cheapest flights but also provides tools for hotel booking, car rentals, insurance, and payment flexibility. In short, it offers a full-service digital travel assistant in your pocket.

If you’re wondering how to build a similar solution—whether as a startup in the travel-tech space or a legacy airline looking to modernize—this article will help you understand:

• What makes Pegasus successful
  
• What features and technologies are essential
  
• How to design for user trust and loyalty
  
• How much it costs to develop
  
• And how to make money from it
  

App Stats to Develop a Cheap Flight Ticket Booking App Like Pegasus

Before diving into development, it’s helpful to understand how successful apps like Pegasus perform.

Pegasus Airlines App Key Metrics (Estimated):

• App Category: Travel & Local
  
• Platforms: Android, iOS
  
• Price: Free
  
• Monthly Active Users (MAU): 2M+ (Estimated)
  
• Ratings:
  
  • Google Play: 4.6 stars from 100K+ reviews
    
  • Apple App Store: 4.7 stars
    
• Downloads: 10M+ (Android alone)
  

These numbers speak volumes about the app’s usability and its reach, especially in Europe and the Middle East where Pegasus Airlines operates as a low-cost carrier.

Reasons for Popularity:

• Affordable Ticket Discovery: Users can compare flight prices quickly.
  
• Multi-service integration: Hotel booking, insurance, car rentals.
  
• Frequent flier program (BolBol): Encourages repeat use.
  
• Price freeze & currency selection: Increases flexibility and reduces booking friction.
  
• Localized experience: Available in multiple languages and currencies.
  

Understanding this gives us a roadmap to the kind of UX, performance, and integrations your app should aim for.

Essential Features to Develop a Cheap Flight Ticket Booking App Like Pegasus

Here are the core and advanced features you should include when building a flight booking app like Pegasus:

1. Flight Search Engine

The flight search engine is the core functionality of any booking app like Pegasus. It enables users to easily toggle between one-way and round-trip options, depending on their travel plans. A user-friendly interface allows travelers to select their departure and destination airports using intelligent auto-suggestions that minimize typing errors. Additionally, the calendar-based fare search displays flight prices directly within the calendar view, helping users identify the cheapest dates to travel at a glance. This not only saves time but enhances the overall booking experience by giving users control over pricing and scheduling from the first step.

2. Price Comparison

A key reason people turn to apps like Pegasus is their ability to quickly compare flight prices. The app intelligently fetches data from various airline systems and fare databases to show a range of flight options across different times, dates, and fare categories. This feature empowers users to make budget-conscious decisions without hopping between multiple websites. With an easy-to-read price layout, users can identify the best-value flights instantly and even spot trends, such as lower fares on weekdays or during off-peak seasons.

3. Flight Booking

After finding a suitable flight, the booking process kicks in with a clean, step-by-step experience. Users can review flight details, including timing, duration, and stopovers, and proceed to personalize their trip with optional extras. These may include preferred seat selection, in-flight meal choices, and additional baggage. Once selections are made, users move to the confirmation stage, where they can review the final itinerary before making payment. The goal here is to reduce friction and eliminate confusion, allowing even first-time users to complete a booking without hassle.

4. Secure Payments

In a digital landscape filled with cyber threats, Pegasus has prioritized payment security. All transactions go through encrypted channels, ensuring sensitive data like card numbers and bank credentials remain protected. The app supports multiple payment methods, including credit and debit cards, net banking, wallets, and even international payment gateways. An especially user-friendly option is the ability to freeze a ticket price and pay later, offering flexibility for users who are still finalizing their plans. The entire payment process is fast, responsive, and, most importantly, secure.

5. Boarding Pass Generation

Once a flight is booked and check-in is complete, users can generate their boarding pass directly within the app. This digital boarding pass is scannable and stored for offline access, eliminating the need for paper tickets. Having the boarding pass in-app also helps in situations where there’s no internet connectivity at the airport. This feature not only contributes to the app’s convenience but also supports environmental sustainability by reducing paper usage.

6. User Profiles & Login

A personalized user profile system allows returning users to enjoy a more tailored experience. Upon login, the app recalls previous trips, saved preferences, and even payment details for faster checkouts. Users can edit their profiles, manage frequent traveler information, and update contact details. Social login options like Google or Facebook can also be integrated for a faster sign-in experience, ensuring returning users can jump right into booking without starting from scratch.

7. Reservation Management (My Trips)

The “My Trips” section is a dedicated space where users can access their upcoming and past bookings. It allows travelers to modify existing reservations, request changes, or even cancel flights when necessary. Everything—from flight number to boarding gate and luggage allowance—is available in one place. This not only improves convenience but also builds trust by making trip management entirely transparent and accessible at all times.

8. Push Notifications

To keep users updated, the app sends timely push notifications. These alerts can include booking confirmations, reminders for upcoming flights, price drop alerts, promotional offers, and check-in notifications. By enabling this feature, users stay informed without having to constantly check the app. Notifications are smartly timed and relevant, ensuring they enhance the experience rather than becoming an annoyance.

9. Multilingual & Multicurrency Support

To appeal to global users, the app must support multiple languages and currencies. Pegasus does this by auto-detecting a user’s location and providing localized content. Whether it’s INR, USD, or Euros, users can view prices in their preferred currency. Language support ensures travelers from various regions feel included and can navigate the app comfortably, making it accessible to a broader market.

10. Loyalty Program Integration (Like BolBol)

The BolBol program is Pegasus’s loyalty system, and it’s deeply integrated into the app experience. Users earn BolPoints with every booking, which can be redeemed for discounts on future flights, add-on services, or even shared with family members. BolBol also unlocks exclusive deals and faster check-in privileges for its members. This loyalty system encourages frequent usage and builds a sense of belonging among customers.

11. Travel Assistant

An intelligent travel assistant within the app serves as a virtual guide. It helps users manage bookings, check flight status, add meals or baggage, and respond to common queries in real-time. Whether powered by AI or connected to a live support system, this feature boosts customer satisfaction by offering help without needing to leave the app or make a call.

12. Add-on Services

To make the travel experience comprehensive, Pegasus offers several additional services within the app. These include hotel bookings, BnB stays, airport transfers, and car rentals—often in partnership with third-party providers. Travel insurance can also be added during checkout, ensuring users are covered from the moment they book. All of these services can be accessed through a dedicated section, helping users plan end-to-end travel from one app.

13. Gift Cards

Another innovative feature is the ability to buy and send travel gift cards. These digital cards can be sent to family, friends, or colleagues and used to purchase flight tickets or travel services. It’s a subtle but effective way to promote the brand while offering a new use case for app monetization.

14. Personalized Offers

Leveraging user data, the app tailors travel suggestions and offers to individual profiles. Whether it’s a birthday discount, early access to a sale, or reminders based on past destinations, the personalization engine keeps users engaged and returning. This ensures the app stays relevant in the highly competitive travel booking landscape.

Monetization Models to Develop a Cheap Flight Ticket Booking App Like Pegasus

Wondering how Pegasus and similar apps make money? Let’s break it down:

1. Commission-Based Revenue

The primary monetization model used by apps like Pegasus revolves around earning commissions on each booking made through the app. Every time a user books a flight, hotel, or additional service like car rental or insurance, the platform earns a percentage from the partner or vendor. This commission-based structure forms the backbone of revenue for many travel apps, particularly those tied to a specific airline or aggregator network.

2. Add-on Purchases

Flight tickets are just the starting point. The real revenue often lies in selling add-ons like extra luggage, priority boarding, preferred seating, in-flight meals, or early check-in services. These additional purchases significantly enhance profit margins without requiring major operational overhead. Pegasus, for example, makes it extremely easy to add these extras during the booking flow or later via the “My Trips” section, encouraging users to spend more with minimal friction.

3. Loyalty Program Revenue

Loyalty programs such as BolBol also contribute indirectly to monetization by increasing customer retention and transaction frequency. Users engaged in a points-based ecosystem are more likely to book again, redeem points for higher-value items, and bring others into the system. Some loyalty programs also partner with external brands, earning referral fees or advertising revenue when users spend their points outside the app’s ecosystem.

4. Price Freeze Fees

One of the clever monetization strategies used by Pegasus is charging users a small fee to lock in the current flight price for a certain period. This appeals especially to budget-conscious travelers who need time to make arrangements. While not every user chooses to freeze prices, those who do generate additional revenue without incurring extra operational costs.

5. Advertising

While subtle, in-app advertising can be another source of income. Promoting partner services, such as hotels or insurance providers, through banner ads or sponsored sections creates an opportunity to monetize screen space. These ads can be personalized to maintain relevance and minimize intrusiveness, creating a win-win for both the user and the business.

6. Subscription Plans

Though not yet common in airline-specific apps, a future monetization option could include subscription models. Users could pay a monthly or yearly fee to unlock exclusive deals, waive booking fees, or receive priority access to sales and customer service. Such models appeal to frequent travelers who value convenience and benefits over per-use charges.

Monetization needs to be subtle, non-intrusive, and value-driven. The focus should be on upselling rather than overcharging.

Process to Develop a Cheap Flight Ticket Booking App Like Pegasus

Here’s how to go from idea to a full-fledged flight booking app:

1. Discovery Phase

Before writing a single line of code, the project begins with a discovery phase. This involves market research to understand user behavior, competitor benchmarking, and defining the app’s key differentiators. If you’re building an app like Pegasus, you’d want to study the top players in the space—Skyscanner, Hopper, MakeMyTrip—and see where you can innovate. During this phase, you also finalize the business model, key features, user personas, and technology stack. These decisions shape every step that follows.

2. Wireframing & UX Design

Once the discovery work is complete, designers create wireframes that map out the app’s flow, structure, and interface. Each screen—flight search, results page, booking, payment, and profile—is visualized to ensure a seamless journey. The focus here is on intuitive navigation, fast load times, and reducing cognitive load for users. Designers also work on crafting a visual identity that matches the brand’s tone—trustworthy, efficient, and user-centric.

3. Backend Development

This is where the app’s foundation is built. The backend involves setting up servers, databases, and APIs to power the app’s functions. Integration with GDS systems like Amadeus or Sabre is essential for accessing real-time flight data. Secure user authentication systems are built here, along with tools for managing bookings, processing payments, and sending notifications. Backend stability is critical, as even a momentary lag in retrieving flight prices can break user trust.

4. Frontend Development

The frontend developers use frameworks like React Native, Flutter, Swift, or Kotlin to build the app interface that users interact with. Their job is to make the app visually appealing and technically responsive across devices. They implement animations, transitions, error messages, and even offline capabilities. Close coordination with the backend team ensures that APIs are properly connected and data is accurately displayed.

5. Security Measures

Security is a non-negotiable aspect of travel apps. All user data—especially payment details—must be protected through encryption protocols like SSL/TLS. The app should be compliant with PCI-DSS standards if it processes card payments. Secure login mechanisms, token-based authentication, and real-time fraud monitoring are essential to building user trust and complying with regional regulations like GDPR.

6. Third-Party Integrations

To enhance functionality, several third-party services are integrated into the app. Payment gateways like Stripe, Razorpay, or PayPal handle financial transactions. Travel APIs offer insurance and hotel data. Other integrations may include live chat for customer support, email automation tools, and push notification services. These plug-ins allow your app to offer a full suite of services without building everything from scratch.

7. Testing & QA

Once development is complete, the app undergoes rigorous testing across platforms and devices. Functional testing ensures that features work as intended. UI testing checks the visual elements and interactions. Load testing simulates traffic to ensure performance under real-world conditions. Usability testing with real users can reveal friction points or areas for improvement before the official launch.

8. Deployment & Launch

After passing quality checks, the app is deployed to the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Launching involves more than just publishing; it includes marketing, onboarding campaigns, and tracking early metrics. App store optimization (ASO) ensures that your app ranks well in search results and draws organic installs.

9. Post-Launch Support

After going live, you must monitor app performance, respond to user reviews, fix bugs, and roll out new features. Analytics tools help track user engagement and conversion funnels. Regular updates maintain compatibility with OS changes and keep your app fresh in the eyes of the user.

Cost to Develop a Cheap Flight Ticket Booking App Like Pegasus

The cost of developing an app like Pegasus depends on the scope and complexity, but here’s a general estimate:

App Type	Estimated Cost (USD)
MVP Version (Basic Features)	$30,000 – $50,000
Full-Featured App (iOS + Android)	$60,000 – $100,000
With Loyalty + Add-on Services	$100,000 – $150,000+

Factors Influencing Cost:

• Number of features (e.g., loyalty program, hotel booking)
  
• App design complexity
  
• Backend infrastructure & integrations
  
• Team size and experience
  
• Development region (US/UK vs India/Eastern Europe)
  

Pro tip: You can start with an MVP (flight search + booking + payment) and gradually add features like car rentals, loyalty programs, etc.

Team Structure to Develop a Cheap Flight Ticket Booking App Like Pegasus

To build a scalable, secure, and user-friendly app like Pegasus, you’ll need the following team:

Core Development Team:

• Product Manager – Oversees entire project
  
• UI/UX Designer – Designs intuitive interfaces
  
• Frontend Developers – Build iOS & Android apps
  
• Backend Developer – Manages APIs, servers, and databases
  
• QA Tester – Ensures app quality across devices
  

Extended Team:

• DevOps Engineer – For continuous integration & deployment
  
• Marketing Strategist – For app launch & user acquisition
  
• Data Analyst – For user behavior and A/B testing
  

Optionally, consider partnering with a travel API provider or white-label travel tech firm to reduce complexity and cost.

Conclusion

Building a flight booking app like Pegasus is not just about offering cheap tickets—it’s about delivering value, trust, and convenience. From flight search and booking to loyalty rewards and ancillary services, every touchpoint must be designed for maximum user satisfaction.

With the right strategy, tech stack, and monetization model, your app can carve out a niche in the highly competitive travel market. The key lies in creating an ecosystem—not just an app—where users can plan, book, manage, and enjoy their trips with minimal friction.

If you’re ready to take off with your idea, make sure to start with a clear feature list, an MVP strategy, and a development team that understands the travel industry. The opportunity is huge—especially in emerging markets where mobile travel booking is just taking off.

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